Teen People
February 1998
Backstage with Hanson
Here's your all-access pass to a day in the life of the most in-demand band on the
planet-from sound check to showtime
{by Lori Majewski}
Its a week before Thanksgiving, and the members of Hanson- Issac, Taylor and
Zachary-are really,really busy. How busy? So busy that they're contemplating doing their
christmas shopping aboard a 747 during their next transatlantic flight. "We can just buy all
the duty-free-stuff on the plane," says Zac, leaning back in his chair in a Miami dressing
room. "Yeah, buts it's all crud-unless you want perfume or cigars," says Ike, ond day shy
of his 17th birthday.
Judging from the frequent-flier miles the brothers Hanson are racking up these days, the
airlines would be wise to expand their duty-free selection to include sneakers, CDs and
video-game cartridges. In the past week, the platinum-selling siblings have flown from
Paris to Amsterdam to Los Angeles to Miami. Their scheldule includes playing in radio
festival concerts {like the one scheduled for today}, presenting at MTV,s Europe Music
Awards and taping their ABC prime-time special "Meet Hanson." That does'nt leave much
time to recover from jet lag.
But like three Energizer bunnies, the boys from Tulsa, Okla., just keep going- and with
few complaints. "A lot of people dont get to leave the country or even their own state,"
says 14-year-old Taylor, "So for us to get to see so much of the world is pretty amazing."
As their home video "Tulsa, Tokyo &The Middle of Nowhere" documents, the band has
done some serious globetrotting since hittine it big last spring with the albumn Middle of
Nowhere. These days, it's hard for them to pin down their favorite country. "Bali is, like,
oh-my-God!" yells Zac. "Yeah, but Italy is really cool" counters Taylor, "for the girls and
for the food." "And Australia is really, really cool," adds Ike
All three agree, though, the there isn't an exotic locale on earth that can compete with the
comforts of home: friends, family and paintball. Unfortunaltely, they don't get to enjoy the
simple pleasures all the often. "We were home for a couple of weeks not to long ago,"
says Taylor. "But that's the longest we've been home for the last year."
If they're a little homesick, you can hardly blame them: Conditions on the road are less
then comfortable. Today the bands dressing room, which is actually a trailer behind the
stage, is practically bare except for a mirror, four folding chairs and three Hanson
brothers. although it's nearly 85 degrees on this November morning, the windows are shut
tight and sealed with green plastic for privacy. The only reminder that there's life outside is
the fans' steady chant of "Hanson!Hanson!" "Why do girls scream?: Zac askes, "We need
to know!" Probably because just moments earlier Zac threw open the dressing room door
and did his best to stir up a group of girls waiting on line to get into the venue. "He loves
to drive 'em crazy." says Taylor, rolling his eyes.
Think of Hanson as modern-day Three Musketeers: All for one and one for all. The
brothers spend almost every hour of every day together. They eat together {fried chicken
today- the guys love fast food}, go through sound checks together and sign autographs
together> They do interviews as a group, and don't even consider taking a picture of just
one of them. "We don't take solo shots because we're a band," insists Taylor.
The only time you'll catch the boys alone is at night, when they retire to separate hotel
rooms. Doesn't hanging out together all the time get to be a bit much? "People always
stress about that," says Ike. "They're like.' don't you feel deprived of individual time?'"
When we are at home it's not like we go, "Okay, i'm going to go hang with my friends
now." says Taylor. "We're always around each other, say Zac, even when we don't have to
be.
Around noon, the boys barrel out of the dressing room to rehearse Run Rudolph Run to
the shrieks of thousands of Hansonheads who arrived at the park early. (They're not
scheduled to perform until 5:30 pm) Close behind is their Dad, Walker Hanson, a former
international finance exec for an oil-drilling company, who travels with the band an
captures their every step with his video camera. (He shot a lot of the behind-the-scenes
footage in "Tulsa, Tokyo & The Middle Of Nowhere") The rest of the family--sisters
Jessica, nine, and Avery, seven, and brother Mackenzie, four--would normally tag along
too, but today they're home with their mom, Dianna, who's seven months pregnant with a
seventh Hanson sibling.
With (almost) seven children it could get pretty competitive in the hanson household--or
so you might think. But Ike, Taylor and Zac swear that's not the case. I would never really
say we're competative, says Ike. Unless of course, you're talking video games. "Zac's the
best at video games," says Taylor. "He kills us" adds Ike.
"That's because I've been playing since I was three", Zac says.
They're even diplomatic when dishing out assignments for lead vocals. Although Taylor is
widely regarded as the bands's lead singer, thge threesome insists that Hanson has no such
thing.
Asserts Taylor, "Whoever sings a song best sings lead, that's it"
Nearly six hours after teasing the crowd at the sound check, Hanson takes the stage for
the half hour set. As the guys walk to their places, the crowd erupts into a loud rendition
of "Happy Birthday To You" in honor of Ike's 17th.
Earlier backstage, Ike received his presents from his little brothers: 17 birthday punches.
What will he wish for when he blows out the candles tomorrow? "Our own tour", he says.
"A full, 90-mintue set of our own songs. Because that's what it's all about, really: playing
our music."