Frikvarter January 2005 Issue

HANSON, LEGO and the big red salami

The Hanson Brothers have Danish roots –but how deep are they? We tested the Danishness of Zac, Taylor and Isaac in a not so delicious way. The test featured pork rind, Danish pastry and salami.

Zac, Taylor and Isaac are in Denmark for the first time. It is kind of a special experience because this is where their ancestors lived a long time ago before they packed their bags, moved to The United States and changed their name from Hansen to Hanson.

"We’re always excited to visit a country we’ve never been to before but we were especially excited about coming to Denmark because we’re huge LEGO fans. I don’t know if it’s because of our Danish roots but we were crazy about LEGO when we were growing up" Taylor explains. He’s the only
brother who still has the long hair that made them the media’s favourite object of hatred back in the day. It’s been 7 years since MmmBop was haunting the charts, but to say that Hanson have developed from innocent boys to grown men would be an exaggeration. As they sit there in the couch they still look very innocent in a very cute way in spite of the fact that they are now 18, 20 and 23 years old. The talk about LEGO continues: "We wish that we had time to go to Lego Land. We could do a concert and have them build Hanson stuff out of LEGO, he he" So far there’s no question about their Danish descent.

DANISH DELICACIES
But it takes more than an innocent chat about LEGO to convince us that the Hansons have the blood of Vikings running in their veins. That is why we have brought an exquisite selection of irresistible Danish delicacies: Pork rind, salty liquorice, ammonium chloride liquorice, Danish pastry,
rye bread with red salami, tartar sauce and roasted onion, and last but not least: 3 beers and lighters to go with them.
If Hanson can consume these delicacies without batting an eyelash we must be dealing with descendants of hardcore Vikings.

Zac, Taylor and Isaac’s hesitation to get started can be interpreted as politeness. "What is that?" Zac asks as he points to the big red salami. After a very detailed explanation he is the only one who ventures into the breathtaking discipline: "It’s actually not so bad" he says after his first bite which will also be his last. The pork rind is less painful. "Aren’t these made out of pigs’ skin?" Isaac asks and puts a couple in his mouth, after which the others follow suit. The Danish pastry doesn’t require any further explanation. In no time a
cinnamon cake and one half of another piece of pastry is gone.
When it comes to the liquorice the ammonium chloride ones are the best received. Again, it’s Zac who shows great courage and tries a salty liquorice although it ends up in a tissue.

Now it’s time for the wet goods. Blank looks appear on their faces as the reporter from Frikvarter explains how Danish boys open beer bottles with a lighter as the most natural thing in the world. "Oh yeah, I’ve seen people do that" Isaac says and gives it a try. But the contents of the bottle stays where it is -Inside the bottle.

Conclusion:
Maybe there really is a drop of Danish blood or two left in Hanson. But of course we can’t exclude the thought that their ancestors could have been Swedish…