Metro (UK)

Nov 03, 2004 | 

When Hanson's debut single, MMMBop, crashed into the charts in 1997, Taylor, Zac and Isaac could do no wrong. Since then, they've been doing it their way, building a fanbase and ignoring industry politics. This weekend, they play sets in the UK, have a limited-edition acoustic taster of new album, Underneath, out and release Underneath proper in the new year. Taylor Hanson talks to Metro.


60 SECONDS EXTRA!: What are you up to?
I'm in a place where I don't go that often - Tulsa, my home town. I've been back for a week as we've been touring the US. We've staggered the release of the album around the world, which is why it's not out in the UK until next year. Our aim is to try and control our own music. We released the album ourselves and have licensed it to different companies around the world. We want to be in each part of the world as it is released - Europe's the next step.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: Have you learnt enough from the industry that you now know better than the record companies?
This is not about us knowing the right and wrong way - it's just our way. We feel there's been a real shift in music in that record companies are now worldwide conglomerates and have taken their eye off the ball. Building relationships with audiences and building relationships with new artists is what made the companies in the past. They used to have a real entrepreneurial spirit, guys like [Island Records founder] Chris Blackwell were people who would create relationships, but that has slipped away. When we made this record, we went through an unsatisfying process of taking it to the company we were signed to, then going to another company and then realising we had no relationship with them to give us the incentive to create a record passionately. We looked at each other and thought it was best to go independently. We're a very hands-on band but we just knew the place on offer wasn't the place for us. We've watched things change and seen other artists we know not make the albums they wanted to. We want to be in a position where we can go wherever we want.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: How did the company take your leaving?
There was some negotiation but, when they knew they were in a situation where things were not going to thrive, they had no incentive to tie our arms and keep us there.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: Will you be releasing anybody else's stuff?
We'd like to, but that's a lofty goal. You have to create a business model that is proven to succeed first. When we first did this in the US, people said: 'What are your goals? What would be success for you?' And we said: 'We'd like to be able to re-establish ourselves and touch base with our core fans and go back to being an indie band. Also to have a No.1 independent release.' We feel like there are fundamental factors we need to do first. Anything that comes beyond that will be built on the right foundation.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: Is there any sibling rivalry?
Not really. We grew up together and we know what each of us does that drives the others up the wall. We're old guys before our time as we've done it for so long. We are on a different timeline to most band members in their early 20s. What's really amazing is the fact we are 19, 21 and 24 and we are going to do side projects, branch out and we have that flexibility. More and more, over the next couple of years, we will be writing with other people and doing other things. We do need to grow.

Do the Hanson family practise their melodies over breakfast?
Contrary to what people may think, we don't all live together. I'm now married with a two-year-old son but, when we are on the road, sure.

Has being a dad changed you?
Enormously - mostly, it gives me inspiration. You change as a person and it gives you different things to write about. You focus your energies differently. It definitely is challenging: being a dad, being a husband, launching your own record company. There's a lot of pressure.

You guys are veterans but Zac still can't buy a beer. That can't be very rock'n'roll.
Well, he could in the UK but not in the United States, which is a whole other debate. What's much more rock'n'roll is the fact most of the guys who started rock'n'roll were buying beer before they were legal.

So we can assume Zac has had the odd pint.
Zac has definitely had a beer or two. He's not much of a drinker but he has had his fair share. We never did things at the same pace as others and we'll continue on that path.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: How difficult was it growing up in a media glare?
I was 14 when we released our first record. It's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't felt it, but it's a different kind of life. Having the adoration of fans certainly puts things in a different perspective. When we did MMMBop, we went from doing local gigs for local fans to breaking out massively. it took us a long while to realise how out of the ordinary that was. But then again, this is what I always wanted, to be in a band and have fans.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: Do the family come on the road?
Yes they do. Or at least in the States. Our life is making music and playing it, and my wife knew what she was getting in to.

60 SECONDS EXTRA!: Was she a fan?
Yes, in the sense that she liked the music and had heard the records. There's more to the story but she had to be a fan. Otherwise it wouldn't have worked if she didn't like the music. Can you imagine my reaction to her if she had said: 'I hate your band'? We would not have been able to be together.

MMMBop caused Hansonmania. Have the fans calmed down?
Yes - they are older. Breaking out with MMMBop was an amazing peak, to get that kind of exposure was a phenomenon. It was very different to anything else going on at the time - we struck a different chord. What's been amazing is seeing how the fans have gone forward with it. They are some of the most devoted and passionate people - not just fans but people - I have ever met. We have broken records for the longest guys have waited outside venues. People wonder why our fans are like that, but I think music fans should be more that way. Our fans are very high-octane and people should get that excited about music.

Would you get that excited about a band?
There are only a few. I started out in music as a fan and then realised I could play too. Every part of me is more akin to what U2 have done with their career. I just adore the passion they have and everything they do. They are a dying breed.

Have they sold out by doing an iTunes advert?
I think iTunes is the beginning of a new era. In one sense, it's very mass-media but they are one of the biggest bands in the world and who else should front an iTunes commercial? My peers, as a whole, have been very complacent when it comes to music, but it seems that iTunes and the digital revolution have rekindled their flame for music. Being able to download tunes legally has opened their eyes to other possibilities as opposed to the clusterf**k of download options that were there before.

Have you ever downloaded illegally?
Absolutely. But I'm not that active as I'm not an interactive guru. I usually follow it by buying the record, though.

There's no Hanson on iTunes so can I download your tunes illegally?
You're trying to put me on the spot. Here's the thing. This is a different time and you cannot have flames flying out of your ears about illegal downloads. That's not the right approach. Our job as musicians and for the industry is to create avenues for people to download things legally. It's like when we were growing up and people would copy tapes - that was a supposed 'problem' but we all did it. The ones you liked, you'd go and buy. It's the same with downloads - they're not usually the same quality, so people, if they like the tune, will then go out and buy the album.

Can I ask a triv

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