Mmmbaby: Zac chats with scene
Rachel Boyd and Courtney Long
Published Friday, March 2, 2007


Last night, we fulfilled our fifth-grade dreams: Zac Hanson now has our cell phone numbers. But our attempt to return to the simpler days of crushes, curfews and spelling tests has been made more complicated: Hanson hit puberty, all three brothers married, and the group committed itself to fighting AIDS. Though Hanson will release “The Walk,” their latest album, on May 22, and proceeds from the single “Great Divide” will go to benefit an AIDS hospital in South Africa, Yalies will undoubtedly still be chanting for “Mmmbop” at Toad’s tonight at 9:15. In an exclusive interview, scene’s most diehard Hanson fans try to get Zac to dish on Hanson’s new album, ease us into the grown-up Hanson and swear that the brothers will give us a chance to scream the lyrics to “Where’s the Love?” tonight.

scene: All the proceeds from “Great Divide,” one of the songs on your upcoming album, are going to benefit HIV research in Africa. Why did you decide to go to Africa, what was your experience like there, and how did that trip inspire your new music?

Zac Hanson: We just decided that we wanted to go there and experience it ourselves, and the idea came up of putting children’s choirs on the record, so there are three songs on the record that have a school choir from South Africa. … Honestly we know that one song is not going to change the world, but I think for us, it’s one step in the right direction, and also we know that the way it will really make a big impact is what it will do with our fan base.

s: What sort of material are you going to play in New Haven?

Z: These shows are primarily new music, though we don’t not play any old songs. So there will be some old songs. … One thing about Hanson shows is we really don’t write the set out until about 10 minutes before we go on stage. It’s important for us as a band to do it because we know we have so many fans who go to multiple shows, and by changing up the set, you’re able to keep the show enjoyable for them and keep it interesting for us too.

s: How do you think college age fans like us who grew up with classic songs such as “Mmmbop” and “Where’s the Love” are adjusting to the grown-up Hanson? Do you think you have a new sound?

Z: That first album of ours was so successful, that it became cultural. … Today 90 percent of our fans are college-age students. They’re our age. … For the people who haven’t heard Hanson since “Mmmbop” was released, they might be a little surprised, less even because of the sound of the music … but obviously it’s been 10 years, and when you see a 21 year old on-stage rather than an 11 year old, I think that has the most impact on people who haven’t been aware of where we are as a band. When people come to the show, bring your earplugs because it’s gonna be loud. But you’re going to have a good time.

s: Do you think your completely non-single status as a band has hurt your fan base at all?

Z: I don’t think its hurt the fan base at all! We do have a lot of female fans, but I think most bands have a lot of female fans unless you’re talking about hard death metal. … Somebody came up to me and said The Beatles only got more attractive once they were all married. I don’t want to compare myself to the Beatles, but if that’s the case, if it’s more enticing to want a married man than not, I don’t know…

s: Where do you see the band going in the future, and how long do you think the three of you will stay together?

Z: That’s a hard question to answer because you never know what curveballs will be thrown at you. One of the funnier things that has happened to me recently is I was doing an interview with a journalist in Japan, and she said, “I interviewed you 10 years ago, and I asked you where you’d be in 10 years, and you told me you’d be making music. And you said if you’re still a journalist, I hope we can do an interview again.”

s: I know that Taylor has three kids. Do you know if he has any hopes that his own kids will form a band of their own someday?

Z: The thing about that is, we didn’t form a band because we were brothers, we formed a band because we love making music. … Honestly, in my opinion, their dad is a really talented musician and singer, so I’m sure they’ll have that music vibe in them. … When it comes to your kids and making music, you basically have to ask yourself, “Can you do anything else besides music and be happy?” If you can, do that. If you can do nothing else and be happy, then make music. Because music is a hard lifestyle. It’s a hard way to live. There are few bands that are lucky enough to be successful. We’re really lucky.