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Ike, Tay and Zac recently signed a deal to star in a movie about their lives! They'll play themselves. Filming doesn't start 'till late 1998.
All three brothers love to hang out at the beach.
When they were little they used to write songs about frogs and ants.
Middle of Nowhere was released on May 6,1997
Ike and Tay call Zac 'Animal' after the crazy Muppets' character that's always going bonkers!
What inspires the words to Hanson's songs? 'We write about things that happen to us. We're inspired by all sorts of things. Sometimes I'll just look out the window and something clicks.' Isaac tells.
When the Hanson family was living in Los Angeles's Hollywood Hills to record Middle of Nowhere, they could see the famous Hollywood sign from the house's back deck.
Isaac describes himself as 'stupid goofy'!
What made the boys write about the song 'Weird'? It's a weird concept, but Ike, Tay and Zac say 'weird' is a word that everyone uses a lot and so it was an interesting idea.
Middle of Nowhere is actually Hanson's third album! Before they were signed to by Mercury Records, the boys' parents put up the money for them to record Boomerang in 1995 and then MMMBop in 1996.
The inside of the CD package on their second and third album includes artwork done by Ike, Tay and Zac.
Look for Ike, Tay and Zac in print ads for those 'where's your mustache?' milk ads.
Even though they are utterly adorable and their music appeals mostly to pre-teen and teen girls, Hanson does not want to be considered a 'cute' band. They pass when asked to pose with stuffed animals.
'MMMBop' rocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard hot 100 music charts and stayed there for many weeks.
Isaac plays guitar. He first started strumming after he picked up a used guitar at a pawnshop.
Taylor plays the keyboards. All three brothers took classical piano lessons.
Zac first began banging on the drums after he found an old set in his friend's attic.
Zac collects mini shampoo bottles that he gets in hotels from around the world.
Taylor wears a retainer at night.
Zac has been known to pick up female fans and carry them to the stage.
The brothers have a tree house in their backyard at home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Once when Zac, Ike and Tay were visiting New York City, they walked up to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
At one time the Hanson family had six cats after their furry feline had five kittens.
When the video for 'MMMBop' was being planned, the director imagined a scene where the boys would leave the house and then ride bike to the park. But Ike, Tay and Zac had other ideas. They wanted to take a cab and a bus-and as you can see in the video the results were totally fun.
None of the Hanson boys has a girlfriend right now, but they love scoping out the girls who come to see them perform. So make sure you stand out in the crowd if you ever get lucky enough to see one of their shows.
As of this writing, Hanson has no tour dates set up, but they promise they will tour in late 1997 or early 1998.
The single MMMBop was released on March 24,1997.
All three brothers love to eat at the restaurant back home in Tulsa, and it is called Rex's Boneless Chicken.
Zac is a skateboarding fanatic.
The first song Isaac ever wrote was called 'Rain Falling Down' when he was in third grade.
When they are on the road, the Hanson boys always bring a journal with them to record the sights they've seen and the things they have learned.
Just before their Middle of Nowhere disc was released; a music industry veteran gave the brothers some advice. He told them that no matter what happens, even if one brother became way more popular than the others did, they should always love each other.
Ike, Tay and Zac love hearing their fans screaming their names, even if it does get to be deafening sometimes.
Tay, Ike and Zac wrote or co-wrote every single song on Middle of Nowhere.
Before actually getting signed to a record deal, Hanson had written over 100 songs and performed at over 200 shows.
According to the boys, the songs 'Lucy' and 'Madeline' are not about one specific, special girl in their lives. She's just any girl! 'Unfortunately they are just names,' Taylor says.
Before getting signed to Mercury Records, they were passed over by 12 other major labels. Bummer for them now!
Since Hanson mania has hit, there have been several tell-all-books written about the Tulsa trio, including Hanson: MMMBop to the Top and Hanson: An Unauthorized Biography.
'Thinking of You,' the first song on the album was written in a half an hour.
How do fans act when they meet Taylor Isaac and Zac? Tay tells it: 'It is a weird phenomenon. A lot of the guys want to be your friends, and they want to come over to our house or something, and the girls do the 'I love you' thing. It's weird!'
When asked if he would ever date a fan that is so crazy for him that she shows up at his house to meet him, Tay answered, 'If someone was that obsessed with you, it would be kind of hard, but I guess if she was nice enough.'
The governor of Oklahoma has proclaimed May 6, 'Hanson Day'!
Going to Laser Quest and playing video games rank tops on Zac's list of his fave things to.
Once in a while Zac does his hair in braids.
Zac, Hanson's drummer, jokingly says he's got to watch out or little bro. Mackenzie will steal his place in the band. 'He's got the rhythm!' Zac says.
'MMMBop' was originally written as a background for another song, until it was decided that it would be a song on its own.
Zac he loved spending time in Italy because they have great food.
Ike, Tay and Zac realize that their fans that write them would love to get back a personally written response, and say, 'We love to respond to as many as we can.'
Hanson nicknamed their fans 'The Scream Squad.'
The first time Hanson heard 'MMMBop' on the radio, they were in a van. 'We cranked it up-it was awesome!' says Taylor.
When Hanson was recording Middle of Nowhere, Taylor's voice changed halfway through! 'If you listen closely, you'll hear my voice is about four notes lower at the end than it was at the beginning,' he says. They worked around it, and the finished product came out fine!
Not everybody in the world adores Hanson. The boys say once in awhile people will yell cruel remarks at them about their music being terrible. But Taylor says, 'Everybody has their own opinion. That is part of life-it's fine.'
Hanson's father, Walker, is so proud of his sons that he videotapes their concerts and appearances with a hand - held recorder.
After some of their performances, the brothers throw beach balls into the crowd.
Except for Walker every member of the family has really blond hair.
Unlike Tay, whose neck is usually covered in chokers, Ike isn't really big on jewelry. He wears a silver ring on the middle finger of his left hand and a wrist watch-that's about it.
Taylor wears a beeper! Of course the number is top secret! Tay wears it on the back of his waist to keep it from view.
Expect to be hearing lots more music from these blond boys because when they signed with their record company, they agreed to do six albums.
If a reporter asks the boys a question they don't want to answer, they firmly say something like, 'What we are focused on is the music on this album, Middle of Nowhere'
Most famous celebrities don't round up their own luggage at airports, but these homegrown honeys do!
The Hanson clan are very into their religious faith, and write the word 'God's will' at the end of their daily schedule.
Ike didn't think he and his brothers were hip enough to be rock stars.
If you meet them up close, they'll shake your hand, but they don't give hugs! (Bummer!)
Taylor sings lead on all the songs on Middle of Nowhere except for two. Zac sings 'Lucy' and Isaac sings 'A Minute without You.'
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