|
| Okay, we all know the basics... Three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma were discovered back in '96, recorded a CD, then released that infamous single and video for "Mmmbop" in 97, and the rest is history...
And yes, I know all the other stuff too. Birthdays, first and middle names, siblings' and parents' names, all the songs, lyrics. I have all the CD's, including certain singles with different variations of the same song which I bought on ebay from sellers in Germany. I have the VHS's (all except Fillmore, and I'm working on that one), the book, posters both old and new (literally a couple hundred), the ring, 2 shirts, copies of the "Mmmbop" album and Australian "This Time Around", along with a burned CD of rare songs found only online, the "Got Milk?" ad, magazines, newspapers, and yes, girlies, even my very own ORIGINAL CD with cover still intact of the now impossible to find first ever Indie release, "Boomerang".
I've been to 2 concerts, stood in line and waited a combined total of about 20 hours for them. Although I do live in their hometown, the only special privaledges I've seen for it so far are getting to call the info hotline for free (but only because it's my area code) and already having a place to stay when I went to Riverfest.
I have 2 friends whom I met as a result of our shared respect and admiration for this band. One of them is scheduled to move in with me in May, all the way from Arizona.
I've endured endless jeers and taunts from closeminded, ignorant people because I see something in this band that they don't. People think it's more respected in their hometown to be a Hanson fan, but it's actually quite the opposite. In high school, someone once spit on my shoes because I was wearing one of my shirts. Morons jokingly put up crucifixes made of their two fingers and gasped in mock horror as I walked down the hallway with friends. A friend once refused to hug me while wearing that shirt because she had her Metallica shirt on and didn't think Metallica should touch Hanson.
Yes, to be a Hanson fan is to be persecuted. But to me, it's worth it.
People think when they meet me that because I listen to Hanson, my musical tastes are shallow (and so am I) and I am a weakminded follower, that I listen to strictly Top 40 radio.
They don't know me at ALL...
First of all, although "Mmmbop" went to number 1 on Billboard in several countries, and their videos from "This Time Around" made it to TRL, I'm glad that they're out of the spotlight for now because I don't believe they belong in the whole "teen scene". They've outgrown it. But nobody listens. The thought process goes from Hanson... to "Mmmbop"... to POP... Most of them couldn't name one Hanson song other than "Mmmbop" and couldn't tell me one line to the song other than "Uh, Mmmmbop mmmbop mmmbop... uh... Mmmbop? Yeah... Woah... Yeah... Mmmbop..."
You know what my favorite lyric from a Hanson song is?
"I've heard them say that dreams should stay in your head. Well I feel ashamed of the things that I've said. Put on these chains and you can live a free life. Well I'd rather bleed just to know why I died." - "This Time Around"
Pretty powerful stuff for a band unjustly stuck in the "boyband" category.
And then, more assumptions about my personality... Shallow? Follower? What part of being a Hanson fan qualifies me for that label? They don't play Hanson on the radio around here. I only get to hear them when I listen to my CDs... I didn't have mtv when "Mmmbop" came out, and actually, it was my older BROTHER who turned me on to them in the first place by buying the single and bringing it home for me to listen to. I liked it so much, I previewed the CD at Circuit City and bought it on the spot, first CD I ever owned. Cost me $12.99... And I sure as HELL haven't seen any Hanson on MTV recently. Maybe when "This Time Around" came out, they made obligatory remarks about it on MTV News and then the videos for "This Time Around" and "If Only" were on TRL for a few days and never even made it to number 1... But that was almost 2 years ago. And what part of being teased constantly about liking them at school shows that I'm following other people?
Actually, Hanson was my rebellion, if you want to know the truth, because when I was 15 and their CD came out, I knew... I knew what people would say. I knew what my friends, mostly stoners and gothic kids who hated anything conventional or happy or colorful or normal or mainstream, would think of them. I knew I'd be teased. But I decided, then and there, that I didn't care. That I wasn't going to let anybody else decide this for me because I liked this MUSIC and nobody was going to make me downplay it or pretend it didn't make me feel good to listen to it. And I did. I listened... I found every bit of info on them that I could. I bought the shirt... Cost me an insane amount at a t-shirt store in the mall (not a favorite place of mine), but I bought it, and I wore it. I wore it with black combat boots, black tights, a long, black skirt, and dark makeup. The shirt was black too. My hair was bleached blonde and long, hanging down in my face. I thought I was a goth. This shirt did not bring me acceptance in that crowd...
So how is my love of Hanson the trait of a girl who can't think for herself? How is it me following whatever's popular? Nobody ever loved me more for listening to them. Nobody ever accepted me more for liking them, and I didn't do it to be like anybody else. The opposite actually. So how the hell is that following?
And my musical tastes... Oooh... You picked a battle there. Fiona Apple, India Arie, Our Lady Peace, The Beatles, Hendrix, The Strokes, Admiral Twin, Supertramp, Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Coalchamber, Sinead O'Connor, Mathew Good Band, Silverchair, Nikka Costa, John Lennon... When's the last time you saw one of these artists/bands on TRL? Mmmhmmm, I thought so... And I'm passionate and knowledgable about each and every one of them. Just ask sometime.
That's all I really want from people. Treat me like I'm a human being. If you think Hanson sucks and you want to know why the hell ANYBODY could listen to them, ASK ME. I might surprise you by having a BRAIN. And if you don't have the decency or brainpower to complete that simple task, then LEAVE ME ALONE. Don't IM me or come into a Hanson chat and spew inane crap like, "HANSON'S GAY!" or the ever so very unique "HANSON SUCKS!" or something even dumber like, "WHY DON'T YOU PEOPLE LISTEN TO SOME REAL MUSIC???"
Do you really think I'm going to change my mind about a band I've liked for five years just because YOU say they suck after ALL I've been through to listen to them and be more informed on them and involved??? Are you stupid? Do you really think that you know every single person in that chat room just because the title of the room is "Hanson: 1"? You MUST be stupid. And don't IM me and try to tell me these things in private because if you start an argument on it, you must be prepared to defend yourself or I will eat you alive. And don't come in unprepared to argue if you're going to spew crap because I WILL IM you and start a conversation about it and when you repeat your closeminded, impulsive point of view, I will argumentatively KICK YOUR ASS. If you don't have the human decency to just respect other people's taste in music and the ability to live and let live or listen to your music and let other people listen to theirs, then don't mess with me because you have NO IDEA what I've been through for this band and continue to go through on a daily basis. I've endured countless people like you, some of them in person and I think I can handle one more.
*Bows* Thank you... |
|
|