Isaac Hanson and his brothers Mmm Bopped their ways into our hearts and thirteen years later Hanson is winning the hearts of girls and women everywhere. Yesterday I had the pleasure of interviewing Isaac Hanson, who I used to listen to as a 10 year old. Basically my 10 year old self was totally freaking out and immediately went to YouTube to listen to some Hanson songs.
After doing two interviews prior to the TJ ones, Isaac was probably exhausted of answering questions but was completely friendly and answered my questions with complete detail. Here’s the questions I had to ask and then a quick wrap up.
· What inspired you to become a musician and continue with it as a career?
Isaac and the rest of Hanson are greatly influenced by late 50s and early 60s rock’n’roll artists like Chuck Berry and Otis Redding. The trio was introduced to the music at a young age while on a family trip by their mother who bought them a cassette tape. He has chosen to continue making music because it is a passion that just turned into a career. Growing up, Isaac stated that he could listen to a song once or twice and not only know the lyrics but also the melody.
· Who would like to collaborate with some day?
Hanson has collaborated with many different artists within the past decade but Isaac hopes to one day work with Billy Joel. He would like to just sit down with Joel to brainstorm lyrics and experience his creative process when it comes to making a song.
· What song do you like to perform most life?
After touring for over a decade, the list of songs continues to change for what Hanson performs from place to place. During last tour Hanson was on, Isaac really enjoyed playing ‘Hold On I’m Coming.’
· Favorite place to play.
This was a big of a tough one for Isaac because while he enjoys playing in his hometown, as any performer would, of Tulsa, OK, he is looking forward to playing in Philly during the Shout It Out Tour. Ultimately though, he really enjoys playing in Chicago.
· Favorite MTV Moment.
Isaac didn’t have just one favorite MTV moment but two. First the group did a show on MTV when their second album was released and played about three to four songs for their fans. Second, at a young age during interviews, the guys were asked just some silly questions about their lives, but when interviewed by John Norris, they were treated more like adults.
· What are your thoughts on the whole Twitter craze?
Being that this TJ contest is based on Twitter, I felt it only necessary to ask this question. He believes that there’s a lot of stuff out there but it doesn’t mean you should necessarily do it. Isaac does however believe that it’s a fun way to connect with people, you can be random, and be kept up to beat on what’s going on in the world.
· What does MMMBop mean?
This was the number one questions my tweeps wanted to know and so I asked. Isaac simply stated that MMMBop was just a phrase like c’est la vie and that everything else can just be understood by really reading the lyrics of the song. The song is just really about holding on to the things that matter and the context really speaks for itself.
Overall I had a fun time interviewing Isaac and his very whole down to earth self really made the interview relaxing. Not once did I get nervous about the interview, which really helped. I was a little saddened that Isaac doesn’t have a top 5 songs on his iPod and he doesn’t have a ‘must-see’ television show but I guess with his life being so busy making music and raising a family it’s totally understandable.
If you haven’t heard already, Hanson is about to go out on another tour starting tomorrow in Buffalo, NY, with Rooney opening for half of the tour and A Rocket to the Moon at the end. Be sure to visit their site right here http://www.hanson.net