Today, my first true celebrity crush, Zac Hanson, turns 25. In 1997 when I first became obsessed with a fan of Hanson, I couldn’t imagine the day when Zac Hanson would turn 25, but I’m sure if I did, I figured I’d be commemorating it somehow. (An extra special unrelated 1997 nostalgia treat: Today I heard “We’ve Got It Going On” by the Backstreet Boys as I bought lunch. It’s like all the late ’90s teeny bopper cosmos are aligning today — I feel I need to dig out some butterfly hair clips to appropriately celebrate.)
In fact, the first issue of EW that I ever remember buying was back in the summer of 1997, when Hanson first graced the cover. I remember racing home, reading the article about a dozen times, taping the cover of the three awkward long blond haired boys somewhere on my bedroom wall, and making a promise to myself that one day I’d write about Hanson for Entertainment Weekly. (This is, in fact, a totally true story, and no, I am not getting misty-eyed out of nostalgia at my desk. I’m just dealing with seasonal allergies).
Just as Zac’s hairstyle has thankfully changed over the years and gotten more mature, so too has the sound of Hanson’s music. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly miss the days where I actually wore out my first copy of Middle of Nowhere from too much use, but I’m pleased that Zac and his brothers are still making music that’s better suited to my more evolved tastes. Need a refresher course in Zac over the years? Check out the little moppet playing the drums in 1997′s “MMMBop” and then watch him in this spring’s buzzed-about dance-in-the-streets worthy “Thinking ‘Bout Something.” Do you miss old-school Hanson, PopWatchers?