98.5 KLCU
Las Vegas, Nevada
20 February 2004BACKGROUND: 98.5 KLCU out of Las Vegas, Nevada was having listeners call-in during the morning show with their opinion of the worst song ever, and a woman named Brandy called in and said "MMMBop." Then the DJs said that Hanson was on the phone and had them sing a bit of "MMMBop," and that's where the interview begins.
HANSON: [sings chorus of "MMMBop"]
SPENCE & AMY: [cheers & laughs]
SPENCE: Now if we can just get a hold of that guy in Germany who did the "Blue" song we'll be happy! Wow!
TAYLOR: We just wanted to make sure you were thoroughly annoyed in the morning.
ZAC: We also wanted to teach you the lyrics. Come on man, get them right!
SPENCE: Yeah, Brandy, thank you, okay?
BRANDY: Thank you!
SPENCE: Say goodbye to the guys though!
BRANDY: Bye guys!
SPENCE: Brandy, you need to be nice to them cos they're now grown men! They ain't twelve years old anymore. I see a picture in Details here of you guys here sitting at a little table. Taylor, you have a little cigarette you're putting out there and you're all holding drinks. Come on guys! What, are you guys growing up now or what?
TAYLOR: Well you know what, actually that was taken when Zac was 12. He's a big man now. That was when he was 12, you should see him now.
SPENCE: Riiiiight.
TAYLOR: Yeah. [laughs]
ZAC: I have a beer gut… no.
TAYLOR: He's really let himself go.
ZAC: Well time has gone by, you know.
TAYLOR: It's been a couple years since the last album and then all last year we did this long acoustic tour, which was amazing.
ISAAC: Sold-out acoustic shows all across the country, that was really rad, so.
TAYLOR: But yeah, I mean, I guess things change and you keep making music.
SPENCE: Alright, who's married?
TAYLOR: I'm married, Taylor.
SPENCE: Taylor, Taylor, you got married. How are things going in the marriage?
TAYLOR: Oh it's awesome, amazing. Thank you very much.
AMY: I saw you guys on the Sharon Osbourne Show. That was cool.
TAYLOR: Yeah, she's really a very sweet lady. We've known her for a while, in this small industry that is the music biz.
SPENCE: How about that? Well, let's recap everything real quick though. So we understand-cos I remember the "MMMBop" video and that's what I remember about Hanson.
TAYLOR : Yeah, that was the first thing that ever came out.
SPENCE: Taylor was the overly cute keyboard player.
ISAAC: He's still overly cute.
TAYLOR : Coming from my brother, this is getting kinky.
ISAAC: Well you know, I just got to give him props. I understand, he's a sexy man. Needless to say, he comes from the same gene pool as me.
TAYLOR: What do you think about those Bears you guys, wow.
SPENCE: And then Zac of course was the drummer, the cute little drummer.
TAYLOR : And Zac is now the…
ZAC: The cute big drummer.
AMY: Yeah, you've grown!
ZAC: Yeah, well, that happens.
ISAAC: He's got bulging biceps.
TAYLOR : You know, we were just talking about, you know, it's amazing that we were at The Barenaked Ladies show last night cos we know Ed Robertson from The Barenaked Ladies real well, and he was talking about writing and being together for 15 years and we were going, "you know what? We've been together for 12 years and Zac is only 18." It's like, I was going all the way back to "MMMBop," "MMMBop" was--
SPENCE: 97.
ISAAC: 1997. Like seven years ago.
TAYLOR: It's just amazing how much we've been able to do, a few years ago with the second album and now with the new album coming out.
ISAAC: Underneath, yeah.
TAYLOR: Underneath coming, it's so much. We've been able to do so much over the time but at the same time, it's like, well, we have forty years to go. Hopefully.
ZAC: Most bands are starting right now!
AMY: Yeah, really.
SPENCE: And then they aren't even going to be close to 12 years already, but let me ask you this: okay, you've done "MMMBop," now you guys have been-you did the other album-and then, what does this new album have? Where are you guys going with this?
ISAAC: Well, first of all, we've got a great video coming out.
TAYLOR: Oh, Isaac's talking about the video we just shot. We shot that in LA a couple weeks ago.
ISAAC: "Penny & Me" is the song.
TAYLOR: "Penny & Me" is the first single. You know, there's all kinds of collaborations on the album. For instance, on "Penny & Me" we produced with a guy named Danny Kortchmar. He's sort of a legend; he's worked with people like Billy Joel and James Taylor and Carole King and Don Henley. Just singer-songwriters, really just a heavyweight, and he was so great to collaborate with on that song.
ZAC: This is probably the mellowest record that Hanson's made, you know, it showcases some sides of the band that I don't think people have seen in previous records.
TAYLOR: Some of the more intimate moments. I mean, "Underneath," which is the title track from the record, is--we collaborated with Matthew Sweet, we wrote the song with him, and you know, there's just all kinds of stuff. Michelle Branch, who's a friend of ours, just kind of sat in--
ISAAC: Sang some BG's.
TAYLOR: Same some BG's. There's all kinds of little collaborations like that and mostly we're just so pumped to finally get new music out and to finally just have a new album come out.
AMY: Now, speaking of your new album, you guys were sick of dealing with the industry in a way, now what did you guys do to kind of offset that?
ZAC: Well, I wouldn't say it that way…
AMY: Come on!
ZAC: I think, well, we formed a record label called 3CG Records where we're releasing the new album Underneath on. And it's just a way to get closer to the fan base and a way to be in a more intimate relationship and the way the music is released.
TAYLOR: You know, it's mostly just--people haven't seen--when you're in the music industry you're seeing bands, all so many friends, that are going through different things with record companies and things are changing, and we just felt like this was a great opportunity--in a way to sort of start our career in the right way. We've done so much up to this point, but after 12 years but I think starting the record company and really having an opportunity to do things like the acoustic tour we're talking about… like, these are all steps in the right direction for us, because you know, this is a 40 year thing. We want to be ZZTop beards.
AMY: That's cool.
ZAC: And it's also something I think, right now I can speak for myself, but I think I speak for the band when I say it's something we've wanted to do for a long time.
ISAAC: Yeah, exactly. The label really is going to hopefully allow us in the future to take the passion that we have for music and make it a realization when it comes to other bands that we like. Taking it to the next level with other bands and helping them.
AMY: Why 3CG? What does it stand for? 3 Cute Guys?
SPENCE: Come on!
TAYLOR: You hit it on the head!
AMY: I thought I might!
TAYLOR: The girls really have that connection, another friend of ours said that. That's really unbelievably retarded, but… [laughs] 3CG stands for 3 Car Garage. It's obviously-3 is the 3 of us and then also the garage reference is really just about the fact that music should be able to be made in a garage, like a garage band. If you can't make it happen in a garage--
ISAAC: It's all about that raw thing. It's the honesty; it's honesty in music, let's put it that way.
AMY: I was going to say, if it's going to be 3 Cute Guys you guys are really limiting yourselves with other bands you're going to be putting up.
COMMERCIAL
SPENCE: … Hanson! Tyler, or Taylor, Isaac, and Zac, and we have Alexis on the phone, Alexis, are you there?
ALEXIS: Yeah!
SPENCE: You wanted to talk to the guys, go ahead.
TAYLOR: Hi Alexis!
ALEXIS: Hi!
TAYLOR: Hey, how's it going?
ALEXIS: Very good, how are you?
TAYLOR: Doing really good. Did you have a question?
ALEXIS: No, I just wanted to tell you that I love you guys and I'm going to go up to LA and see you in nine days!
TAYLOR: Well awesome, we can't wait to see you.
ALEXIS: Okay, wait, no, you know me. Not really, but--
AMY: Oh my. Is this going to be a road story?
SPENCE: Specifically Zac knows her!
AMY: "A long time ago when we were wasted at the strip bar in Las Vegas…"
TAYLOR: Let her speak, what?
ALEXIS: No, in the meet and greet, I was the girl that made that skirt.
TAYLOR: Oh wow.
ISAAC: Oh yes.
TAYLOR: Absolutely.
ALEXIS: You really remember?
TAYLOR: Yes!
ISAAC: It was a memorable skirt.
SPENCE: I bet it was!
AMY: Was it backless?
TAYLOR: We can isolate that line, that was a memorable skirt.
AMY: Okay, was it around her waist?
SPENCE: It was initially, and then…
AMY: Of course it was! It was a skirt! What are you guys thinking? You dirty little…
SPENCE: Hey Alexis, thank you! They'll see you in LA, okay?
ALEXIS: Yeah, I'm going to Anaheim too.
AMY: Excellent!
TAYLOR: Thanks so much.
AMY: Thanks Alexis!
SPENCE: Bye!
AMY: She's a stalker!
SPENCE: Yes she is, guys.
TAYLOR: You guys are so cruel.
AMY: Watch your back, man!
TAYLOR: She was trying to be so nice.
AMY: Starts as a skirt and then she's making you those one cookies.
SPENCE: Come on, we're cruel? You just lied to the girl, you don't remember the skirt.
ISAAC: No, I do remember.
ZAC: Ike has an impeccable memory.
ISAAC: I do remember, because it was very…
AMY: Short!
ISAAC: No, well actually-well, yeah, yeah.
SPENCE: See!
AMY: And she bent over to pick up the pen she dropped… helloo!
SPENCE: Alright, well, the first single is "Penny & Me" and when's the video coming out?
ISAAC: The video is coming out in a few weeks here. We got Samaire Armstrong from The O.C. is in the video. She does a great job, she's really, really cool.
AMY: She's beautiful.
ISAAC: Yeah, she's really, really pretty. She's really, really… fun. So, she was a… uh, it was great to have her in the video and stuff and she did a great job and we're stoked about having that out.
TAYLOR: And yeah, the new song is out, "Penny & Me."
ISAAC: Well actually, it's going to radio in about a week.
SPENCE: Okay, well, welcome back guys!
AMY: Thanks guys!
ISAAC: Thanks very much.
SPENCE: You guys take care, alright?
TAYLOR: Yeah, we'll talk to you soon.
SPENCE: There they are. Man, that is amazing.