Hello

When we were planning this issue's special music section, we knew one thing for sure: We had to talk to Hanson, the not new group from Tulsa, Oklahoma. So we tracked the trio down in Sweden and chatted with them over a cell phone as they were being driven to their hotel. Even at 11 o'clock at night, Isaac, Zac and Taylor were full of energy. They kept passing the phone back and forth to each other, cracking jokes and telling us about life on the road. And since "MMMBop" hit the charts last year, they've been on the road all the time-we're talking as many as 11 cities in six days! They've been making special appearances at malls (where thousands of people show up to hear them play) and doing gazillions of radio and TV interviews. Are they tired? No way! The Hanson brothers feel too excited-and lucky-about living their dream.

Boppin' With the Boys

By Suzanne McElfresh

What's it like to play in a superfamous band, tour the world and sell zillions of CDs before you've graduated from high school? We talked to Hanson to find out! When you're hanging out in your room and jamming on your air guitar, you can't help but wonder what it's like to be a big rock star. Well, here are three guys-Isaac, 17, Taylor, 14, and Zac, 12, otherwise known as Hanson-who are living that dream. Their album Middle of Nowhere has brought the three big hits: "I Will Come to You," "Where's the Love" and, of course, "MMMBop." The band released a holiday album, Snowed In, last fall and are going on a worldwide tour this spring and summer. Calling by cell phone from Sweden on their way from the airport to the hotel, Hanson talked about their first love- singing-their travels around the world to meet their fans, and yes, homework.

What's the best thing about being famous?

Issac: "It's really amazing that, no matter what language they speak, people in so many different countries enjoy our songs."

And they know the words, even though they're in English?

Isaac: "Exactly. When we performed in Indonesia, we stopped and let the audience sing, and they knew the lyrics word for word. That's amazing! There were 16,000 people at one of our Canadian appearances, and the audience noise reached 140 decibels. [About as loud as a jet engine at takeoff!] It was so loud that it was actually painful."

What are some of your hobbies?

Zac: "We like to play around with digital video cameras and go on the Net. Laser tag and paintball are really great, too."

What sports do you play in your free time?

Taylor: "We like to play basketball and football, but soccer is a favorite because that's the only one we're halfway good at. And we love to Rollerblade.

What's your favorite song right now-either yours or someone else's?

Zac: " 'Pink' by Aerosmith is really good. [Joking] Also, there's this song called 'I Will Come to You' by this group called Hanson. We like that one a lot."

Taylor: "I like 'Tubthumping' by Chumbawamba. But really, we're so busy that we get a little out of touch. Then we go home and our friends say, 'Hey, have you heard this song?'"

What's the last CD you listened to?

Taylor: "Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. There're a lot of great harmonies on that record."

What's the last dream you remember having?

Zac: "I don't usually have dreams. I'm too busy sleeping to dream."

Taylor: "Yeah, me too. The schedule we're keeping is pretty hectic, so when you sleep, you sleep hard-you're out. Besides, we probably wouldn't reveal our dreams anyway."

How do you keep up with school while you're so busy?

Zac: "We home school, so we carry our textbooks with us and have school wherever we are. Also, you can learn about whatever place you're in-if you're in Italy, you can learn about Italy."

Do you have any special rules on the road-like a certain time you have to go to bed?

Zac: "No. But if you stay up late and then the next day you're tired and don't feel so great, well, then, that's your fault!"

What chores do you get to avoid, now that you're so busy traveling everywhere?

Taylor: "When you're in a big family like ours-there are six kids-there's always plenty to do. So we just do whatever our parents tell us to. 'Go do the dishes.' 'Oh, OK.' "

What did you buy with your first paycheck?

Zac: "Um, groceries? People think that we got all this money and went out and bought Porsches and Lamborghinis and big mixing boards. We wanted to! But we didn't."