Perhaps you have experienced ths particular strain of Hansonmania: You're on vacation or speaking to an out-of-state friend or relative and they immediately ask to exploit your insider Hanson connections.
"If I send you a letter, would you give it to them?"
"Can you get me tickets to the show?"
"Where can I find their first two independent records?"
The assumption is always the same-- Tulsa is so small a town that we all know the Hanson family intimately. In fact, we wave to them on Main Street every afternoon. We're all pals, all in the loop.
That's what most young fans around the country seem to think, and they have spent the past year and a half of Hanson's pop music reign calling, writing and e-mailing Tulsa businesses and government in a tireless effort to milk every drop of information out of the MMMBoppers' hometown. For some businesses, (**my note again, umm, they made a mistake! There should NOT be a comma after businesses because you only use a comma after a prepositional phrase if it has 4 or more words. And they think they're professionals...**) the influx of attention has been mildly amusing; for others, (**again**) it's been a real headache.
"It's been crazy. I got a call just today from a little girl in Missouri wanting me to give her Hansons' phone number," said Kirby Pearce,owner of the hip Brookside clothier Zat's. "We get letters and poems. We've been inundated with it--from all over the world.
"It got on my nerves right before the concert. People were coming in with movie cameras and talking to my staff and photographing each other. It didn't cause problems -- it was just kind of aggravating. One family came in from Brazil and hung out for several hours. They seem to think we all have this direct link to them."
Why would Hanson fans be targeting a clothing store? A homemade fan magazine several months ago printed and interview allegedly with the Hanson trio in which the boys listed some of their favorite spots in Tulsa. The 'zine proliferated around the globe, and Zat's was mentioned as the city's coolest outfitter.
"They've obviously been here, though I've been in business here for nine years and probably wouldn't have recognized them if they came in," Pearce said.
The fan magazine also listed Mohawk Music as a cool Tulsa record store, but Mohawk owner Paul Meek was fielding frenzied calls long before that 'zine hit the streets.
"We started getting letters and e-mail right away frin people looking for the first two indie albums," Meek said, speaking of Hanson's two pre-fame, locally produced records, "MMMBop" and "Boomerang." "I have to tell them I've never seen the product and didn't know it existed until they became famous."
The notice has, at least, increased the foot traffic in Meek's shop. He, too, has seen whole families come through the door inquiring about Hanson merchandise.
"People stopped by all summer while here or passing through on vacation. They're just amazed that a Tulsa record stor isn't overflowing with Hanson stuff," Meek said.
The Blue Rose Bar and Grill in Brookside has become something of a tourist attraction since the Hansons played an impromptu but contract-clinching show there some years ago. Even details like that don't escape the short but intense attention span of fans.
"Apparently our name is all over the Internet. These kids are veru resourceful," said Blue Rose owner Tom Dittus.
He, too, sifts through calls and letters from eager fans-- most of whom first assure him that they're not obsessed-- seeking phone numbers, addresses, or just correspondence about their latest obsession...er, group.
"They're were families on vacation this summer that made Tulsa a stop on their route so they could come by the Blue Rose and take pictures and see where the guys once were," Dittus said. "We can't allow anyone under 21 in the resturant, but we'll let them peek in the door from time to time. They walk out of here with T-shirts, cups, menus, caps-- I've even given out several photographs myself, which is pretty hilarious."
Radio stations, too, have been strangled by the fiber-optic strength of Hansonmania.
"We've been swmped. Everyone wants to know where they can get tickets," said Mike Davis, promotions director at KHTT, 106.9-FM "K-Hits." "I had a 90-year-old great grandmother call me begging for tickets, and I had to tell her to hit the streets looking for scalpers."
Davis said that this summer, before the first Hanson concert in Tulsa, two radio stations in New Zealand called for information. They were organizing a contest to send listeners to Tulsa for "the Hanson hometown experience."
There's no denying the increased exposure and tourist dollars Tulsa has received since Hanson began spreading our name around. Officials at the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce said they've already noticed an economic impact around the concert dates.
"We're looking forward to having them back again. They're bringing in people from all over the country, and those people stay in our hotels, eat in our resturants and shop in our stores," said Chamber communications director Chris Metcalf.
The Chamber's switchboard has been swamped with calls, too-- more than the usual queries about T-town.
"We've gotten lots and lots and lots of calls about Hanson. All last week we gave out the 800-number for tickets," Metcalf said. "It was anywhere from 300 to 500 calls last week. We don't ask where the calls are coming from, but we've heard all kinds of different accents, and some of the connections are obciously overseas calls."
Lewis Vanlandingham, director of the Mayor's Action Line, gets the same calls. And letter. And...pictures?
"They even send me pictures of themselves. They want to know where (Hanson) will be tonight. At home, I guess," Vanlandingham chuckled. "We're not used to getting calls like this at all. When Garth Brooks was here, we didn't have any of this."
So don't be surprised if some preteen girls call your insurance office or giggle their way through your cafe this week. The boys are back in town-- and so are the groupies.
