OH BROTHERS!
by Jonathan Penner

They're talented, Hard-working, respectful, and devout. And you call this a rock band?

Hanson are freaking me out. Don't get me wrong. The brothers that make up Hanson, the platinum-selling rock group, are great kids. And I mean kids: Zac is 15, Taylor is 18, and Isaac, the old man of the group is 20. They're talented too. Having swelled the hearts and Cd racks of millions of teenagers-plus at least one 39-year old. That would be me.

Unlike most of the popular boy bands, the brothers Hanson really play their own instruments and write their own songs. Their family-friendly brand of rock-n-roll is catchy, thoughtful, and sells like soda at the beach. One album alone, Middle of Nowhere, has sold in excess of eight million copies.

A super success story, but not at all strange. No, what's freaking me out is they're sitting in my living room, watching the Super Bowl. And between plays, they're admiring my home. They're offering to help serve. They're playing with my kids. And they're talking about faith, guns in our society, The History Channel.

No wonder my palms are sweating.

For a moment, they lived down to my expectations. In they slouched, casual but cool, a leather jacket on guitarist Isaac, a ponytail on drummer Zac, a smirk on the "cute one," Taylor.

Then they had to go and open their mouths.

"It's a strange oxymoron," Taylor says, revealing the effects of homeschooling. "People will call us corny because having a sense of yourself and being respectful are uncool."

"Yeah," adds Isaac, shaking his head, "piercing yourself and having sex with everything and doing tons of drugs is actually more acceptable than being smart and respecting yourself."

They seemed to have reached levels of understanding that I, a professional, a husband, a father, feel that I am just now starting to approach. (Not that I'm tattooed or anything, but I did experience the 70's.)

I'd prepped for this visit by calling the Hanson's grandmother, Bea. She's an 82 -year-old pistol who, word has it, is a continuing source of inspiration to the boys (imagine that!). She downplays her role, but promises "I wouldn't find three more polite kids in any situation."

Well, I had chalked this up to grandmotherly pride. I mean, I know what it's like to be 20, not to mention 18 and 15. Throw superstardom into that mix, and expect the worst. So, how come grandma was so right? According to Isaac, it's not just him and his brothers.

"This generation has seen the effects of previous generations, " he explains, focusing as he goes. "In the 60's with the drugs and Vietnam, the 70's with sex, the 80's and AIDS. Ours is one of the most conscious generations. And there is a much broader acceptance of people and a greater equality today, especially for women."

"Yeah," shudders Zac, who looks like svelte blonde Buddha, "imagine all the 80-year-olds who are gonna still have these perfect bodies from plastic surgery!"

I wonder if I have ever met a 15 year old concerned with the issues of plastic surgery and self-image in our society. I decide no. And I realize that one reason I'd become a Hanson fan is that their optimism comes out of their experience; their music is grounded in the simple, innocent truths of their young lives.

"There is so much available today that things can become mediocre," continues Taylor, who tends to let the other two finish before weighing in."That's one of the things about our society's affluence. People are aware of the world, but they are not aware of themselves. There is a lot of cynicism in our culture.Criticism without action."

I'm about to ask what action they've taken that would allow them to make such a sweeping statement, but the question dies on my lips. For while they may be the Chicago Seven, since 1997 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, trio has not only earned millions of dollars, they've also helped their parents, accountant Walker and homemaker Diana, with their four younger siblings and spent hundreds of hours in the studio "working our butts off," according to Taylor.

"Our parents were like hippies without drugs," says Isaac. "They always said, "We think our kids should pursue what they want to pursue. We want them to think for themselves and not follow the crowd."

"I mean, if you're told by the crowd to be yourself, to be an individualist, then you're still just following the crowd," Taylor says earnestly. "Just live your life with passion. Find people you care about and hold them close, and then find the thing you love, whether it's writing or being an accountant or surfing, and just do it, right?"

We talk more about the older generations, including Bea, whom they love and respect, for, according to Isaac, "doing what she wanted with her life. She may not have got out of Tulsa that much, but she saw everything she needed to see and did everything she needed to do right there."

They still miss their other grandmother, Jane Nelson Lawyer, to whose memory they dedicated one of their hits, "With You In Your Dreams."

"We think of her every time we get to sing it," says Zac.

It's clear that these guys have had good role models. And that the solid values of their Christian faith, family, and hard work have been handed down generations.

Gee, this sure is corny. But how did it somehow become cool? I shake my head. Will wonders ever cease?