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cover
Mysteriously, Hanson continues to deliver on a quirky,
unpopular wish of mine that album covers, DVDs, covers of MOE
capitalize less on stylized images of the band and more on art
produced by the band. Unexplainably, Hanson's fetish for fat
earphones, as evidenced in the organizational design of hanson.net--website
and multimedia DVD--delivers double duty in wish fulfillment
for both the album cover and the front cover of MOE 12.
The credits list Taylor as the front cover
artist. With this in mind, your appreciation heightens for the
wet paint layering of red, orange and yellow that sets off the
chalky, yet somehow transparent chubby ear foam and chunky coil
of the head set. It is a fitting representation of the contents
of "the last issue of MOE Magazine"--the credits confirm
this fact.
the journey
Taylor unabashedly also indicates himself as author of the decidedly
thoughtful account of the band's journey through the new album's
conception and birth. He opens with metaphors that, I argue,
could only really be captured by the page.
How many times have we heard the story of
"Underneath?" In bits "From
Us to You" (The abbreviation FUTY appears almost like Hanson
is telling us off), on the VH1 special, on the DVD, sometimes
in the rare magazine interview where they are talking
to an interviewer (not writing the article themselves), etc.
Judge for yourself if the act of writing for MOE is unique and
cannot be recaptured in another medium . . . I submit this excerpt:
"Sometimes the journey is as important
as the destination. The top of the mountain cannot exist without
the sides, the cliffs and crevices. Unless you scratch and
strain and struggle to stand atop that peak, it has no meaning
. . . " Taylor, The Journey MOE 12
This sounds part sermon, part college thesis,
part "the collected writings of . . ."
Most surprising to me? "Get Up and
Go" kicked open the door to the songs that would follow
it onto "Underneath." This song never had the weight
of being the first-born, in my opinion. "When You're Gone"--yes.
Most obviously, "Underneath"--yes. Even "Strong
Enough to Break"--yes. But not, "Get Up and Go."
Wow.
This detail, along with the care Taylor
takes to describe each song as it arrived on the scene, drives
home the indescribable vulnerability that develops between creator
and creation, illustrated by "Time Will Tell" on the
DVD. I felt in my bones, watching that segment (where the band
literally spins and revises lyrics and notes) and reading Taylor's
account of this "journey" that each of their songs
is somehow a small child into whom they've breathed life. Melodramatic?
Probably, but it makes me think twice before carelessly critiquing
their work. This exercise requires the same attention and care
from me.
The significance of "Broken Angel"
also came as a surprise to me. Taylor mentions that it was a
pivotal song as it tested their mettle as producers once they
parted ways with Greg Wells. And I had assumed it was a song
Zac conceived and the guys generously included to showcase the
growing awareness of the depth of this drummer.
I also found Taylor's subtle (or not) reference
to "tapestry" as a metaphor, before mentioning Carol
King, as a nod to fans of this musician. In fact, Taylor's use
of metaphor rushes at you in a swirling sensation as each one
attempts to mix and rub against each other:
"Like a breath of fresh morning air
creeping across your taste buds and under your skin we all
felt the long-awaited exhale, a powerfully potent drug."
Taylor, The Journey MOE 12
This distillation of Taylor's album journal,
part proud father and part survivor, is probably the masterpiece
of the MOE articles. Its intimacy and fresh perspective on well-tread
territory (Check MOE 11, published 2 years earlier for accounts
of the collaborators Taylor mentions in this retelling of the
album) or maybe it's the sheer length of the piece, but it definitely
satisfies as a MOE swan song.
raves
Although the author refers to himself in first person,
he never directly reveals his identity. This section includes
several "Isaac pix" (my guess) or album recommendations.
The name dropping and gushing throughout is simply endearing.
For those without a subscription to MOE, consider the evidence
for Isaac as "raves" narrator:
- Isaac has a section on hanson.net where
he discusses and critiques albums.
- The following recommendations are included:
- Phantom Planet
- Ben Folds
- Bleu
- Ben Kweller
- Maroon 5
- David Garza
- This quote: "I know that the ordinary
day when you listen to [Overdub by David Garza] will
become the first day you knew what you were missing."
Raves MOE 12
making penny
A young lad who sometimes wears the fat headphones (at Hanson
concerts) depicted on the cover makes his first and last MOE
appearance in some captures from the video shoot.
director's commentary
Oddly, I flipped directly to Ashley's spiel on the documentary
as the first section I would read in this, our last MOE. I'm
not sure why this piqued my curiosity, but its reference to
"roller coaster ride" seemed fitting--let's just leave
it at that. (c;
centerfold
Pensive, somewhat skeptical expressions captured without
affected angst. Probably among my favorites, since the picture
of Hanson in leather that appears near the front is most likely
among my least favorite of the recent photos.
welcome to Carnegie Hall
That leaves Zac. Could he have stepped up with this
article? Who knows? Because this author does not directly refer
to himself. He recounts the history of Carnegie Hall with nods
to Andrew Carnegie (the man who instigated its building), its
original mandate ("If you can fill it, you can play it.")
as well as its architecture ("a proscenium arch like no
other"). This lesson adds weight early on to the gravity
of having played this historic venue. Then, in the final paragraph
the following line hit me and made me smile:
"There was a sense right off the
bat that we had all found our way to this moment. And it was
ours (Yeah, I know the cheese is starting to drip here), but
some sensations are too real not to express." Welcome
to Carnegie Hall MOE 12
A pure Hanson detail includes that the band
got their hair trimmed at Carnegie Hall, pre-show. (c; And for
all who attended the show--the author refers to them as "the
real fans, true followers." Fitting!
parting ways
With deep regret, I pen this last, this final, this
end-of-era volume of MOE. The source of my grief is contaminated
because it's not just for the end of the glossy magazine that
contained a different sort of writing than what could really
ever appear on a "From Us to You" entry . . . Entries
characterized by writing that is more blithe, more breezy, more
passing thought. Whereas MOE writing is more thesis, more journal,
more committed.
This inevitable mourning is for the passing
of time which is swallowing MOE, but also the MOEment (Do you
remember these cheesy references that used to punctuate MOE,
that now seem glaringly self-important?) in which MOE was conceived.
I'm having a difficult time admitting this, but I feel a lot
like my niece who gave up her pacifier--it's time. She just
walked over to the trash can on her 3rd birthday and threw it
away.
Even the name, MOE, "middle of everywhere,"
references an era when I was caught up in guessing the significance
of the acronym, its clever twist / parallel to Hanson's first
album. Now, it sounds like the name of a favorite television
show after it "jumps the shark"--or gets new producers
(like what happened to "The Wonder Years" after Carol
Black and Neal Marlens left the show). You still detect traces
of why you loved it, but now you perceive the possibility that
your devotion may even be keeping it on life support--with all
the ambiguity that surrounds this issue.
This weariness is illustrated for me most
clearly when I barely noticed that, although promised in MOE
11, Dr. Food's Final Course never made it to this issue--and
that wasn't the only promised section missing. MOE 11 also pledged
to deliver: "Your Favorite MOEments" which I did not
find. However, MOE 12 did deliver a "special hanson.net
offer" and "The new album." Two for four? That's
a wash, to anyone who is still keeping score. Actually, there
is no "netpick" either--I'm not sure what to make
of that one, but it's not a crushing blow.
Besides, the absence of Dr. Food, allows
a person to deduce his identity when you consider the changes
that have befallen the band since the publication of MOE 11.
(Elementary my dear Watson. Elementary?)
In parting, I love MOE and I will miss its
writing style--when Hanson was able to deliver it. But its new
relic status, may even endear it to me more. The parting words
to end the Carnegie Hall story, before the final listing of
the dates and locations of the tour that's already been launched,
are "The Music Lives." And so it does.
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