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jarrod gollihare hanson: the official book Like an efficient elevator operator, Jarrod Gollihare opens the door to each floor as he takes us "straight to the top" on Hanson's amazing ride. You can literally hear the "swoosh" and feel yourself leave the ground with that jarring upward sensation as you move through the chapters from "The Early Years" to "The Conclusion" in Hanson's Official Book. By being careful to name specific people, I felt the official book was written, in part, as a tribute to local fans and industry people who contributed to the band's success. As Hanson's hand-picked author, when Jarrod quoted the guys' friends, no mental images of shadowy figures speaking in distorted voices emerge -- in contrast to people who may speak to unofficial biographers. My recent visit to Tulsa where I was able to meet and actually speak with both Jarrod and Mark Carr (". . . a local musician himself and another friend of the Hanson family" p. 27), lent even more authenticity to the story for me. It could literally be about people you already know, set in places you've already been to. Jarrod's writing acted as a transparent case that gave shape to the band's retelling of the events that formed their current success. At the same time, Jarrod has written other articles for Urban Tulsa about Hanson with more of the witty edge that seems to characterize his personality. The recounting of Hanson history that continues to haunt me, involved the Paramus Park "Mauling" since I'm a former shopper of this plaza. (In fact, my own memories of Paramus Park center around a scary incident where my sister and I thought our car was stolen -- when in reality, we had simply walked out the wrong door.) Although this story has taken its place among Hanson lore, the way it was told here placed the reader smack in the middle of the moment. You could feel everything from the reluctant agreement to make the appearance, to the amusement at the full parking lot, to the bewilderment of how to get to the tiny stage -- all the way to the painful screaming and the terrifying escape! Whew! My only disappointment with the book has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. It's the layout. I think that "pull-out quotes" are fine for magazine articles that aim to entice readers to read an entire article by teasing them with juicy tidbits. However, when I purchase a book, I intend to read it ALL. Gimmicks are not necessary to keep me turning pages. Another aspect of the layout that bugged me -- and I just know that I'm going to be alone on this one -- was all the glossy studio pictures. I think Jarrod successfully focused on the music in the content, but some of the pictures weakened the case that "They're all about the music only." Don't get me wrong. I love the pictures from Hanson's old photo album, but it would have been cool to see more snapshots of the guys in recording studios, collaborating with other songsmiths, on the video sets, etc (Subsequent MOEs have supplied some of what I mean.) . . . . rather than simply pictures of the band staring into cameras. Although more candid, the last few pages of video captures from TT&MON, unfortunately were repetitive if you own the video and of poor quality. All in all, the official book was just that -- official. Like Hansonline, it carries the most weight among true fans. Among its peers, the official book also compares to the official site in that it really can't compete with say, the Hanson Hotel, for the minutest of details and 24 hour reporting on all things remotely related to the band. Let's face it, even the guys don't have time to think about their lives as much as some of their fans do . . ::grin::
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