Shiny Objects

Taylor Hanson Q&A: Social media, hipsters, and the future of music

2011-10-04T02:25:34Z

The trio of music-playing brothers better known as Hanson stopped in Chicago last week for two back-to-back shows at the House of Blues. We caught up with middle brother Taylor Hanson to discuss their social media strategy and how it has kept the band that first MmmBopped onto our radios in 1997 in the spotlight.

Tell us about your social media strategy:

The whole world is kind of a geek world. We're all geeks about something. If you can tap into an aspect of that and encourage people to embrace their own geekdom about you, their own excitement about what you are, and connect with other people that have that same interest, then you can really build something. I think that premise is a huge part of what we try to do.

How have you used social media to interact with fans?

This tour is one of the best examples. The whole tour is dictated by the activity of the fanbase. Every night people are going onto the website and they're voting on which album they want us to feature. This is our fifth studio record and it felt like this was a good time to make the tour special. For most tours it's hard to hit on songs from all the eras, you'd have to play five or six hour shows. We had the thought that wouldn't it be great to make one album a feature each night and allow you to play all of the album tracks, some of the songs that aren't always featured in the shows, and kind of let one album define the show. Then you add in salt and pepper songs from different records and make sure it feels exciting and well-rounded.

Do you ever feel too connected?

We've been able to balance the personal versus the over-sharing pretty well partly just by deciding to have a band account. Maybe it's random backstage activity and we're on the road and it's something personal, but it's still surrounding the music, it's still surrounding actual band itself versus 'here I am with my family, having dinner.' I think there's a line where you stop sharing.

Honestly I predict, in a really big picture level, and this is kind of pontificating I guess, but there's no question that there's going to be a line, maybe ten years from now, or it could be sooner, but there's going to be waves of people that just decide to revolt from this whole world that's been invented. People are going to be going off the grid. I can just see the hipsters 10 years from now, in the next wave of lumberjack shirts with their grown out beards and their sandals deciding that the hippest, coolest thing is to carry pencils and notepads and not have a cell phone number. The idea that everyone has the right to talk to you at any moment, at any time, is a new phenomenon and it's never existed in human history. Even for me personally, a part of me wants to rebel, wants to just turn the phone off.

Do you ever just turn your phone off?

I think it's a balance. With music and with artists there is a degree to where you have to every once in awhile leave an empty space because that mystery, that sense of the unknown, is kind of like the Marilyn Monroe with her shoulder hanging over in a sexy pose is more attractive than someone streaking across the street naked. You're kind of accosted with it, you want some nuance, and you want some subtlety. I think you can find that, but I think the way to get that is to go back to what it is that people are checking in for and not becoming a constant stream of nonsense.

Speaking of Marilyn, did you guys get a chance to see the Marilyn Monroe statue while you were here?

No, I didn't.

It's caused some controversy here, towering over Michigan Avenue.

Oh nice, it's caused a lot of skirt lookers? I'm sure someone did that intentionally. Somebody got that commissioned and said, 'you know what, I'm going to make this really large and hell's going to break loose.' That's funny.

The same night you guys were playing a show at the House of Blues downtown, the band Broken Social Scene played a surprise show in Wrigleyville that pretty much got spread through Twitter. Is that something you would do?

Oh yea, I'm a fan of theirs. They're great. For one, I love that idea. I think those types of things are the positive of social media, the idea that you can go zero contact, and then instantly talk to people.

Have you guys done anything like that in the past?

We did something last year which I thought was one of the most exciting things we've done. We did something called 'DeTour' where we essentially went on this little roadtrip and told people approximately where we were headed, but we basically just took a roadtrip and documented it and shared experiences that anyone would do on a roadtrip. We did this thing called 'Tune In to Rock Out' where people voted on what album we should listen to in the van and then people would tune in and watch us be stupid and rock out to an album.

Did fans find you on the DeTour?

One of the best examples happened as we were driving down the road and we were using a wireless broadcast pack. We're streaming and we go, 'Oh, you know we're coming into Phoenix and why don't we stop in the park. That would be fun. But to make it a challenge you need to bring something.' So we told people to either bring a bike or a kite to fly, some kind of activity and we said, 'if you come at this hour we'll meet you there at this point.' Literally two hours later we arrive and hundreds of people - moms, fans, kids, dogs, parents - with bikes and kites to fly and it was just this instantaneous picnic in the middle of this city we very rarely come to. And that was right before we released the latest record [Shout it Out], so we said, 'we're here now, we're going to let you hear the new album that comes out in a couple weeks,' and we literally turned the music on in the van and played the record. It was such an interesting experiment because it was effective. There were real people paying attention, connecting, and deciding to do something.

It's a Hanson flash mob.

Yea, it's a Hanson flash mob, exactly.

So who is your favorite person to follow on Twitter?

I think Steve Martin is genius. I always love him. It's kind of dark but funny. I think the people that do the best on twitter are comedians because it's all just goofy. Getting random updates from people I know just about what they're doing and I'm like, 'do I really need to know that?' Him and Jim Gaffigan are my favorite.

Chicago skies go crazy with dramatic clouds for July 1

2011-07-01T18:46:10Z

Followers of the @suntimes Twitter account were kind enough to share some of the photos they took as skies become a swirling mas of dark, ominous clouds Friday in Chicago. Here's a look at some of their work as the skies clear up a bit:

Week in WTF?!

2011-06-23T16:00:23Z

By which we mean, of course, "Wow, that's fascinating!" Because during the last few days -- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday -- what tom-foolery has taken place out on the Interwebs. Here's a look at the things that have caused us to say, "Whee! That's funny!"

Baby Oprah

This little boy telling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk sounds a lot like Oprah giving away a bunch of new cars. He got FIIIVE MAGIC BEEEEANNNNS! And a bean for you and a bean for you and a bean for you.

Next in cute kid videos...

Watch this adorable kid get eaten by a lion. Well not quite, but were it not for that thin layer of glass, that kid's head would be lunch.

One match you don't want to be matched with

This woman's video for eHarmony surely must make her matches consider reevaluating their preferences. Must love cats? Maybe not so much.

Fish & Chips anyone?

A mysterious 55 foot sea monster washed ashore in China this past week. The creature is said to weigh about 4.5 tons and is so badly decomposed that it is difficult to determine what type of animal it might be. Despite the horrible smell, locals are flocking to the beach to see what all the fuss is about. It's a whale of a mystery.

Chinese telecom worker builds Iron Man MK I suit, wears to work

2011-06-14T20:45:16Z

"No colleagues knew my mission, and some of them froze there in seeing me approach. Some were even screaming for being scared."

That's what 25-year-old Wang Kang tells London's The Daily Mail of the reaction from his co-workers when he walked into the office in a full replica of the MK I suit from 2008's Marvel Comic blockbuster "Iron Man."

And you thought you were cool wearing flip flops for casual Friday.

Wang, a Shanghai, China, telecom company employee, spent about three months and $450 constructing the MK I suit, which weighs in at 110 lbs. His next project? To perfect the craft and get the foam and rubber build down in weight so he can work on a MK II suit replica of course.

Aside from fighting supervillians in his mind while trying to type in the beast of a suit, there apparently is a benefit most people might not immediately assume - the chicks dig it.

"They said I am a happy and creative man, and they wanted to know me," he said of the apparently hard-to-please dating pool in Shanghai.

Good luck with that, Wang.

Week in WTF?!

2011-06-09T17:53:47Z

Cone-ing

While everyone else is out planking, this guy just created the new "cool" thing to do.

That is one big baby

Literally.

Safety helmet

While Rahm Emanuel just announced a new "protected" bike lane in Chicago, the bicyclists in New York have to put up with things like this.

X-Men Born This Way

Technically, the X-Men are mutants which would mean that they weren't really born that way, they mutated that way. *Nerd Alert*

The Second Coming

Jesus may have walked on water, but this kid just vogue-ed on water. Maybe those rapture people weren't so crazy after all.

Week in WTF!?

2011-06-03T16:02:11Z

Tornado damage for elephants

An elephant in Joplin, Missouri helps clear debris from the tornado damaged town. The sight of an elephant in Missouri is strange enough, but seeing it pull a car from the rubble is just plain crazy. It's about time those lazy elephants lifted a finger to help out.

Synchronized canoeing

It's sexy, it's extreme, it's kind of mesmerizing. Move over rugby. Freestyle canoeing could be the next Olympic sport.

Gang smiles

Gang signs are soo last year. Now everyone is throwing gang smiles. At least, that's what this high school seemed to think when they banned this girl's yearbook photo, comparing her goofy grin to gang symbols.

Molester Jester

At first I wasn't sure what was creepier: the clowns in this video, or the guy whose apartment the video was filmed in. But after seeing that he named one of the clowns "Molester Jester," I'm thinking it's probably the guy that people should be worried about.

The wonders of live television

You never know who might crash your interview. The best part is how no one seems to acknowledge that this old man is right on camera, making animal noises.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: 'only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself'

2011-05-27T04:03:53Z

Facebook founder and CEO, if the move "The Social Network" is to be believed, can be a kill-or-be-kille businessman and entrepreneur.

But there's no denying his killer instinct when it comes to dinner.

Zuckerberg, in an email clarifying a discussion he had with Forbes' Patricia Sellers, said he's delving deeply into the idea of sustainable foods, and to a degree vegetarianism, by only eating meat he kills himself.

Yes, that's a completely serious statement from the billionaire wunderkind. Here's the email he sent on the subject:

To start, let me give you some background on what I'm doing. Every year in recent memory, I've taken on a personal challenge -- something to learn about the world, expand my interests and teach myself greater discipline. I spend almost all of my time building Facebook, so these personal challenges are all things I wouldn't normally have the chance to do if I didn't take the time.

Last year, for example, my personal challenge was to learn Chinese. I blocked out an hour every day to study and it has been an amazing experience so far. I've always found learning new languages challenging, so I wanted to jump in and try to learn a hard one. It has been a very humbling experience. With language, there's no way to just "figure it out" like you can with other problems -- you just need to practice and practice. The experience of learning Mandarin has also led me to travel to China, learn about its culture and history, and meet a lot of new interesting people.

This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I've basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself. So far, this has been a good experience. I'm eating a lot healthier foods and I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals.

I started thinking about this last year when I had a pig roast at my house. A bunch of people told me that even though they loved eating pork, they really didn't want to think about the fact that the pig used to be alive. That just seemed irresponsible to me. I don't have an issue with anything people choose to eat, but I do think they should take responsibility and be thankful for what they eat rather than trying to ignore where it came from.

Zuckerberg has already killed and eaten a goat - with a knife, apparently, a pig and chickens. And he says his new diet not only allows him to appreciate how his food is sourced, but alos maintain control over quality.

I'm eating a lot healthier foods," he said. "And I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals. It's easy to take the food we eat for granted when we can eat good things every day."

News of Zuckerberg's new dining habits broke, of course, via Facebook, when he posted to the 847 friends on his private page: "I just killed a pig and a goat," on May 4.

Trippy timelapse of Chicago skyline - with mirror effect!

2011-05-24T17:45:16Z

Floating Chicago - A collection of mirrored skyline timelapses from Craig Shimala on Vimeo.

Videographer Craig Shimala says on his Vimeo page that he had a bunch of timelapse bits and pieces of the Chicago skyline sitting around and decided to put them to good use.

What we get from his efforts is this trance-inducing clip of clouds and water and time flying past out city - in mirror form:

Through the past couple years I've shot a decent amount of time-lapses of the Chicago skyline. I figured why not take all of those and throw the same mirror filter that was warmly welcomed by a lot of people on this.

Shimala has a bunch of other interesting Chicago scenes documented, so check out his work.

Thanks Chicagoist for sharing.

Week in WTF?!

2011-05-19T17:16:33Z

The feline 'David at the Dentist'

I'd like to see them make an inspirational poster of this cat coming out of anesthesia. A lot more people could probably relate to this feline than that lame "Hang in there" kitty.

This is allegedly the alleged woman that the Governator had an alleged lovechild with, allegedly

Several media outlets have identified Mildred Patricia Baena, a longtime housekeeper for Arnold Schwarzenegger's family who retired last year, as the mother of Arnold's out-of-wedlock child.In the words of a coworker who shall remain anonymous, "Maybe she's funny?"

Newt Gingrich gets glittered

Hmm this whole incident is just awkward. The music, the glitter, the guy throwing the glitter, Newt Gingrich, the "Bless you" comment -- these all seem like the premise for a great SNL skit. If it was, Bill Hader's Stefon character should totally be the glitter throwing guy.

Diet Coke and Mentos FAIL

Ouch, that had to hurt. But they kind of deserved it - who still does the Coke and Mentos trick anymore? It's soo 2003.

Yum, free shoe shine!

A man licks his shoes clean while riding the New York subway. There's no way that is sanitary.

Evan Longoria saves reporter by catching ball with bare hand

And he does it all in the name of Gillette. I was a little disappointed to find out that this was a commercial but I was even more disappointed when I found out it wasn't Eva Longoria.

Ill. Senate Republican Leader Radogno drops Raekwon Wu-Tang Clan beats

2011-05-18T19:56:32Z

Politics makes for strange bedfellows, sure. But the Illinois Senate Republican Leader quoting Wu-Tang Clan lyrical genius Raekwon? Genius on many levels.

This might be the most awesome Wu mashup since Chessbocin' met LEGOs.

And it's subtle, but when Christine Radogno drops the mic after dropping C.R.E.A.M. beats - Dolla Dolla Bill, y'all - it's the best throwdown moment since Eminem stopped throwing up long enough in "8 Mile" to win his battle. Who says fiscal conservatism has to be, well, conservative?

If this doesn't bring us together, what will?

Thanks to CapitolFax for digging this up.

In case you missed it - livetweeting the final Oprah shows in Chicago on Storify

2011-05-18T04:55:44Z

A cast of millions. Boxes of Kleenex. Josh Groban. Four hours of raw emotion and dramatic buildup.

Yep, Oprah must have been taping her final shows after 25 years of ruling the daytime airwaves, book clubs and your soul.

Couldn't be there? Can't watch? You're in luck. A bevy of Sun-Times reporters was on hand to witness the festivities and tweeted about the whole, two-show taping extravaganza. So grab a green tea, your favorite exfoliant and some paint swatches and pick through the night that was Oprahmageddon at the United Center.

Week in WTF?!

2011-05-12T16:00:13Z

Woman cries over In-N-Out Burger opening

To be fair, I was crying too -- from laughing too hard. Some people take their burgers seriously. Way too seriously. But really, they kind of are that good.

Soldier does 'The Carlton'

Nothing says 'America' quite like a soldier doing the dance made famous by actor Alfonso Ribeiro's character Carlton Banks in the 90's television show "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" while rockets whiz by in the background.

Nu kid on the church block raps about God

God is doin' it. Phew. God is doin' ah, let me catch my breath, nu thang. *wheeze* Dancing in hammer pants while rapping is harder than it looks.

Future adorable serial killer

The very reputable Dr. Phil says on his website that one of the top signs you could be raising a future serial killer is if your child enjoys tormenting small creatures. This girl's parents might want to look out.

Clap on, clap off

Switch on, switch off. Switch on, switch off. Gosh darn it, I want the switch on! Switch on, don't you dare! Arrggh switch off! Curse this box!

This week's proof that the human race is doomed - in dead squirrel form

2011-05-11T08:07:04Z

Little Girl Plays With Dead Squirrel - Watch more Funny Videos

This is clearly a video shot with the hope of embarrassing a girl in her teenage years. Oh, mom and dad, something says you'll take care of that all by yourself.

Witness a cute little girl playing with her cuddly new furry friend - Mr. Corpsey.

Yes, that's a real squirrel. Yes, he's, to quote Monty Python, an ex-squirrel.

See how dad, or whatever passes for a male authority figure there, misses out on the instinct to slap the dead rodent out of said girl's hands and rush her off for a bleach bath. No, what's needed here in the parenting guidebook, clearly, is YouTube video.

And Ma, apparently, at least summons a look of revulsion, but does nothing about it.

Funny? Yep. Parental freakshow? You bet.

Good luck, kid. You have the rest of your life ahead of you. And, maybe one day, taxidermy school.

Thanks, COED Magazine's Parenting Fail blog.

Week in WTF?!

2011-05-05T16:29:44Z

Royally goofy tattoo

The English already have a poor dental reputation but this man took it even further. Perhaps in a blind flurry of excitement over the royal wedding, he chose to have the images of Prince William and Kate Middleton tattooed on his teeth. Wonder if he regrets that one yet?

Adult babies

Yes he wears diapers, but the real question is does he use them? Second question: Which one is creepier, the man drinking out of a baby bottle or the woman feeding it to him? Third question: Is that beer in that baby bottle? Another question: Why!!?? Just why!?

'Prince Charles breakdancing with black youths '

Perhaps the only thing stranger than seeing Prince Charles try to bust a move is the actual title of the video. Really internet, what year is this? Also, I really hope he tried some of those moves at William and Kate's reception.

Is it windy out or is it just me?

Sorry if there's bad reception, there's a tornado headed right at me. What? Oh yea, I'm fine, it's just a few feet away. No big deal. What's up with you?

Mass animal deaths, tornado destruction, tension in the Middle East...

If you needed another sign that the apocalypse is near, here it is: Miley Cyrus covering Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in concert. Thank goodness Kurt isn't around to see this abomination.

Taiwan CGI news jumps on Osama bin Laden assassination

2011-05-02T19:51:12Z

Much like Navy SEALs, the brains behind the NMA World Edition are not afraid to go almost anywhere.

Case in point, the group's latest computer animated newscast featuring the special forces hit on Osama bin Laden. Public Enemy No. 1 has barely sunk to the bottom of his watery grave, and we already have explainer video, sort of, showing how the operation went down.

Amazingly like a video game, as it turns out. One where the good guys urinate on the bad guy's corpse and he is sent to Hell to be raped by pigs. You know. The usual.

All the news that's fit to treat like an Onion article gone bad.