The band’s singer Kate Pierson talks about the joy and tragedy behind her favourite songs of their back catalogue, from Rock Lobster to Love Shack

Guiding Light holds the record for the longest run of any soap opera. It debuted in 1952 as a narrative doled out in 15-minute increments and made it all the way to 2009, when it was replaced by Let’s Make a Deal, hosted by Wayne Brady. When a show is around that long, it’s tempting to say that “everything” happened on it, but that category doesn’t intuitively include appearances by influential new wave bands. Yet that did happen too. In 1982 the B-52s appeared on an episode during a promotional tour for their David Byrne-produced EP Mesopotamia. The premise was that there was a venue in the town, which bore the name of Springfield (yes, Springfield), in which musical artists would appear. Apparently Judy Collins appeared in another episode. The two YouTube clips below capture the musical performances but not the parts in which Cindy, Kate, and Fred appear in a scene with some character from the show who aspires to be a professional musician. You can see the barest snippet of that scene in the VH-1 clip below. Oddly, the band ended up playing a non-single cut called “Throw That Beat in the Garbage Can” (at...

At a Jersey Shore pinball museum, members of the iconic New Wave band talk about Bat Boy, “The Blob,” and their new Vegas residency.

Many fans mishear the last line of The B-52's iconic 1989 new wave hit 'Love Shack', which is actually "Tin roof, rusted," sung by vocalist Cindy Wilson.

Some principles are non-negotiable. I like talking to people whose views on religion, politics, food, the environment, hairdos and footwear differ from my own. But I stand firmly behind Dangerous Minds’ “zero tolerance” policy for anyone who doesn’t like the B-52s. Those jerks can wash down a plate of boiled shoe leather with a cold glass of splinters. The rest of us will be borne aloft on the angelic sounds of Ricky Wilson’s guitar and the subtle flavors of Cindy Wilson’s sweet potato cornbread. This recipe ran in the B-52s’ fan club newsletter. I came across it on the blog Evenings with Peter, which also broke the story of Fred Schneider’s Italian-style Soba noodles. CORN BREAD WITH SWEET POTATO IN IT 2 cups cornmeal 1 cup flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda ⅔ brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg 2 cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 medium size sweet potato (cooked and mashed) 1. Preheat oven to 450. 2. Sift dry ingredients together. 3. Beat egg, add wet ingredients, mix together. 4. Coat cast iron skillet with cooking oil. Put in oven to get hot. When hot, pour in batter. 5. Leave in oven about 20 minutes. A regular baking pan can be used instead. ...

The 67-year-old singer/songwriter took to her Facebook page on Tuesday to share photos of her and her new wife with the caption: ‘#itsofficial!’

The new book Outside the Lines gathers behind-the-scenes pictures, outtakes and lost images from the cover shoots of punk and new wave’s most famous LPs. Take a look, and read what their photographers recall from the sessions

B-52’s Press Photo Warner Bros. Records/USA (1982) Photo by Terry Allen-January

As we have discovered in past installments of “Masterpieces of Pop,” there was a revolution going on in music in the late 70s and early 80s. The new genres of Punk and “New Wave” (a term invented to describe musical acts that defied being pigeon-holed into a specific niche) were confusing, scaring, inspiring, and provoking young and old alike. One of the more fun and odd groups to break out of this scene were The B-52s, from Athens, GA. There was a burgeoning alternative music scene in Athens at that time that also gave birth to the band R.E.M. Formed in 1976, Cindy Wilson and her brother Ricky joined with Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, and Fred Schneider. They shared a love of surf music, lounge lizard kitsch, and general late 50s/ early 60s pop culture. They named themselves after a popular early 1960s beehive hair style whose bouffant shape resembles the nose cone of a B-52 Stratofortress bomber. And of course this hair style has been sported at various times by Wilson and Pierson. The B-52s released their eponymously titled debut album in 1979. With its bright yellow cover, period catchpenny font, and tongue-in-cheek “High Fidelity” logo in the upper left hand corner (in imitation of “Hi-Fi” vinyl records from the late 50s/ early 60s) the record was a stunning and fresh homage to the twangy lo-fi guitars of surf music, teen dance culture, go-go boots, teased hair, the Space Age, Flaming Volcano cocktails, and cheap B-movies of that period (this pop culture milieu was simultaneously being explored on film by John Waters). Their dedication to the period even led them to record an impromptu-sounding version of a classic from the era, Petula Clark’s “Downtown,” which closes the record. The entire album seems to be chock full of memorable moments yet clocks in at a shockingly short thirty-nine minutes. “Rock Lobster” was the breakout hit, but that was the easy choice for frat parties. “Planet Claire” with its sci-fi B-movie take on the “Peter Gunn” theme, or “52 Girls” with its phenomenal pairing of Kate and Cindy’s vocal harmonies both come close to being the standout songs from the collection, but it is “Dance This Mess Around” that captures the essence of what The B-52s were all about. Playing like some demented episode of the television show “Shin Dig,” the song is an angst-ridden rant about rejection and popularity. Cindy Wilson wonders why a certain someone will not dance with her, prompting her to cry out that she is “not no Limburger.” Her astonishing vocals, breaking and shrieking, make her sound as if she might lose it any moment, while she and Fred Schneider roll call obscure dances that one assumes the “popular kids” who are in-the-know do at the “popular dance parties” of the time. Among the tooting and bipping Farfisa organ, the ominous bass, and the deranged-asylum-sound of the toy piano, there are references to “Stop! In the Name of Love” by The Supremes and “The Hippy Hippy Shake” by Chan Romero. But the innocence of the source music is wonderfully tinged with the ferocity and viciousness of punk. It was a groundbreaking and startling combination. Like so much music happening at that time, the B-52s were vital, immediate, and intriguingly off-kilter. “Remember when you held my hand Say, remember when you were my man Walk, talk in the name of love Before you break my heart Dance on over, yeah, Roll it over in your mind Why don't you dance with me I'm not no Limburger Just a Limburger Dance this mess around Dance this mess around, 'round, 'round Everybody goes to parties They dance this mess around They do all 16 dances They do the Shu-ga-loo Do the Shy Tuna Do the Camel Walk Do the Hip-o-crit Ah-Hippy Hippy forward Hippy Hippy Hippy Hippy Hippy Shake Oh-it's time to do 'em right Hey, said doesn't that make you feel a lot better, huh? Huh? I said, doesn't that make you feel a lot better? What you say? I'm just askin' Come on! Shake! Bake! Shake! Bake! Everybody goes to parties They dance this mess around They do all 16 dances Do the Coo-ca-choo Do the Aqua-velva Do the Dirty Dog Do the Escalator Ah-Hippy Hippy forward Hippy Hippy Hippy Hippy Hippy Shake It's time to do 'em right Hey! So Fred, doesn't that make you feel a lot better? Huh? Said, doesn't that make you feel a lot better? What you say? I'm just askin' Yeah, yeah, yeah... Stop! Dance on over Yeah, yeah Dance this mess around Shake, shake-a-bake shake Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake Dance this mess around Yeah, yeah, yeah........” http://www.theb52s.com/ This is the eighth installment of my original, ongoing "Masterpieces of Pop" series. You can read the other essays here: Masterpieces of Pop: "Ode To Billie Joe" Masterpieces of Pop: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" Masterpieces of Pop: "I Only Have Eyes For You" Masterpieces of Pop: "I'm Not In Love" Masterpieces of Pop: "Warm Leatherette" and "Cars" Masterpieces of Pop: “Family Affair” Masterpieces of Pop: "Dreams"

Explore salvavinilos' 1785 photos on Flickr!

The classic B-52 shot, believed to be named after the popular new wave band, features three layered ingredients and has helped bring the party for nearly five decades.

Reviving this thread as I have a question. I have noticed that there are German CDs on Island of the first three albums (The B-52's, Wild Planet and...

CD Online Shop: B-52'S CD von The B-52's bei Weltbild bequem online bestellen.

Bohemian Rhapsody How some artsy queer kids in Georgia became the World’s Greatest Party Band [originally printed in fab issue 341 – March 5, 2008] Their voices in gorgeous harmony, Kate Pier…

retrohound.org

As promised last month before my long vacation, here’s a second chunk of utterly delightful B-52s multi-media for your listening, viewing and frooging pleasure. This selection covers songs from their second album, 1980’s Wild Planet, which picks up right where their debut left off with more tales of parties going off the rails, trips to Venus, speed demons, “dirty back roads,” and private Idahos. Part 1 of “Only Assholes Don’t Like the B-52s” is here. “Private Idaho”—“Get out of the state, out of the state you’re in!” “SURPRISE!” Insanely great live versions of “Rock Lobster” and “Party Out of Bounds” from Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany, 1983: “Give Me Back My Man” a key Cindy Wilson number from the early years: “I’ll give you fish, I’ll give you candy, I’ll give you-hoo everything that I’ve ever had.” This is my kinda torch singer! From Dutch television’s long running TopPop show: “Dirty Back Road,” a rather sweet-sounding paen to anal sex… “Devil in My Car,” from Capitol Theatre - Passaic, NJ, 1980:

Cindy Wilson talks about the early days of the B-52’s and playing with her late brother Ricky Wilson, the band's 40th Anniversary tour, and her new album Change. Forty years have passed since the B-52’s declared

Quirky new wave rock group The B-52's are perhaps best known for their infectious hits Love Shack and Rock Lobster.

early b-52's!

Julee Cruise, who collaborated with David Lynch on several projects and toured with The B-52s, has passed away.

Their uncanny mix of surf guitar riffs, funk-influenced rhythms, quirky vocal tics, and stream-of-consciousness lyrics goes far beyond "Love Shack."

The members of the new wave band the B-52s (from left: Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Keith Strickland , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson ) pose in bathing suits

THE US has sent B-52 bombers to fly over the Middle East in an apparent warning to Iran, as Washington and Tehran's tensions continue to boil over.

After 46 years, the Athens originals are taking off for good later this year. David Byrne, Boy George and more pay tribute to one of the most unusual pop bands ever

Quirky new wave rock group The B-52's are perhaps best known for their infectious hits Love Shack and Rock Lobster.

Kate Pierson never tried to write a hit. But the cosmos had bigger plans for her band.

The band’s singer Kate Pierson talks about the joy and tragedy behind her favourite songs of their back catalogue, from Rock Lobster to Love Shack

Let's stack it up to the B-52.

It's been in the skies since the 1950s, and it's set to stay there until the 2050s.

Monster Energy is in its own “Private Idaho.” Fred Schneider, lead singer of The B-52’s, and a small Florida coffee company find themselves between a rock lobster and a hard place after the makers …

In the 70s and 80s, the notion of “sex sells” had a lot of traction from what I can remember. It seemed that the lowest common denominator of advertising was to stick a scantily clad yo…