What's It All About?

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

Transcript from 7" promo interview single from 1982

Fred Schneider: Hey, this is Fred Schneider of the B-52’s and join me with Bill Huie for "What’s It All About?"

Bill Huie: Coming out of the unlikely place of Athens, Georgia - a small college town, the B-52’s dropped in on the world’s music scene totally unexpected and were welcomed with open arms by new music enthusiasts. I’m Bill Huie - more with Fred Schneider as we discuss that self proclaimed "tacky little dance band" - the B-52’s on "What’s It All About?"

It was after a few exotic drinks one night in a Chinese restaurant that the 5 members of what would become the B-52’s decided that instead of going home, they would go over to a friends house and bang on a bunch of musical instruments. A few weeks later, after playing a valentines day party for about 50 people, someone suggested they should go to New York. They did - playing at Max’s Kansas City, the Big Apple’s bastion of avante garde music. Packing up, excited to have played on the same stage as so many of their idols, they were asked back. The rest, in that old fairy tale cliché, is history.

FS: We never had any preconceived notions. We were doing it basically to entertain our friends and to kill time in Athens, cause Athens sort of at a lull, you know there wasn’t that much to do. But then it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and we just sorta let it happen.

BH: As the B-52’s have gotten bigger, they’ve been both praised for giving rock music much needed fun and an exciting shot in the arm, and criticised for being a meaningless dance band, playing out their campy fashion fantasies.

FS: Well, I face reality. I don’t like it, but, it’s an escape, and you know we’re entertainers, we like to get people dancing. Use their minds and get off their behinds.

We just sort of use whatever comes, you know, through the sub conscious and the conscious. We don’t try to write parodies or anything. It’s just prose, you know poetry, whatever. We just we’re real pleased with our lyrics. We don’t just think of them as just silly nonsense.

BH: While the B-52’s sing about rock lobsters, dogs named "Quiche Lorraine" and the perfect way to bake a cake - all songs they have become easily identified with, their manner of dress has become a trademarks of sort as well. Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson are known for their bouffant hairdos as well as the matter of dress - early thrift store chic. It’s a style their fans have come to imitate, not only when attending their concerts, but sometimes in everyday life.

FS: Seems everybody has my size, so I just gave up going to thrift stores. Kate and Cindy can usually find some good things, and Keith and Ricky are big on thrift stores. Our fans usually out dress us, though, I mean, it’s amazing what they come up with. Usually they outdo us.

BH: Though their fans may take the B-52’s seriously enough to dress like them, Fred does not see it as deep. As their audience is searching for its’ identity and has found one manifested in the B-52’s.

FS: I think it’s having a good time and enjoying us because we don’t put on any facade of you know we don’t have that strong ego thing you know, look down upon the audience. We like to have ’em we’re dancing, they’re dancing, that’s fine.