The B-52s
Have we ever had a thread about them? It's amazing to realize they were basically three gay men and two faghags who formed a band at college and then found international success.
It's amazing to realize how long it's been since they formed. Kate Pierson is now 66 and Fred Schneider is 63--and most shocking of all, Keith Strickland (who I've always thought is so hot) is 60.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | June 27, 2018 6:54 AM
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Even more amazing was that it happened in Georgia during the 1970's.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | August 10, 2014 11:20 PM
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Actually Kate Pierson is gay now....I met her. I asked Fred out on a date years ago and he kind of laughed at me....at a party...
I love the forever....
by Anonymous | reply 2 | August 10, 2014 11:24 PM
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I know women who have had affairs and relationships with Cindy and Kate. They are gay too.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | August 10, 2014 11:24 PM
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I've heard the Japanese do not like B-52s
by Anonymous | reply 4 | August 10, 2014 11:24 PM
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[quote]Have we ever had a thread about them?
They appear frequently on '80s music threads and the like....very gay pop.
This will be a very popular thread.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | August 10, 2014 11:28 PM
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[quote]I've heard the Japanese do not like B-52s
Nor are they fond of huge reptiles trampling their citizens, and knocking down their skyscrapers.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | August 10, 2014 11:59 PM
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I saw them at Radio City Music Hall in 1990 for their 'Cosmic Thing' tour. It's quite possibly the best concert I've ever been to in my life. Fantastic, so much fun.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | August 11, 2014 12:11 AM
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I saw that concert, R7! Great fun. I've always loved them.
I saw them several years ago (around the FUNHOUSE album) on the Cyndi Lauper's TRUE COLORS Pride Tour and they were just great, but they only did a couple of songs. They also did a concert for PBS a couple of years ago and frankly, they looked/sounded a bit tired. I cannot imagine keeping up like that in my 60s.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | August 11, 2014 12:18 AM
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Kate got a lot of the attention for her vocals... but when they released the first album without Cindy ("Good Stuff") it was immediately apparent that Cindy was the "voice" of The B-52's and they couldn't begin to approximate their sound without her.
Has anyone heard Fred's side project band, The Superions? Sorry to say it's pretty awful. Their latest single "Konnichiwa" is probably the best thing they've done. Most of the rest is unlistenable.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 9 | August 11, 2014 12:19 AM
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Agreed R9. 'Good Stuff' sounded a little off without Cindy's vocals. That's the thing with groups that rely on harmony vocals, like Fleetwood Mac too. Once one part is missing it doesn't sound as good.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | August 11, 2014 12:28 AM
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Kate & her partner have an east and west coast motel made up of restored trailers. My friends stay in the upstate NY ones and loved it.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 12 | August 11, 2014 12:50 AM
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I know Keith and Cindy, they are wonderful people. Keith lives in Key West with his partner, is a wonderful man. Cindy is beautiful and sweet.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | August 11, 2014 12:55 AM
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Saw them at Forrest Hills Tennis Stadium. Opening act was a new British band with a big hit on the chart at the time called Eurythmics.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | August 11, 2014 12:56 AM
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Their last album, Funplex, was surprisingly good. Modern without feeling like a pastiche, yet very much a B-52s album with their singular sensibility.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | August 11, 2014 1:02 AM
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[R3] Cindy Wilson is straight and married. In fact, she took time off from the band for a while so she and her husband could raise their child.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | August 11, 2014 2:56 AM
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Waited on Fred years ago when he would come out to Long Island. Great guy!
by Anonymous | reply 18 | August 11, 2014 2:59 AM
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R14 - I met Keith in Key West. Always had the hots for him - he still looks great. Very nice man - but I was extremely tongue-tied.
They just seem like such a fun group. I wonder if there were ever fights. They seem like such good friends who just started out on a lark and it took off.
I've seen them in concert about a dozen times and they're always so much fun. I really envy their lives - being in a fun and wacky band, playing small tours in the summer, and just have a great time.
I guess playing the same songs over and over could get old. But I'll take that gig!
by Anonymous | reply 19 | August 11, 2014 3:05 AM
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Kate has some vocal heft- just listen to her in the concert for "Planet Claire" that aired on PBS. She said people never knew it was her voice. They are older but Cindy and Kate still sound very good together. On "52 Girls," it's like no time has passed.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | August 11, 2014 3:15 AM
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I met them backstage at CBGB in NYC in the 90s. Kate and Keith are both incredibly nice! Fred? Not so much. Cindy and her husband (also named Keith) left early.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | August 11, 2014 3:30 AM
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I used to work with a guy who organized music festivals and once booked The B-52s for an event. He said they were very professional and business-like. However, he also said that he had to book each band member in a different hotel room because they all hated each other and would not stay in the same hotel.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | October 28, 2014 7:21 PM
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R22, did he expect them to bunk up in double beds?
by Anonymous | reply 23 | October 28, 2014 7:32 PM
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If the B52s come to a venue near you, run, dont walk and go see them. They put on an amazing show.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | October 28, 2014 8:30 PM
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I love the B52s. But I wouldn't call them an "international success". I've known people from abroad who had absolutely no idea who they are. Sad, but true. Not that it really matters anyway. They are still awesome even if they never sell another record.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | October 28, 2014 8:42 PM
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They hate each other? Since when?
by Anonymous | reply 26 | October 28, 2014 8:45 PM
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A different hotel or a different hotel room?
by Anonymous | reply 27 | October 28, 2014 9:04 PM
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Keith just turned 61 on Sunday.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | October 28, 2014 10:19 PM
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Keith Strickland, young and gorgeous:
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 29 | October 28, 2014 11:44 PM
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Are Keith and Fred both tops?
by Anonymous | reply 30 | October 28, 2014 11:58 PM
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Ricky Wilson found out he had AIDS in 1983. He must have been an, um, prolific bottom to get it so early.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | October 29, 2014 12:03 AM
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I thought it's been said that the early AIDS deaths might have contracted HIV by 1975/76.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | October 29, 2014 12:10 AM
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Love them, and agree with the posters who said they're great, live. They sound fantastic and you will dance your...mess around.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | October 29, 2014 12:32 AM
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R22, no offense, but your friend is an idiot (and you might be one, too, for sharing his story like it was plausible). It would be ridiculous for The B-52's (love that unnecessary apostrophe) to share hotel rooms with one another unless it was actually the year 1979. And there is no way that they hate each other.
Kate Pierson has one of the best voices in rock/pop music EVER. It is the highlight of every song she sings on, whether we're talking "Topaz" from Cosmic Thing or Iggy Pop's "Candy". Cindy Wilson, not so much.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | October 29, 2014 6:43 AM
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Hello, I'm Cindy. I'm a Pisces and I like chihuahuas and Chinese noodles!
by Anonymous | reply 36 | October 30, 2014 3:45 PM
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When they say Ricky hid his illness from the band, how long did he do so? Was it until the end? His death really shook them to the core for a few years and they couldn't even tour to support "Bouncing off the Satellites" which doesn't even feature a band photo. Yet they did somehow manage to produce a video for "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland."
by Anonymous | reply 37 | October 30, 2014 3:50 PM
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I think there should be a biopic of the band. Not really a paint-by-numbers this is how we started, this is how we made it, these were our high points, etc. but just one that features Ricky's death, the devastating fallout and their getting together again.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | October 30, 2014 3:51 PM
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Fred has the ultimate gay voice! Chrysler is as big as a WHALE and we're about to set SAIL!
by Anonymous | reply 39 | October 30, 2014 3:56 PM
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Which is especially funny if you se Fred Schneider's video for his solo song "Monster" where he's trying to come off as straight.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | October 30, 2014 4:00 PM
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The band doesn't hate each other. They've been together for decades and have a healthy interaction.
They were not taken surprise by Ricky getting sick - they were with him every step of the way, holding him when they were touring. They were all very affected by it and don't say anything about it - Cindy took "Good Stuff" off to deal with a lot of repressed feelings about that. And yeah, it didn't sell well, but they openly admit it's because they didn't tour much to promote it because it just wasn't as much fun without Cindy.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | October 30, 2014 4:12 PM
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[quote] Modern without feeling like a pastiche, yet very much a B-52s album with their singular sensibility.
How pretentious
by Anonymous | reply 42 | October 30, 2014 4:26 PM
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Didn't Kim Basinger fill in for Cindy on the Good Stuff tour?
Or was it only a one-off appearance?
by Anonymous | reply 43 | October 30, 2014 4:28 PM
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They're great and people forget how groundbreaking and weird they were when they first started in the late 70s. There was nothing like it then, even on the punk scene.
The first time I heard the first album I couldn't' believe what I was hearing. I hadn't heard anything like that before. It was so bizarre. But it was intriguing and I wanted more.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | October 30, 2014 4:32 PM
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That may have been a one off, R43.
It was mainly Julee Cruise best known for her vocals on the "Twin Peaks" soundtracks.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | October 30, 2014 4:35 PM
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I remember a picture of them with Basinger in Rolling Stone magazine from that era, but now that you mention Julee Cruise - I definitely remember that!
by Anonymous | reply 46 | October 30, 2014 4:41 PM
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I wish I could give each member of the B-52s a big bear hug, and tell them how much joy they've brought into my life.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | October 30, 2014 4:54 PM
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To clarify, he said he had to book each band member in a different hotel, as opposed to separate rooms in the same hotel.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | October 31, 2014 2:37 AM
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R7 and R8, I was also at that 1990 Radio City Music Hall concert. How funny, three future Dataloungers in the audience. Did I cruise one of you in the bathroom?
by Anonymous | reply 49 | October 31, 2014 2:44 AM
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Great, sly lyrics but frankly every song had the same rhythm. Now, they just seem like just another geezer act that never got passed cult status.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | October 31, 2014 2:49 AM
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When Ricky died, announcements on the radio stations that played their music simply said he died of cancer. I don't know when it was revealed to be AIDS-caused.
The guy that cuts my hair was asked to do up their hair for Cindy and Kate before a concert here. That seemed strange to me; you would think with their wild, distinctive hairstyles they would bring a stylist along with them.
He says that Cindy was very easygoing and a bit tipsy. He says Kate was a queen bee, unhappy and demanding. She told him not to look at her. He said to her, “Honey, how can I do your hair without looking at you?” and just went on working.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | October 31, 2014 2:53 AM
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That was really their own hair, those towering beehives?
by Anonymous | reply 52 | October 31, 2014 2:59 AM
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No. I went to that concert and they had big hair, but not beehives.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | October 31, 2014 3:01 AM
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I liked their songs, never bought any of the albums. They sound fun, and really ground-breaking if you think about.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | October 31, 2014 3:10 AM
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At their concerts dancing is strictly permitted.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | October 31, 2014 3:16 AM
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r36 Let's meet, and have a baby NOW!
by Anonymous | reply 56 | October 31, 2014 3:26 AM
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The Give Me Back My Man video is on my youtube top 10 list.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 57 | October 31, 2014 3:58 AM
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The Give Me Back My Man video is on my youtube top 10 list.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 58 | October 31, 2014 4:01 AM
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Great band, but they turned themselves into one hell of a nostalgia act. They are only a few releases away from having more Best Of albums than original albums.
Good Stuff has some great tracks (love Good Stuff, Hot Pants Explosion, Is that You Mo-Dean?, and Dreamland).
Bouncing Off the Satelites is such a gem.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | November 2, 2014 9:35 AM
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Yes but they came off as a kind of nostalgia act when they started too. Love Whammy and Bouncing off the Satellites
by Anonymous | reply 60 | November 2, 2014 10:58 AM
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It was the two very talented women and later some flag lets that stated the B-52s, OP.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | November 2, 2014 11:43 AM
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Keith Strickland is love...
by Anonymous | reply 63 | January 12, 2016 6:39 PM
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Has Fred Schneider ever been linked to anyone in particular? I've never once heard of any dating stories pertaining to him.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | April 26, 2016 10:36 AM
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Ok so to the guy who did Kate's hair.....without giving too much detail I can back up that she is very nasty person. Having loved the band (and Kate always having been my "favorite" B) it was very deflating to see how awful and mean she is up close. Turned me to off the band for life. The happy go lucky image is a front. Bad karma, that one.
by Anonymous | reply 65 | February 11, 2017 4:24 AM
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Ricky Wilson was the REAL B-52s - he was responsible for the amazing sound on the debut.
All those late hits like "Love Shack" were just a blander, suburban version of the B-52s. But I don't hold it against them - they did an impressive job of holding things together after Ricky died.
by Anonymous | reply 66 | February 11, 2017 4:35 AM
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Thanks. It was my friend (who occasionally cuts my hair) that did Kate and Cindy's hair before a concert, and he said Kate was insufferable while Cindy was easygoing. This is just second hand though. I never met them. I don't think they do the huge beehive wigs any more, do they?
by Anonymous | reply 67 | February 11, 2017 4:38 AM
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Hearing Rock Lobster for the first time changed my life
by Anonymous | reply 68 | February 11, 2017 4:51 AM
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They only had two hits big deal.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | February 11, 2017 6:59 AM
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They are a great party band.
by Anonymous | reply 70 | February 11, 2017 7:31 AM
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Cindy is very open about her enjoyment of pot.
Her new solo album is very 4AD/Cocteau Twins-esque.
Keith has not toured with the band for a few years.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | February 11, 2017 8:19 AM
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r70
If you have a party that lasts for the length of their two hits. Their other music sucks the meat, and not the way you gays think.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | February 11, 2017 8:22 AM
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FUNPLEX is the shit. The 60's inspired dancing and vibe of the video are what makes this song my favorite B-52's jam.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | February 11, 2017 11:27 AM
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Kate's a horrible person. She called me "retard", kicked me in the crotch, and as I feel to the ground, she laughed - bellowed, really - and spat on me twice.
Then she murdered my family.
by Anonymous | reply 75 | February 12, 2017 3:24 AM
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R73, that made me laugh :)
by Anonymous | reply 76 | February 12, 2017 3:51 AM
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Kahlua, Bailey's, Grand Marnier. A pretty good after-dinner drink. Also good added to hot coffee.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | February 12, 2017 4:05 AM
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The band had an early fan in John Lennon who was proud that they appeared to have been influenced by Yoko Ono.
by Anonymous | reply 78 | February 12, 2017 4:36 AM
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Fred has been in a relationship for decades. They are one of my all-time favourite bands I but I do wish they had been more prolific, only 80 tracks in a 40 year career is a bit rubbish!
by Anonymous | reply 79 | June 20, 2018 1:06 PM
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Fred was engaged to a black woman in the 80's. I remember this, because as a Black teenager who loved punk/new wave/rockabilly etc and was the only one black girl I knew who bought every early issue of Spin magazine that I could get my hands on - this totally blew my mind. Of course I never realized that Fred was gay. I knew I wasn't imagining reading this article so I did some digging... and here it is.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 80 | June 20, 2018 1:45 PM
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"Dirty Back Road" and "52 Girls" are on the April 1999 Gap In-Store Playlist:
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 81 | June 20, 2018 2:16 PM
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Saw them three times in my life, all in Dallas in the 80's.
The first time was for the Mesopotamia tour, at a mid-sized standing-only venue. They were all young-looking and it was a minimal but tight show. I remember they opened with "Planet Claire" and Fred holding a walkie talkie up to his mic for that sound effect. They were dressed kind of down, but Kate and Cindy had wigs. I remember at some point someone from the crowd threw one of those little Star Wars figures at Cindy when she was singing "Give Me Back My Man" and it landed plop in her wig. She never stopped singing and plucked it out to see what it was then kind of held it and sang to it the rest of the song. I was probably 14 at the time and I remember loving the show but don't remember too many details as it was my first concert and me and my (gay) friends spent the entire time screaming our heads off like that Ed Sullivan footage. The concert was a huge event in our young gay lives at the time.
The second time was for the Whammy! tour. An amazing show. They came out and did a funny line dance routine to "Song For a Future Generation" and the crowd was howling. Then they got behind their instruments and went totally wild and sounded fantastic. Fantastic showmanship start to finish, playing to a crowd that was screaming and dancing the entire time. Cindy wore the yellow fringe dress from the album cover. All of it a great memory.
Years later I saw them for the Cosmic Thing tour and they were once again great, but I did notice at the time they were starting to look a lot older and moved less, but still put on a whopper of a show that the crowd ate up.
by Anonymous | reply 82 | June 20, 2018 2:48 PM
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My feelgood track mix:
- Topaz (Cosmic Thing)
- Follow Your Bliss (Cosmic Thing)
. Dreamland (Good Stuff)
I play the tracks on a loop while watching pictures I collected from tumblrs like Luz Natural (warning, some pics may not be safe for work).
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 83 | June 20, 2018 3:39 PM
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That was a great find r85, thanks!
by Anonymous | reply 84 | June 20, 2018 3:54 PM
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I got backstage to several shows in the 90s and Kate was super sweet. Fred was nowhere in sight. Julee Cruise was filling in for Cindy and was kind of bitchy, though I may have accidentally insulted her. I still feel bad about that all these years later.
by Anonymous | reply 85 | June 20, 2018 4:55 PM
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Kate got into a bit of hot water with a track called "Mister Sister". Her solo album Guitars and Microphones is pretty great.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | June 20, 2018 5:19 PM
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I saw the B-52s many many years ago, so long ago Rick Wilson was still alive. At the Colisseum in El Paso TX. I was the oldest person in the joint and snake dancing along the kids. It was a blast! I have a vague recollection of reading about his death in Rolling Stone magazine, that he entered the hospital and died. Maybe a mention of pneumonia? So sad.
by Anonymous | reply 87 | June 20, 2018 8:10 PM
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Why did Cindy Wilson leave the group?
by Anonymous | reply 88 | June 24, 2018 5:47 PM
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r88, because she needed to get her rusted tin roof fixed, Rose.
by Anonymous | reply 89 | June 24, 2018 6:05 PM
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Can you name....name them...NAME THEM TODAY?
B52s have a special niche in the nostalgia zone of my brain. My brother (straight white guy & DJ) once said he thinks the B52s first LP was the best rock album ever made.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | June 25, 2018 3:37 PM
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Kate and Cindy singing together is sublime! Was Follow a Your Bliss on Cosmic Thing?
by Anonymous | reply 92 | June 27, 2018 5:31 AM
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Deadbeat Club is my favourite song from Cosmic Thing. It was a minor hit but I thought it was just as good as Love Shack and Roam.
by Anonymous | reply 93 | June 27, 2018 5:43 AM
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I love them, but they really did lose something when Ricky died. Though I don't think anyone would begrudge them the huge surprise success they had with Cosmic Thing.
In retrospect, Ricky might be the first celebrity AIDS death I knew about. Though it wasn't reported as such at the time.
by Anonymous | reply 94 | June 27, 2018 5:51 AM
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I saw them when they toured with the Go-Go's at Pine Knob a few years ago, and "Rock Lobster" sounded EXACTLY like the recorded version from 1979. I was impressed.
by Anonymous | reply 95 | June 27, 2018 5:57 AM
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Two hits does not equal amazing.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | June 27, 2018 6:16 AM
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Years ago lot of bands had huge careers and made fortunes without ever having had a single hit song, R96.
They toured a lot (the Beatles and Steely Dan being rare exceptions) , and that moved the albums and built the fan base. "Hits" are what your irritating little brother (mine was, anyway) listened to on AM radio. Yes, Virginia, AM radio used to feature music, not just neocon talk radio hosts.
by Anonymous | reply 97 | June 27, 2018 6:46 AM
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Some of the best bands ever don't have any known hits.
by Anonymous | reply 98 | June 27, 2018 6:53 AM
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The B-52s were a punk/new wave band. Hits were sorta beside the point. The fact that they managed a few was a happy bonus.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | June 27, 2018 6:54 AM
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