#the b 52s

[bitter69uk]

“Later we [Culture Club] played with them a few times and they had the most unique, hypnotic sound. It’s trashy Americana, John Waters, Divine, the Shangri-La’s, high camp and bubblegum punk. The beat is everything. Fred always reminded me of Dr Zachary Smith from Lost in Space. I never thought about whether the B-52’s had a gay angle. They were just against rules in general – taking classic American kitsch and giving it a punk, space-age irreverence, like a beautiful car crash with pop surrealism. They were very camp but very funky: always on it, melodic but effortlessly free. It’s the sort of pop music that I want to hear.”

/ Boy George reflecting on the B-52’s in The Guardian /

Born on this day: happy 76th birthday to the sublime Kate Pierson (née Catherine Elizabeth Pierson, 27 April 1948) - singer, multi-instrumentalist, bouffant wig enthusiast and one of the founding members of Athens, Georgia’s essential post-punk party band the B-52’s! For me, Pierson’s spine-tingling dissonant science fiction anti-harmonies with co-vocalist Cindy Wilson are one of the defining sounds of American New Wave music. Pictured: Pierson captured by Lynn Goldsmith in the early 1980s.

[fuitgummybat]

Friends, as a massive new wave fan, I have developed a theory: Every new wave song is somewhere between punk, goth, and disco.

My proof:

Big thanks to @dartheritis for their help

[best-overplayed-song]

fun facts

"Love Shack" was inspired by a real place-- a cabin in Atlanta, Georgia. It's where the band wrote "Rock Lobster". Unfortunately, the original love shack burned down in 2004.

"Video Killed The Radio Star" is about musicians whose careers were destroyed because they would not translate visually to television. Adequate to this theme, the music video for this song was famously the first aired on MTV, at 12:01AM on August 1st, 1981.

[secretceremonies]

Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson of The B-52's performimg at Zellerbach Auditorium on October 14, 1980

[legendarytragedynacho]

The B-52's

[konvoluted]

[the-hottest-band-tournament]

Round one

The B-52’s

Formed in: 1976

Genres: New wave, dance-rock, post-punk, art pop

Lineup: Kate Pierson- vocals, keyboards

Cindy Wilson- vocals, percussion

Fred Schneider- vocals, percussion

Ricky Wilson- guitar

Keith Strickland- drums

Albums from the 80s: 

Wild Planet (1980)

Whammy! (1982)

Bouncing Off The Satellites (1986)

Cosmic Thing (1989)

Propaganda: They're queer icons, their songs are just pure fun, Ricky's guitar playing style was unique and their fashion game is off the charts, and they're all SO good looking. Their beehive wigs are so iconic that's what they named the band after. To me they'll always be the quintessential party band.

X Japan

Formed in: 1982

Genres: Rock, heavy metal, speed metal, power metal, glam metal, progressive metal, symphonic metal

Lineup: Toshi – vocals

Pata – guitar, vocals

Hide – guitar, vocals

Taiji – bass, vocals

Yoshiki – drums, vocals, piano, keyboards

Albums from the 80s:

Vanishing Vision (1988)

Blue Blood (1989)

Propaganda: Best Japanese rock band from back then!

[meetmeinthesandbox]

[makingdonalddrumpfagain]

[reluctant-martyrs]

New Wave/Post Punk musicians from England: Angry/depressed children. Need a nap and much therapy.

New Waves/Post Punk musicians from the U.S.: Grown ass adults with a wife and bills to pay. Also needs a nap and much therapy.

[dirtyriver]

[fangomusic]

Stay away fools!

[urexorcist]

♡ ✧.*

[avilepile]

Recent patches I made!

[legendarytragedynacho]

The B-52's @ Carmichael Auditorium - Chapel Hill, North Carolina - April 15, 1982 on their Mesopotamia tour

[possible-streetwear]