When most people think about early punk bands, they do not think of the B-52s. But before the band made such floor-fillers as Love Shack” and “Roam,” and before Kate Pierson joined REM to sing about “Shiny Happy People,” the B-52s were playing at CBGBs and churning out garagey tunes such as “Rock Lobster,” “52 Girls,” and “Hot Lava,” mixing stream-of-consciousness lyrics with elements of early punk and new wave. This is a band that–as the Advocate put it–manages to be “singular, specifically American, and downright homo.” The World's Greatest Party Band, whether they know it or not, has a foundational place in American rock'n'roll history.
And now, here are Five Things You Didn't Know About the B-52s:
5. Allen Ginsberg, Quentin Crisp, and AMFAR