Behind The Vinyl: "Rock Lobster" with Fred Schneider from The B-52's
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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2024
- Lead Singer and Songwriter of The B-52's, Fred Schneider came back to the boom 97.3 studios to play "Rock Lobster" on vinyl! Fred talks about writing the song, how he came up with the name of the song, the connection Yoko Ono and John Lennon has to the song and more! Watch as Fred goes Behind The Vinyl!
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This band is a testament to the power of creativity - no bass player, a singer who can't really sing, and a guitarist with only 4 strings - yet they wrote some of the most kick ass pop music of the 20th century: sometimes the whole is not just greater than the sum of the parts - but it actually becomes a monster onto itself.
CusterFlux I didn't realize they no bass player for 20 years
@@williamgolden839 They had bass - Kate played it on the keyboard, at the same time as lead keyboard and vocals. The live versions of Planet Claire good examples.
@@mikewillis1592 kind of like " the Door's ".
However Cindy and Kate could sing.
Fred can sing too, of course. It's called Sprechgesang.
Fred stated, "If something goes wrong, we just laugh". I love that. He seems like such a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor.
You're right ... he is.. I met him and his mom at a Thrift Store in Red Bank NJ... (he grew up a few miles away)What a nice guy...and his mom... proud as can be actually said to me.. "That's my boy!"
I'll never forget. And yes... he did sign a business card I was carrying for me. And still have it.
That's not what James Brown did. He fined his band members for every mistake!
It seems so true! I was lucky enough to see them in Chicago last weekend and when they played Planet Claire his little walkie-talkie wasn't working. Cindy looked over at him with a little smirk, he just shrugged and laughed while he fiddled with it for a bit. Fantastic humans :D
Our daughter was working for Old Navy and was asked if she wanted to volunteer for an evening event to celebrate something-or-other-milestone. Basically doing "valet" type stuff. She said 'sure, why not'. Turned out it was a themed celebration at the SF airport with the B52s playing. Fred was sick as a dog that night, but refused to cancel the gig. Our daughter quickly figured out that "helping the B52s backstage" was her calling for that evening. Between sets Fred would be knocking back hot cups of tea, inhaling steam, anything to keep going. She remembers he was the nicest guy and such a trooper. She has nothing but fond memories for the whole band.
The last 2 minutes of the song are 2 of the most exciting minutes ever recorded.👏🏼👍🏾
Totally 🤘🏼
Although at the time we were into Zeppelin and Sabbath etc, we rocked to and respected the 52,s because they Rocked!
Great taste in music. It's like food. You gotta just try the different types.
They sure did. I was in 9th grade in '79 and listened to mostly rock. Then I started opening up to other music like new wave and found The B-52s and Missing Persons badass. I still remained a rock hound, but got into punk, new wave, prog-rock and some pop like Madonna, but not much. Rock was the rhythm I craved and have for many decades now.
Still, Rock Lobster gets my blood going and my goose bumps pumping.
Because the band is original they don't copy other people they sound unique when you hear the b-52s it is the b-52's
My mind was so blown after seeing The B-52`s play Rock Lobster on SNL; I went to the record store and bought their album the following day; still rocking to The B-52`s; good times!
Richard Cardone My ex-wife was into the B-52’s,that’s how I became familiar with their music. I have them on my iPhone music collection.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I love Fred, his vocals and lyrics are essential to the band
This man and the group came to my High School in 1989 just before the summer of 1990... Got to be in the same room with the group as my school won for donating most canned goods for a food drive.... Talk about star struck.... TO THE MOON and BACK...
As an adolescent who felt out of place in the world (as so many do), I remember seeing them on Saturday Night Live (in '78, I believe). Somehow, seeing this crazy band singing a crazy song and having a great time doing it made the world a much more livable place. I will always be grateful to The B-52s for that, and for all the other great songs through the years... :)
@Texas Chainsaw Jesus Music is powerful, no doubt. I wonder if the ease of access we enjoy today diminishes that power to some extent though...
@Texas Chainsaw Jesus The nature of the industry itself has changed. Bands used to struggle for years, killing themselves to get a record deal. Now, you can upload a crappy home video and potentially go viral. The old way stifled a lot of deserving artists, where the new one promotes a lot of 'flash-in-the-pan' careers.
While modern accessibility is nice, it doesn't seem to promote the same quality of songwriting and musicianship that was present in the past...
@Texas Chainsaw Jesus Every time I throw on some James Brown, 'I feel good'... :)
Madness by Design
I was right there watching with you in 78!
@@jehugo66 I hope it had the same positive influence for you that it did for me! :)
Fun new wave music. It was a good time. Talking Heads. Oingo Boingo. B52s. Every week a new unique sound.
Bill L never saw oingo boingo in concert or most of the bands you mentioned cause I was a teen In 87? I was in 9th grade so didn’t have enough $ ..but I saw the police reunion twice in 2007 and 2008..took my now 19 year old and had a blast with one of my fav bands of the 80s
Joe Kinchicken your funny mon ! It ended towards 89...
Joe Kinchicken May I ask how you got facts? Pet shop boys released some music in 87. When I was a freshman in high school...and than there was the cure ? Depeche Mode ? Morrisey?
Joe Kinchicken 🤔🤔🤔the thing is this music was in the category of “ new wave “ either way synth bands are still around specially those that are from Europe
......oh boy......another mr. know it all who keeps on saying crap, probably smells like crap....... xD
I've said before if aliens ever came, "Rock Lobster" would be one of the songs I would give them to represent all of humanity.
And... that's why you're called Dobbie, not Smartie.
I would ask if they came from Planet Claire
that's why if there are aliens they never contact humans - a planet full of stupid-asses ~
Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" was included in a golden disc sent to space with the Voyager mission just in case intellligent extraterrestrials ever stumble upon it, is currently the farthest human made object from Earth reached interstellar space, the region between stars where the galactic plasma is present.
Lol that is so weird ahahaha because I think Rock Lobster sounds like it's made by aliens.
I want to hear the whole band hanging out, chatting, and telling stories about there lives and music, especially early on in their career.
Yeah, us too. Unfortunatly only Fred was in town and was available.
One of the greatest party songs ever!
The very first time I heard Rock 🎸Lobster, I was at a dance 💃at my Junior High School (Judkin's Junior High, Pismo Beach , CA) and I was 11 years old . . . we were dancing 💃💃💃to ROCK LOBSTA😆💗🎶🎶🎶🎶💗💗💗💗I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!! LOVE YOU FRED!!!!💗XO
As an Aussie, loved this track since 79.
I remember this song was HUGE in Sydney, Australia all those years ago...we hadn't heard anything like it before...awesome times
I saw them that night on SNL with Teri Garr hosting. I was so exhilarated, a little bit frightened. I bought the album the next day and having been playing it LOUD ever since.
Exactly my experience.
One of my favourite albums, always feels like the B-52's don't get the respect they deserve. They were fucking marvellous.
Why don't you think they get the respect they deserve? Just curious😀
@@phillynott2459 It might just be in the country I'm from (U.K) but the overwhelming majority of people I've met only know them for the song 'Loveshack' and occasionally 'Rock Lobster'. Because of that it seems a lot of people see them as a slightly twee, campy novelty band or even worse, throw away one hit wonders. Just my opinion though, I could be way off on that.
It’s the summer of 1980 at The Hollywood Palladium and The B-52s have the entire place going crazy dancing. I’m 17, shy, not sure of myself. But at that moment, with the whole place rocking, I started dancing for the first time in my life. I got pretty good at it too ... IMHO.
Thank you B-52s! You all made my life so much better and funner :-)
This song was HUGE … thanks Fred for sharing your story !
"Warner didn't know what to do with us....but once we started selling they got on board." - I love this line.
Australia broke so many bands in the late '70's. We had huge alternative radio stations here in Melbourne and Sydney (In the US you'd call them college radio). Plus we had a TV show (ABC's Countdown) which wasn't frightened to showcase upcoming "new wave" acts. Bands like Blondie, The Motels and XTC to name a few didn't know what hit them when they first went to Australia around that time.
Stephen Charman Radios In Motion, was an XTC song and a radio show in Detroit early 80s WDET, Mike Halloran (and Gramps) he played totally progressive tits tunes,
I'm a fairly big XTC fan and I remember reading, as XTC were just starting their Australia tour, one of the members (Colin?) asking someone in management if he thought Australia would like them. The answer was something like "Christ was nailed to the cross, what do you think your chances will be?"
Saw them is Sydney. Hash and apple cider. Fantastic night! You see them and you just have to do the frug!!
Saw B52 in the tour discussed in Australia and also saw XTC around then and many. I agree lots of bands levelled up in Australia at that time. Our National broadcaster helped our local music and new wave bands get a mass audience.
This tune was a highlight of every high school dance I attended in the 80s. We went nuts! Love the B-52s, totally unique.
Really well recorded album. Awesome sound quality. Especially Planet Claire. :)
I bought this album in 79. I still play Planet Claire way too loud... according to my neighbors.
Many a happy night in 1980 going to bed with that LP playing though the phones... 6060842
I was on a grade ten school band trip with a borrowed Sony Walkman listening to Rock Lobster and Planet Claire over and over... and letting others listen to it as well.
Pass the tanning butter!
By far, one of the greatest fu@kin' songs of all time. This song still makes my ears ring... because I can't help the fact that I keep steadily turning it up while it's playing.
Good ole Fred, such a unique vocal sound! I love the way he sort of speaks his lyrics in that cool, gay drawl that works perfectly alongside the harmonies of Cindy and Kate. My favourite band and Loveshack is an all time classic!
Good call Scott Ward and I SO love singing this tune in karaoke LOL!
How can a drawl be gay?
Southerner from G.A.
Whiskel when you're a Southerner and gay..it's quite simple
Ah, so the drawl part is Southern, that's what I meant. Badly worded.
Fred you are a Legend.
The B-52s sound like a party. I have no other explanation. It's just that sound that as soon as you hear it, it's party time.
I still follow the directions on the album cover: PLAY LOUD
I just found this UA-cam station today. And I hope it'll be coming on my feed often
Albert ardis cohn thanks for giving us the time, we have over 150 episodes for you. You may not like them all but if you’re a music fan, you may. There is a lot of Canadian artists here as we are a Toronto radio station.
Albert ardis cohn same her
I was in 9th grade (1980-81) when I first heard this song at a party. Danced my ass off then went up to the DJ and asked who and what that great song was! He handed over that awesome bright yellow sleeve and I was stoked!! It looked so cool and the music was super fun, surfy and very new wave! I found it at Record Factory a few days later and proceeded to wear the grooves out of it! Then I found the Wild Planet LP (which I liked even better) and gave it the same treatment!! I love The B-52s to this day!!❤️❤️❤️😎😵
I am 57 . Always been a fan of B-52s . So has an older brother and sister . I first heard Rock Lobster when it was playing on someone's radio after my grandmother's funeral in 1980 . Weird but true
The B52s came along to save us from the monotony of disco. I was the only one in my crowd to like them, but they will forever be a reminder of my 20’s when we would wear the crazy fashions and go to concerts. Forever in my heart ❤️.
The grooves of all the Yoko songs on all the vinyl copies of Double Fantasy are in mint condition.
Awesome!
With Yoko "songs", more than any other musician, you know exactly what you're in for. I recommend turning the volume way down, well...to zero. You'll enjoy it much more if you silently just watch the needle run through the grooves through the entire "song".
Musically, a classic no-talent.
Check out single fantasy on here. It's basically double fantasy without yoko fucking ono
single fantasy 👍😆
When the band did their January 1980 appearance on Saturday Night Live (including "Rock Lobster"), it kind of put The B-52s on the map.
I am so used to typing or writing _B-52's_ with the apostrophe there (Fred called it an asterisk here, haha). And I didn't know they changed it at one point to the grammatically correct plural way!
a college staple - there wasn’t a party that didn’t have this album absolutely BLARING LOUD in the background at some point in the evening!
I was in 3rd grade in 1979 when I first heard it. It sounded unique at the time and I was hooked.
I've always liked the B-52's. i forget that Fred and Kate Pierson both grew up in New Jersey which is so cool cuz the rest of the band came from Georgia. But my cousin Rilo got me into them when I was a little kid cuz growing up in Harlem, we weren't around a lot of rock music, unless some miracle happened where we were exposed to it by an applicable source. He wanted to learn guitar cuz he was a huge fan of Living Colour, so one of the first songs he learned on the acoustic my mom bought him for his 10th birthday was "Rock Lobster". Dude was able to go from not playing any guitar ever before to, playing that song flawlessly within like 3 months. Not bad for 10 years old, but when he told me about the B-52's, I looked them up and saw Love Shack, Roam, and all the other music videos I could find until youtube came out over a decade later. So I'm grateful my cousin somewhat got me into them. They're a great band with their own niche of sound and image. Fred is my favorite member because even though he really doesn't sing, he more somewhat raps/spoken word speaks I guess you can say, he's such a staple of their strength and creativity. Rilo also had a thing for Cindy cuz he loves tall blonde women lol
B52's just the tonic I need whenever I need cheering up. cindy wilson's voice, Fred Schneider's dancing. Late 70's growing up was such a great time in music. Punk, emergence of new wave, synth pop.
I LOVE WATCHING these super stars cueing up their hits on the LP
45s guy Superstar....?
I know right? Soundtracks of our lives
How amazingly normal! Fred, you’re awesome and Rock Lobster is killer. Social honesty
This song has a special place in my heart playing it in just dance when I 1st met my cousins thats the only song we would
how can your leg not move listening to this song?!
They are the greatest! This bit is wonderful!
Just found this series and am now binge watching it. Love it!
same 👍
Yo compré este álbum en Sinaloa México era el grupo favorito en las escuelas y fiestas del barrio viva B-52 México loves you guys.
Saw them a bunch of times in the 80s - always a great gig. Beautiful girls dancing around having fun - man, I miss those concerts.
Unique and fun, the B-52’s are all that. “Rock Lobster,” classic, classic, classic!!!
love this guy, great song too!! fun to play
I first saw them on the Wild Planet tour in a club in Jersey. It truly was one big dance party. When Ricky hit the opening notes to Private Idaho the place exploded. Nobody, and I mean *nobody* was sitting out that song.
I was lucky enough to see them twice live. Once in a dance club, The Metro, in Boston. And in a theater in Worcester Mass.. So much fun!
Thanks for the details, Fred! I live in Georgia and have been a B52s fan since inception. Enjoyed watching them play Rock Lobster and other hits in Atlanta on 1/6/23 and they never missed a beat. The best party band EVER.
as an Australian who wasn't born til 1980 I can confirm rock lobster was definitely a popular classic radio song staple decades after its release, aussies probably took to it cos of the beach theme as well as it being such an idiosyncratically unique song and catchy.
i remember the snl performance. the next day my brother and a friend and i didnt know what to make of the song. it was so crazy for the time. really made an impression
DANG.... LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!! YOU ROCK LIKE NO OTHERS, AND HAVE BEEN A HUGE INFLUENCE ON ME AS A MUSICIAN / SONGWRITER, HEARTFELT THANKS
Memories. When I was a soldier in the 80s my roommate and I blasted this into the common area all doors would open and WTF we were out there dancing like fools! Like it or not it was a blast!! Thanks for the memories!!
I saw them in London at the Hammersmith Palais, winter of 1980, right after my military service. Great live show!
When something goes wrong, start giggling! Really great to hear the stories from Fred voice, and man he looks awesome!
This band is always so much fun, I still got ingrained on my brain their performance of Channel Z on SNL as they got their Cosmic Thing brand new album then, a swell return from all the World losing Ricky... My, oh my, those troubling times we struggled to survive and... here we are!
The band loves to party with a Conscience and that's what the world needs right now. Loved the B-52s and still do! ❤👍
I love Fred Schneider. Not only do we share the same last name *and* we're both gay, but he and his band somehow made it ok to be a freak. And I am ok with that. 🙂
BTW, doesn't he sound so much like Bruce from "Family Guy?" 😄
Do you go to Karaoke nights and sing B-52s songs ? ;)
Dear Fred,
Well it is 41 years later And I still Rock Lobster with many friends and family! Great party song and many more... Dancing, singing, rocking, frugging, "We love The B-52's! I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
😎 JjLorenzi 🌎
The B-52s are the Ultimate party band! Love 'em!
Loved this record back in 1980 in northern Scotland 😉
Awesome song. Awesome band.
You guys were like the only.group that drove the blues away . Your group and music is fun and never gets old.
Top 20 all time rock record for this here metalhead. Total perfection
The world doesn’t get my love for this song
Rachel Rose ,
I do 💚
You need more musical education then you will get it. Like lots of great bands the B 52s have their slot.
@@Senna-xi1gr lol ok
Incredibly good song. It hits the spot! Every time.
Fred always rocking those shades😎 meet him at FantasyLand Records in Atlanta many years ago... very cool and chill guy...🤘
I met Fred at an airport in 2010 and he did not look well. I am glad to see at the time of this interview (2016) that he looked and sounded much better!
Seeing them on SNL was a mindblower. I used to leave my radio on overnight on a local, non-descript Top 40 station. Every time Rock Lobster was played I would re-animate like the zombies from Night Of the Living Dead. Like clockwork. Every single time.
Still have my yellow and red LPs! Played them constantly when I was a kid. I loved all the disco music then but was drawn to the Bs for some reason! Still listening in 2021. 😎👍🤩
The B-52's belong in the RRHOF. They weren't taken seriously by a lot of people but that was kind of the point. They were one of the first postmodern rock bands and carved out a completely unique niche somewhere between punk and new wave. Totally innovative, totally committed to being unconventional and even uncool. But when you really listen to the music, you realize how freakin' tight they were as a group. This song, especially the second half, rocks pretty hard.
I saw them at a small venue, 79, maybe 80. Fred playing the toy xylophone 😄
Beautiful impression!
Puppies, babies AND lobsters on the grill? That’s a lot of food.
hahahahaha
Only in North Korea.
I ate a baby
James Cooke Yeah, so? I ate an entire family.
@@jamescooke3763 😂
One of my all time favorite bands 🎸
One of the best guitar riffs of all time!
I love this guy
i was in 7th grade when that saturday night live appearance happened. i think that's a point in your life where you really start honing your own musical taste and paying attention to that kind of thing as part of your own identity. so in a way it was life changing. i sort of went 'THAT! i want to hear more of that!' and began to seek out bands that did things differently. on a semi-related note, i can't imagine not being crushed out on Keith.
The B-52s are their own genre…if Ed Wood and a John Waters had a space baby that was raised on surf rock in an Airstream Trailer in Rural Georgia that made an annual family vacation to Myrtle Beach, you’d ALMOST get close to what makes The B-52s’ sound.
I love this guy and the story is really funny. I can definitely picture that empty club with a cheesy slide show and Fred standing by himself looking at it and then... boom! it went off the charts. we love you guys, thanks for the music.
Very unique band. I vaguely recall them having some connection with the Flintstones back in the early 90s, i was about 4 or something, first time i ever knew about them.
This song even sounded good on my clock radio. Then I saw them in 83 in a 2K theater in Boston and they blew the doors off of the place. Even the security guards were dancing. Awesome
Y'know, I thought that the record was done by studio cats because it was so tight....but it was indeed the band.
Dude, 5 yrs later I was dancing to this tune and loving it at the under 18 club.... It was one of my favorites.
I lived in Atlanta and was there at 2001. Very different place to say the least.
The song that got me into music. My Mom and Dad had this on vinyl and would play this when I was a toddler. And I'd just jump up and down all serious lol. Sentimental forever. And that was when it came out btw!
Oh you youngins. No such thing as the B52s when I was a toddler.
1972 or so I had the album David Bowie Ziggy Stardust. On the back cover of it it said “Play Loud”. I’m like what? No one ever told me to play my music louder! Radical!
I grew up with songs like "love shack" and "roam". I liked the band but now love them when i discovered earlier tracks like "rock lobster" and my favorite "your on private idaho". They truly do rock.
Ever watch the live video version of Rock Lobster? It's my fav.
@@markmarkofkane8167 Yessir. So much energy. Checked it out again, and now its stuck looping in my head. Not a bad thing.
One of my all time favorite albums!!! Listen to tracks off it all the time!!! It was and is so creative and original!!!!!
Such a fun band! On my bucket list to see them!
Brilliance. I remember as a hugh school sophmore seeing this at the record store in the mall and *buying it not having heard a single note* just cuz they *looked* so funky. I never regretted it. ;)
thanks for all the music
With the great Kate Pierson on backing vocals, and Ricky Wilson absolutely nailing the guitar. Excellent.
I went into a musical funk back when I was really into metal and edgy music. I didn’t know what I wanted to listen to and so I heard the parody version of Iraq Lobster and was like what does this song really sound like and it just clicked with me. Totally different sound than what I was listening to, which was mostly anger and mad music you listen to to get pumped up, but this song was just chaotic happiness and it took my taste of music and spun it on its head. I absolutely love this album and the B52s now
got that song played 6 or 7 times at my graduation (in Montreal): we had a GREAT evening!!
Fred is the best shouter of all time : )
Personally my favorite song by them is "Private Idaho" and of course I also love "Love Shack." Was never too much into "Rock Lobster" although it does grow on you a little over time. I just love the way Metallica reworked "Private Idaho" into their own original song called "Battery" on the legendary *Master Of Puppets* album in 1986. 😈
Roam is a really beautiful song.
Planet Clair
Give me back my man, great song.
I love private Idaho I had no idea about battery.
Dance This Mess Around!
LET’S ROCK!
I’ve told the people closest to me: if Rock Lobster is not played at my funeral, I’m gonna be one unhappy dead woman.
Best 80s party band! We would all dance low or lie down with the lyrics “Down Down!” And the then making the hand motions for the tanning butter, clapping, flipping, snapping ... so much fun! Thank you Australia for helping launch so much good music.
Thx so much for the rocking tunes! Still love it,so don't my granddaughter!!!
Awesome, great story!
There you have it YOKO ONO had a POSITIVE effect on music. They used her noises. Who knew.
Please come back to Los Angeles! We love you here!