It all began with a flaming volcano.
A trashy cocktail in a Chinese restaurant in Athens, Georgia, was the suitably kitschy catalyst for the fabulously schlocky new-wave purveyors the B-52s.
![Kitsch classics: (from left) Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson.](/web/20170205172207im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/2/x/c/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu2xbn.png/1485988374922.jpg)
"It's literally a ceramic volcano and you put Sterno [a portable burner] in the hole up top, light it then all around it is a tropical drink and you share it with a bunch of straws," says Fred Schneider of the cocktail's full glory.
"Well, we shared it because we didn't have much money."
For the five friends and proud misfits – Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland and brother and sister Cindy and Ricky Wilson – the cocktail led to an impromptu jam session at a friend's house. They came up with a song called Killer Bees – which was never recorded, but the band was born and their first gig followed at a friend's Valentine's Day party.
"All of our 10 friends really liked it," Schneider says wryly. "We played the foyer and they were in the living room and dining room dancing and we did the same four songs twice."
This Valentine's Day marks 40 years since their debut performance in 1977.
"Well, I made it," says Schneider of reaching the 40-year milestone. "I ain't complaining."
![Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson on stage in Melbourne during their last Australian tour in 2009.](/web/20170205172207im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/2/x/o/2/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu2xbn.png/1485988374922.jpg)
He says the enduring appeal of the band – named after the US southern slang for a beehive hairdo – is down to their unique charm. "We're a happy dysfunctional family."
Schneider says their greatest achievement is their body of work. "I think we're just one of the most entertaining, listenable bands going. There's no one like us. We never followed trends and each person has something unique to bring to the mix, and we're on the same wavelength pretty much."
![The B-52s' self-titled debut album, released in 1979.](/web/20170205172207im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/2/x/h/8/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gu2xbn.png/1485988374922.jpg)
He says the anniversary celebrations will continue: on February 14 they'll play Auckland as part of their Australia and New Zealand tour; next year marks 40 years since the release of their first single, Rock Lobster, in 1978, followed by their first, self-titled album the following year.
It was performing on Saturday Night Live in 1980 that pushed them into the big league and their album into platinum-selling status. Since then the band has sold about 20 million records, but it hasn't been an easy ride. In 1985, Ricky Wilson died of an AIDS-related illness, aged 32, and the band, rocked by the loss, went into hiatus for several years.
In 1989, the band started working together again, emerging with the album Cosmic Thing and two of the band's biggest hits, Roam and Love Shack.
"We were going broke, we had terrible management and accounting and all that ... and Ricky had passed away, and we got back together and, luckily, things just turned around for the better," Schneider says.
Love Shack remains the band's signature song.
"It's just a great party song," Schneider says. "I've actually walked past wedding parties in hotels and they're playing Love Shack."
On this tour, which will be without Strickland, who no longer goes on the road with the band, they're sharing the bill with another retro act, Simple Minds.
"I've never seen them live but I do have a couple of their albums," Schneider says. "Eighties bands sound great, they sound better than a lot of the crap out there."
So there's no one current he's listening to? "I have hundreds of records, so I just basically play them. I keep meaning to go on YouTube and listen to new things and I wind up watching just nutty stuff like birthdays gone wrong."
Beyond the Australia tour, the band are to continue collaborating on live shows in the US with symphony orchestras – "No, not #Rachmaninoff … #Rachlobster!" as it says on the band's website – which may translate into an album.
Schneider also runs his coffee brand, Fred's Monster Blend, which he says is a whole new side career, and possibly a welcome distraction from politics in the US.
"Oh, lord, we've got the orange demon," he says. "He's going to make America hate again. He's just horrible. Nobody I know likes him, and the people he's surrounding himself with are grade-Z, too. It's just horrifying. Hopefully it will rally people."
The B-52s and Simple Minds play the Hordern Pavilion on February 9 and Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley, on February 11.