By Vince Farin
For just over 34 years, the B-52s have been crashing parties with their infectious brand of dance music. Their most recent studio release, "Funplex," hit stores in 2008. We caught up with founding member Fred Schneider in the wake of the B-52s' Michigan show on June 16 at DTE Energy Music Theatre.
Schneider, the man with the wacky sprechgesang, spoke candidly with Between The Lines about bathroom music, table-dancing with the Go-Go's and "idiots like Sarah Palin."
How many records do you have?
Way too many. Thousands. I need to start donating them.
Where do you store your collection?
Shelves, my mother's house, the basement…
You worked at a record store in Athens in the '70s, right?
Yeah, I worked at the first record store in Athens called Ort's Oldies. Ort would always come in and go, "Fred, I can't stay here. I've got to get out." So, he'd go out all day and I'd be there pricing records at 60 cents or a dollar for records that were worth $100! (Laughs)
Is it much easier being gay now than when you first came out?
Oh yeah, because nobody was out and you didn't want to lie. It was different. I mean, that's basically all you can say. You had to be there. What most people would do was get rich and then come out, but nowadays people are being braver and coming out earlier. There's still the bashing and the hatred, especially with all of these Republicans. They're all just a bunch of haters.
When did you come out?
The '80s. In the early '90s I would say it in interviews, but it wasn't like I wore a badge or anything.
If you would have been straight, what band would you have been in?
I can't imagine any band but the B-52s. I mean, I used to write with Keith (Strickland). We have basement tapes which formed the nucleus. Later on, the B-52s used some of the songs to a degree. My way of writing is so quirky. If I try to write something commercial it's usually a failure.
What's an example of a song you wrote that didn't have the commercial success you expected?
Well, I wrote a bunch of songs for Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Most of them she never used, so I'm going to take all of those back and use them for somebody else. I don't understand what is commercial anymore, so I am the worst one to ask. (Laughs)
I thought a lot of the songs on "Funplex" were really, really good, but I don't think "Funplex" should have been the single to be honest. I thought the single would be "Eyes Wide Open," or something else. There are so many good songs and then the record label tanked and just screwed us.
Are there plans for a follow up to "Funplex"?
No plans yet, but you never know.
There's a rumor going around that you have been working on a live B-52s CD/DVD of the 34th anniversary show. Is this true?
Yes. We are actually putting on a lot of the finishing touches, and we will hopefully finish it by July. We recorded 23 songs – 22 worked out – in Athens and filmed it. I don't know when it is going to come out, but it's going to be on Sony.
For those who don't know, would you mind talking about the Superions?
In addition to the B-52s, which is my main focus, I have another band called the Superions. We just like to do whatever. It's more free form and then we pull it in, but we'll do serious songs, humorous songs… whatever happens happens. Our Christmas album got rave reviews around the country and even made it into The New York Times list. We're working on a new album now, as we speak.
I heard somewhere that the Superions are the most exciting group to hit the music scene since Lady Gaga. How do you guys handle the fame?
Yeah, that's what I said! (Laughs) I wrote our press release. It is true.
The Superions just had a gig DJing at the Atlanta Zoo. How did that go? It was their biggest attendance ever, so we were very excited about that and very happy for them. It's a great little zoo. They breed endangered animals and stuff like that too. It was fun to do.
How do you go about getting a gig at a zoo?
They approached us, because I DJ. I've been DJing for charities for a couple of years and they like the music I pick, so somebody asked if the Superions could do it and we said yes. More than 2,000 people showed up, and it's a good cause.
Any plans for a more "formal" tour with the Superions?
We first have to get enough songs for a set and then we have to figure out how we'd do it, because it is Dan, Noah and me. Dan works the keyboards and the computer, Noah plays everything electronically and I write all of the lyrics and work on arrangements and coming up with some beats. I guess it would be more like Pet Shop Boys, because you know, you don't have the band. It's just two of us with computers, so you have to figure out a way to make it more interesting than just me standing there and them doing the drums and keyboards electronically.
How would you make it more interesting? A light show?
Friends of mine had a band in Chicago and their light show was hysterical and really fascinating to watch. So, I think I'd model it on that. You know, take the focus off me. (Laughs)
Will the next Superions album be recorded in the bathroom, like your first single, "Totally Nude Island?"
No, we've graduated to the hall.
What's it like in the hallway?
Not as claustrophobic as the bathroom. (Laughs) Hopefully the sound is even better. I mean, I actually really like the sound we got from the bathroom.
You'll be in Michigan soon. Do you plan on doing anything while you're in town?
You know what, I don't know how long I'm going to be there, but I have a lot of friends in Michigan.
Do you have any Michigan memories?
Hanging out with my friends Greg and Leon who had a store called Penny Pinchers. Also, hanging out with Martha Reeves of Martha and the Vandellas – my favorite band of all time. I still see her.
You will be at DTE on June 16 with the Go-Go's. I remember the B-52s toured with the Go-Go's in 2000. Any crazy stories about the Go-Go's?
Back in 1985 when they were wilder – that would have been when we played Rock in Rio – dancing on tables and stuff like that.
You have written poetry books in the past. Any plans for future books?
I put all my lines in my songs now. If I think of a line – now that we have notes on our cell phones – I just type in a note, but I used to handwrite everything and carry a notebook. I do pretty much everything by phone and my mind has changed a little bit. (Laughs) I wish I could write more poetry like I did.
What do you mean, your mind has changed?
I don't know. I just… now that I'm so busy and have so many stresses and so much work and whatever, the only time I really just let go is if I am creating with a band – especially now with the Superions – it's sort of free form. I let things flow and listen back to see what I did. I work that way.
So, technology has changed your writing?
Yeah, I mean, I'll still write things down, because unless you backup everything, or print it out, you can lose it on your stupid cellphone. Oh, there's a really popular musician Aleks Syntek and the B-52s have a song with him that will be coming out in Spanish. I like the Spanish version better than the English.
Well, you speak Spanish, right?
Yeah, it's gotten rusty, but I can totally get by. I can read it better than I can speak it. Language is a good thing and Americans don't bother to learn other languages and now we have idiots like Sarah Palin taking people's intelligence away from them.
What does the future hold for Fred Schneider?
The Superions and the B-52s. Everybody enjoys their private lives and the B-52s will keep things going.
The B-52s
7:30 p.m. June 16
DTE Energy Music Theatre
7774 Sashabaw Road, Clarkson
$10-$42.50
http://www.theb52s.com
