I was named on the worst-dressed list at the Grammys a couple of years ago. I had on Tom Ford, and I thought it was the most amazing dress ever. But I got put on the worst-dressed list. Luckily, at least I was pictured alongside Adele, J-Lo, and whoever - all these superstars who were also called worst-dressed - so that was a good thing!
— Kate Pierson
Back in high school, I had this folk protest band, and I used to write all the time. And then, when I got in The B-52s, we began to write collectively, collaboratively - most all of our songs are written by jamming together.
We started in 1976, jamming, and we played our first show on Valentine's Day 1977, so we can mark 40 from there, or we can mark 40 from 1979 when we did our first record.
We have quite a few political songs: 'Channel Z,' let's 'Keep This Party Going' on. Our lyrics aren't too hit-you-over-the-head, but they have political undertones. We're active politically.
I think there are certain genres of music where people are allowed to go on, but there is something about rock and roll, I guess because it originally started out to be a teenage rebellion.
One of my favorite lyrics is 'Clams on the half-shell and roller skate, roller skate.' So they can be just really party-inspiring lyrics or just something brilliant like 'Tutti Frutti.'
I wrote a whole solo album and recorded some of it, even did a little tour with Sara Lee and Gail Ann Dorsey.
All our friends - so many friends are gay or lesbian and transgender. We're just in that world. We all went through the devastating time of the AIDS crisis, and I think that galvanized us to be more activists - AIDS activists.
I think more people feel like they're outside of the mainstream these days - there's more people who are doing their own thing, feeling that it's not bad to be a weirdo and respecting other people's differences. And all that kind of goes into the big ol' B-52 philosophy.
There's a very collaborative, collective attitude. That's a very female principle. We try to nurture that aspect of the band.
The inspiration for our vocal harmonies was sort of Appalachian. It's sort of at weird intervals, and it almost has an Appalachian kind of feel to it. The harmonies were really spontaneous. And the way we jammed, we would just get into a trance.
We've known Cyndi Lauper since she was in 'Blue Angel'; we did a TV show with her back in '79 or '80. We don't have any competition; we're complementary.
I rent space on a farm for 15 dollars a month, and I have the use of about a quarter of an acre.
I always was songwriting in high school, writing songs while I was supposed to be listening to the teacher.
No beehive. Beehives - we sort of put them - well, we revive them sometimes.
The whole reason to make a solo album is to express what you can't express with the B-52s. The B's are so much about fun and partying and dancing.
I used to stick my head out the window when I was a kid and sing at the top of my lungs and think no one could hear me.
I was doing space girl outfits way before Katy Perry or Gaga!
We would go on 'The Voice,' and we'd get kicked off of the first episode, probably.
At some private events, we'll see the CEO of the company get up and do his 'Rock Lobster' dance. The band used to grumble that, 'All they talk about is hair and don't take us seriously,' but I've realized that what this band does the best is let loose and let people's freak flag fly.
In a band with humor, it's easy to be a caricature, especially when you've been around as long as we have. But we sing those songs as genuine as we can, always from the heart. When we do the fish sounds in 'Rock Lobster,' Cindy and I are pouring our hearts out.
There's this whole split personality thing of being a farm girl and a rock and roll girl.
People are making their own records in their houses. It's an exciting time.
I love Atlanta. I feel really at home in Atlanta. We spent a lot of time there. But Athens is like home to me.
I call it the LGBT Q and A community 'cause there's so many questions and answers.
We have always appealed to people outside of the mainstream. Constantly, we get people coming up to us and saying, 'I was just the freakiest one in high school. I was the only one who kept playing the B-52's.'
Sometimes we'd just play acoustic guitar and try out the parts and make a library. We'd use a double cassette player and make little edits.
I like looking for things on tour.
Cindy had two kids. We did manage to keep playing and doing summer tours with the Go-Gos, the Pretenders, and Blondie.
The first rock record I ever bought was 'Great Balls of Fire.' I was real little, and I went to Atlanta to get it.
I've always wanted to do a solo project. I've always known I wanted to be a musician.
The B-52s are all about inclusiveness and about celebrating your differences.
It's true. I'm not a spokesperson. But I can say now that transgendered people like to be heard and to be respected.
We have a family dynamic - more like brothers and sisters than friends. So there can be a bit of competition, but there's also love and respect. But there's a thing to not push each other's buttons. You know what the buttons are, so don't push them.
When I was little, I used to think, 'That's the way people in the future are gonna dress! They'll be wearing space suits, and it will be all silver, all the time. It's gonna glitter.'
We all maintained our connections and our friendships, which we've maintained over all these years. We still like each other, love each other, and we realize that this was a way to heal and a way to really bring Ricky back into the mix. I think a lot of the songs recalled that time in Athens with Ricky.
We do benefits for various groups. But the main reason to be B-52's is to have fun and party and go nuts.
'Love Shack' is such an eternal kind of song; at karaoke, people do it.
It takes incredible fortitude to keep on the road, even though it's fun and it's rewarding and you can't complain - it's just a great life - but, you know, it takes a lot of energy.
There was just one time when the band took a big break, and I did that Nina project in Japan in 1999.
Every time I go to Athens, it's not just a trip down memory lane; there's some surprise. I always meet somebody new, or some crazy party happens, or there's some amazing event.
I had really long hair, and we had this hairdresser, Laverne, that was in Athens. And she did my hair up really big. And she said, 'Honey, when you hang your head over the bed and make love, that hair is not going to move.'
When we first played Max's, people thought Cindy and I were drag queens - we wore these gigantic wigs that sort of his our faces.
I don't think we were shy so much as we were terrified. Especially when we did 'Saturday Night Live' on live TV. We looked really animatronic because we were scared, but it came off as being this alien sort of attitude, which served us well, because people were like, 'Whoa, this is so weird.'
We've always been a band who wants to put our money where our mouths are. We have political songs, but we don't like to hit people over the heads with stuff. So it's better to do benefits and causes and talk about it later rather than always trying to put it in the song.
I want to be the first rock band on Mars.
Five people in a Volkswagen station wagon without equipment. Now we tour with six people in a van.
I've always wanted to be a musician. I love music; like, I probably sang when I was born.
Everyone has that experience in a club where a doorman doesn't pick you out.
There's nobody like The B-52s. But doing stuff on my own, I can also express more personal songs.
