The B-52s' Funplex Was Easy (And Fun) To Make
Thursday March 20, 2008 @ 05:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

The B-52's

If you Google "The B-52's" and "Downtown Cafe," you'll find a series of performances from 1978 filmed in black and white. Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland and Ricky Wilson are all jiving awkwardly on the tiny stage of an Atlanta, Ga. bar showing off their strange hairdos, new wave sound and bizarre songs to a sparse crowd.

Their crowds are a little larger these days, but the hair is still big, the songs are still extraterrestrial and the sound is still punk-influenced party rock. The only major thing The B-52's had to adjust to while making their newest record, Funplex, was remembering how to make one at all. After all, their last studio effort was 16 years ago.

"Reel-to-reel, cheap tape recorders, it was really primitive," says Wilson, the bodacious blonde and the band's only straight member. "Technology today has really helped us with the new material.

"It's ProTools, plain and simple, that makes writing a lot easier. Because we have so many vocals, it's easier. We have a jamming process and usually start with a title of a song or an image and add vocals and lyrics to the music Keith has brought. ProTools makes putting that puzzle together so much easier."

Though the tools have changed since 1992's Good Stuff, the band seem in fine form on the new album. Combining their trademark lyrics about alien women, extraterrestrial sexcapades and partying with an updated electro-rave-rock sound, Funplex doesn't sound like an old crew struggling to remain relevant.

"We didn't feel a lot of pressure making Funplex," Wilson says. "At the time we were writing it, it was just fun. And if we amuse ourselves, we just think, 'At least our fans will love it.'

"We were just thinking of them mostly, and how they would get it. My favourite part of being in the band is the writing process. It's fun to bounce off of Keith and Kate, and it's also very difficult. You have to step out of yourself sometimes, get rid of the ego and do what's right for the song."

Though Wilson is relaxed when talking about the new album, there was a time when the band were without a label. Their Warner contract had expired and they planned to release the album themselves if they didn't get signed.

"I feel privileged that Astralwerks jumped into this, because we were willing to do this ourselves," Wilson says. "But they heard it and were so excited, so we signed with them. Now they're part of the team, and it's nice to have a team behind you.

"This also reaffirms something about the new record — that it's indeed something special."

The B-52s play the River Rock Casino in Richmond, B.C. on March 28. They're also part of the True Colors Tour with Cyndi Lauper, Rosie O'Donnell, host and Queer Eye fashion expert Carson Kressley, and special guests. It will make stops at Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre on June 4 and Vancouver's Deer Lake Park on July 2.

—Phil Villeneuve