Story of the B-52s

The Story of the B-52s: Neon Side of Townis the first critical history of one of the most legendary andinfluential bands in American popular music. Locating The B-52s in the intellectual climate of theirhometown of Athens, GA and following the band from New York's downtown scene in the early 1980s totheir upcoming farewell tour, the book argues that The B-52s are much more significant political andmusical influences on American society than their reputation as a silly party band suggests, and that theirongoing commitment to values including cooperation, mutual support, and using disruptive fun as a formof social change are an antidote to the neoliberalization sweeping both Athens and the rest of theWestern world.For example, the book shows how the bandsynthesizedinfluences from the modern artists displayed at the University of Georgia art museum, early queer activism on campus in the 1970s, and their experiences as queer people living through the AIDS crisis to create music that continues to be artistically and politically influential today. The authors are active members of the Athens, GA music scene, and the book includes original interviews with a range of number close to the band.