Fred Schneider has been partying out of bounds as the male mouthpiece of the B-52s since the late ’70s. Through that band’s commercial success and longevity, Schneider’s goofy, new-wave jester shtick has evolved into an iconic voice that’s now an inspiration to younger artists. Schneider’s latest project, the Superions, showcases both his supreme silliness (“Who Threw That Ham At Me?” is one of his most riotous efforts) and influence (the Superions’ debut EP, Totally Nude Island, features remixes by four Athens, Ga., bands). Along with fellow Superions Noah Brodie and Dan Marshall, Schneider has delivered a handful of songs that combine sex, sci-fi, shoplifting and a dance called the Disco Garbage Can. Schneider will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with him.
Schneider: Except for the fact that a box of vinyl LPs weighs a ton, I don’t know why everyone doesn’t have a record player. I have OCD record-collecting compulsion. I still hit thrift stores, yard sales, abandoned records on the street—and strike gold every week. So many things’ll never be on CD or on iTunes: new-wave dance 12-inch remixes, eccentric vocalists, tons of exotica, even famous singers like Julie London. Other things go out of print on CD, too. The nuttier the cover? I’ll take it. Ten cents—what, my keyboard doesn’t have a “cents” symbol?!—to $1 is all you have to pay for more music you’ll ever be able to play. Video after the jump.
