The Story of the B-52s: Neon Side of Town  is the first critical history of one of the most legendary and influential bands in American popular music. Locating The B-52s in the intellectual climate of their hometown of Athens, GA and following the band from New York's downtown scene in the early 1980s to their upcoming farewell tour, the book argues that The B-52s are much more significant political and musical influences on American society than their reputation as a silly party band suggests, and that their ongoing commitment to values including cooperation, mutual support, and using disruptive fun as a form of social change are an antidote to the neoliberalization sweeping both Athens and the rest of the Western world. For example, the book shows how the band synthesized influences 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. The Story of the B-52s: Neon Side of Town is the first critical biography of one of the most unique popular bands in American music. The B-52s were far more than just a "tacky dance band." Their aesthetic was shaped by the radical social and political conditions in Athens, Georgia, and their arrival in New York City profoundly influenced the next several years of music and art to come out of that city. The Story of the B-52s provides a deep critical analysis of the band's music and original insights into the extraordinary people who made it. Their story, told here in full for the first time, contains all the elements of a great novel-success and failure, tragedy and triumph, life and death. Yet, at the heart of the B-52s music is a love for being alive that verges on the radical.
"The Story of The B-52s is an accessible, thoroughly-researched and joyous ode to such a significant group deserving of analysis; it's a book that colourfully captures the vibrancy and compelling eccentricity of a group who masterfully made being in a band look effortless." (buzz, buzzmag.co.uk, June 29, 2023)
"Profiles of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, and Keith Strickland are all given respectful and immense credit in a book that B-52s fans will consider a must-have addition to their libraries."(Jim Piechota, The Bay Area Reporter, ebar.com, June 20, 2023)