Fabian Geyrhalter:
Welcome to the show, Fred.

Fred Schneider:
Well, thank you. Good to be here.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
It's great to have you here. I'm not going to ask "What are you doing?" I leave that to the funny folks at improvs around the nation, but instead, I want to know, Fred, how are you on this mid-January Sunday in 2026?

Fred Schneider:
Well, it's pretty digital here out where I live on Long Island. It's knowing and it's going to breathe and turn to ice. And I have a really long driveway and it costs a lot of money to plow, so I'm not looking forward to what I have to deal with.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
What shall I say, it's going to hit 80 degrees here in Los Angeles, and it's most probably, we're not starting this off well when I say this, but yeah, it's another sunny day in a beautiful Los Angeles. But I prefer the snow sometimes, but I can feel your pain for sure. I'm from Austria and that's what we had to deal with

Fred Schneider:
Every, yeah, still pain here, lemme tell you.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, thanks for making some time and at least warming people's hearts, even though it's icy where you are. Before we jump in to talk about your massive record collection, which I can't wait to talk about, let's chat a little bit about the B-52s, the incredibly influential band that you co-founded. I can't believe it was 1976 back in Athens, Georgia. What is it about Athens? I mean, after you guys, it was pylon, then of course REM, then widespread panic, and that's all within just 10 years. How did this college town produce so much music, greatness? Is it the water for you? It was the flaming volcano drinks and the Chinese restaurant.

Fred Schneider:
Nothing to do. There was nothing to do. I was visiting Athens, I was living in Atlanta, and we went to a Chinese restaurant and had a big flaming drink and I didn't feel like going home. And a friend had in his basement, he had a bunch of instruments, so he said, come on over. And so we jammed. I mean, it wasn't like a guitar, it was just percussion and singing. And we did a song called Killer Bees, and I thought, well, this is fun. And I said, I'll move back to Athens. Everybody wants to jam again and maybe as a hobby sort of do a band or just get together and do music. And they said, sure. And that's how it started.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
And that's the thing about Athens, right? There's just not much to do and it's college folks, and that's what happens. You get creative.

Fred Schneider:
Well, now I don't know how many bands there are because it became New Orleans. There was clubs everywhere and there was no place for us to play. There was no rock club in Athens when we started.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
You played at a friend's house for a Valentine's party or something like that. That was your first

Fred Schneider:
Gig? Yeah, that was our first whatever, and then people who were there said, oh, you got to play at my party. And so we just did parties till we played back as Kansas City.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
And that's how you started being a party band. And that has not changed until today.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, it's easier for us to be upbeat and fun because nobody wanted to be the front person, but I sort of got chosen or somehow, I don't know, I didn't be the front person, but I'm not really that outgoing. I mean, what you see on stage is me on stage. I'm going to just do my best to make everyone have a good time because I did like to party a lot back then of, and it was easy for us to entertain. We hadn't started writing more serious material. Our songs were pretty surreal. We liked Doda and all that and punk,

Fabian Geyrhalter:
And I think Michael Stipe once said that he credits the B-52s for making people dance. Before it was dark and it was punk and it was more violent, I guess, and the B-52s came out. It's like, no, no, it's okay. You can dress up however you want to. You can be here and you can just have fun. So that's really neat

Fred Schneider:
Of color. Yeah, Michael's a great guy. Yeah, we were a blast of color and we always danced at parties. I mean, anytime there's a party, we danced to all kinds of music. I mean, we didn't know how to do the Mambo, but we could dance to anything.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
And I have to bring this story up even if you likely can't hear it anymore, but for most listeners, they will not know about this. So Yoko Ono got a fair share of hate over the years, especially by Beatles fans. And no doubt her music was not everyone's cup of tea to say it mildly. Right. But to you and your band, to your band mates, she was an inspiration. I know you are friends, right? And back then, you can clearly hear it in the vocals of Cindy in Rock Lobster, which was also your first single.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, yeah. We loved Yoko. I like her music and I love her books and her art, and she's finally getting the credit, especially for her art, which was even more difficult than abstract expressionism or anything like that because it's more cerebral. I mean, you have to become part of the piece, and that's what John Lennon liked about it.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, and John Lennon heard the song Rock Lobster, and it was what inspired him to start recording music again, and notably for what would've become his final album back then. I mean, that must have been so wild for you guys as a young band and getting that reaction from none other than John Lennon to your very first single. It's crazy.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, what a tragedy. Yeah, still amazed, but I can see where he heard it in Cindy doing that wild part in Rock Lobster, which she still does to this day,

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Which is amazing. It's so cool. Yeah. Then the next thing you know, you're recording in The Bahamas for Island Records with Chris Blackwell. I mean, what a whirlwind. And you did not have any musical background, right? Prior to the B-52s?

Fred Schneider:
No, I wrote. I had no, I didn't even sing in high school or grammar school unless I had to.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
How did you fall in love with music? How much of your current musical taste or your musical taste over the years, how much do you attribute to your upbringing? Was there a lot of music in the house?

Fred Schneider:
No. Well, my father played 78 and I couldn't, it was all swing music, which at the time, and because once he got a record player, I got a transistor radio and we also had a radio in the kitchen, and once I got that transistor radio and he would go to work, I was playing 45s and albums when I was 13 and spent all my confirmation money on 3 for a dollar 45s.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
You and me both. That was all the seven inch singles. Those were the ones that you could afford because the 12 inch were way too much. And yeah, that's how I got into it too. Just tons of those. But what did you listen to back in the day? I noted the B-52s were inspired by obviously so many different musical directions, which made it such a different kind of thing that you started, but there was a lot of soul at the time, right?

Fred Schneider:
Oh, yeah. Well, there was top 40. There was no FM radio like it is today or became, I should think now. FM radio plays a bunch of crap too, so true. But I played everything from Ella Fitzgerald to The Beatles, to Petula Clark and Motown. Once I heard Martha and the Vandellas, I was just hooked on Motown, and I became like, don't bring your records to the teen club. We want to slow dance. And I said, I want to do The Jerk. I would do the Jerk with my friend Jolene from across the room.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That's awesome. And do you recall what the first record was that you bought when you were 13 or when you started buying...

Fred Schneider:
Records? Yeah. The first two records I bought, wait, well, one of them was Tell Me by the Rolling Stones, and my mother bought me two albums, which you could get for 88 cents back in the day, and you got 'em at the Supermarket You get records at the supermarket, and one was by the Buggs, which I still have, and it's not that bad. It was like a Beatles knockoff, but they had original songs. They're not bad. And the other one was a Cameo Parkway compilation of hits by Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, Bobby Rydell, and the first albums I bought were Meet the Supremes and Dusty Springfield's first album. So I liked everything and listening to top 40, I've listened to Frank Sinatra I'd listened to everything. I mean, there were things I didn't care for, but

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Sure. Yeah. Yeah. And so you are, I guess, a self-described record nut. Someone called you a record collector, and you quickly said that you're not a collector, you're a nut. How many records do you own?

Fred Schneider:
Oh, I don't know. I'd have to measure and count how many in those

Fabian Geyrhalter:
You measure in feet and then you figure out how many records you have.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, it's quite a few.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
I mean, there's this picture rotating, circulating online, and I will make sure to share it as well with the podcast that shows you in front of your record collection, which I believe is not even your entire record collection, it's just the part that made it up into your main room...

Fred Schneider:
More down in the basement. That's my apartment that I share, and we have a storage space in the basement. I have boxes down there. I have several hundred here at my house, and I don't know how many 45s I have, and I have a storage space with tons of records in it.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
How do you access the ones in that shared apartment where you literally have the wall of records, which I think is every record collector dream, we're like the librarians, but we want to do it with records. It's literally floor to ceiling in custom cabinets that you can close. Looks really, really beautiful. Do you ever access the ones on the top closer to the ceiling? Do you have one of those cool rolling ladders, or do you just not care for those now and you just don't have access to them?

Fred Schneider:
I have a tall ladder, and Christmas albums are at the top all the way to the left.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah, it's the seasonal ones that you have to dig out. You dig out the ornaments once a year, Christmas music, yes or no, are you into it?

Fred Schneider:
I like really fun Christmas music and really nutty, bad Christmas music. I don't really care for the standards as much. I like the standards when they're done on the Moog or something.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah, exactly. I'm not surprised. I don't think anyone listening is surprised with that answer.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, I found some real goodies.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh, I'm sure. I'm sure. Yeah. Any crazy Christmas record that you can recommend off the top of your head, just because it is January, you might remember maybe playing any of them in December.

Fred Schneider:
Well, I wish Mrs. Miller had a Christmas record, but she doesn't, I forget her name, but she has a song called I Want A Man For Christmas. I like the Barking Dogs Jingle Bells. I have some dirty ones too. Which one? By Dolomite or Rudy Ray Moore. Yeah, Rudy Ray Moore. And I like, there's Mo Christmas album, there's King Kong Percussion Christmas album.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Wonderful. There's a whole world to be discovered for me and our listeners.

Fred Schneider:
Well, good luck because they're hard to find and they're just way too expensive because I wanted to buy them for friends, and I'm like, oh God, I'm not spending $50 for something I paid a dollar for.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, that's the problem. When you grow up at 88 cents at the supermarket and now you have to dish over $40 to $50 for just a regular new pressing that is not going to sound as good as the ones back then sound. That's the tough pill to swallow currently.

Fred Schneider:
Well, there's a lot of good, I mean, I know it's all about vinyl, but a lot of things you can't find on vinyl, and so there's really good, the Bear Family puts that really good CDs of all genres of Christmas records styles, and those are really good.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, and we don't discriminate CDs and records – music is music. Yeah, but if you have to get it on a different medium, you get it on a different medium.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah. And the thing about CDs is you can fit 30 songs on cd.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh, yeah, that's right. Well, I remember when the CD players came out and then suddenly there was the six CD Changer, then the 12 CD Changer, then the 36 CD changer, and it's basically, it got closer and closer to streaming where you could just have this thing going all day long and it was awesome. I'm not going to lie. I mean, there was something really, really liberating with that too. And now it's liberating to actually spend time not being on your phone and truly listening to an album and having to get up and flip the record. It's interesting, this big social experiment that we are in...

Fred Schneider:
Because a lot of the fun records I play are 15 minutes long, and some are like 12 and a half minutes long. It's like, oh my God.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Right.

Fred Schneider:
Not again.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Again, that's how we get our workout in. It's like, oh, we got to get up.

Fred Schneider:
I think a friend of mine had one with a record changer from the sixties that still works really well.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
No

Fred Schneider:
Way. Yeah,

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Those are fun. I wonder, are they good for the records? I mean, I figured they must be pretty rough.

Fred Schneider:
No, my father had one and I would put three albums on and they would drop perfectly. Things were really made well.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah, yeah. Back in the day it was different. Which artist do you think you own the most records of?

Fred Schneider:
Probably Martha and the Vandellas. I have all her albums and just about every single she's done, I have a lot of The Beatles, because everyone collects the Beatles, a lot of Motown. I have, I guess there's 75 records in a Box, and I have three boxes devoted to Motown.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh, wow. Nice.

Fred Schneider:
I'm still finding more now. I try not to I, but I am buying duplicates and giving them to friends of mine,

Fabian Geyrhalter:
So you get duplicates when you see something and you just say, Hey, I got to buy this for a friend. It's like in the $1 bin or something like that,

Fred Schneider:
Especially if it's Motown and it's in really good shape.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah, because you know what you get.

Fred Schneider:
Good shape.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Exactly. With record collectors there are certain editions and certain pressings and there was a certain engineer, and you've got the inscriptions at the end of the wax, and you can go down to those nitty details. Do you do that or do you just see if this is a pressing from the early sixties so it must be better...?

Fred Schneider:
A lot of those only had one pressing, and I know RCA, you can see what number it was. So if I see an RCA album, I'll look for, try to find one that's addition. 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, and four. Something like Elvis runs up into the 30, I think,

Fabian Geyrhalter:
For sure. It's like the Beatles White Album, and if you're in the 10,000 number, you've got a really, really low number or something like that. I mean, you collect the Beatles, right? Do you have a bunch of white albums that are numbered in the lower numbers?

Fred Schneider:
No, the first, one friend in my eighth grade, I gave her a Beatles white album, and I bought one, and then a roommate stole it when I went to college, so I had to buy another one, but I wouldn't care what the number was. I'm not like that. I don't have the butcher cover or,...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
So you don't care necessarily about the monetary value of certain records. for you it's really all about the…

Fred Schneider:
Music. Well, I know what to look for, so if I see a really rare record that I don't really want and it's dirt cheap, I'll buy it and then donate it to an archive.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh, nice.

Fred Schneider:
I belong to the Archive of contemporary music, which is like the Noah's Ark of albums and 45s and 78s and books here in New York State,

Fabian Geyrhalter:
And they basically create a library, complete this library, and people donate?

Fred Schneider:
And it looks like they have three airplane hangers full of records. Imagine having to move that. Oh my God.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah, moving records. Yeah, that's...

Fred Schneider:
A thing. They offered that.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That's definitely a thing, which was probably why they wouldn't come to your house picking up stuff. They usually like to get it delivered, I assume...

Fred Schneider:
They used to, because what they didn't want, they could sell. So I would have bags of records for them to take and to get a donation and all that.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Talking about records that are worth a lot, which in your collection comes up to you right now that is most probably one of the rarest records that you own in your collection?

Fred Schneider:
Well, I found the green vinyl Elvis Presley Christmas record a while back in mint condition.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
And those were original pressings back then?

Fred Schneider:
Yeah.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Wow.

Fred Schneider:
Whenever his Christmas album came out, and I have several number of copies of the first pressing of our first single autographed. Everyone autographed the record for my grandmother.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That's great.

Fred Schneider:
But she was a fan.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Do you have any acetates of your recordings?

Fred Schneider:
No, I don't think so. I have multicolor vinyls from South America that some dingdong wrote magic marker on the label, their name.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That always hurts,

Fred Schneider:
But what can you do?

Fabian Geyrhalter:
What can you do? Exactly. Which record do you own that you cherish the most? And this must not be for monetary value, but just for your personal value, is there one record where you just say, if you would have to leave the house and you could only grab one, which would it be?

Fred Schneider:
I had a really cheap record player in the beginning, and my copy of Dancing in the Street, my favorite song of all time, I kept pressing down on it because it was such a cheap record player, just because everything skipped. So I sort of ruined it, but I still have it, so I would probably try to run for that one – and I'd make sure I had clothes on if I had to run out,

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That would be number one. Yeah, absolutely. You would most probably grab a couple of other things, but if so, it would be that one based on the emotional sentimental value of being the first record and your favorite song. That's pretty cool.

Fred Schneider:
And I have the basement here. I kept my original 45 boxes and kept a lot of my original 45 in those boxes.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That's really neat.

Fred Schneider:
Obsessive

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, yeah. Yeah, that's a trait we all share. But out of the records in your collection, is there one you could pick it up in $1 bin, but you absolutely love it? A total guilty pleasure that you want to share with us that other people might crack up about or they might have totally forgotten about?

Fred Schneider:
There's a record called Midnight For Two because my guilty pleasure is The Three Suns, but they had real sort of zany instrumentation, but were really popular with our parents in the fifties and sixties. And there's one called Midnight For Two, and the cover is an elegant couple riding a broom at night, and it has a song called When Yuba plays the Rumba on the Tuba, which is one of my, I can listen to that anytime. It's still one of my favorite records, and I've found that in two different versions. One with the broom, which is the original and the other one's a little boring, but if you could find that, get it.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh my God. We have to all immediately look that one up first online to listen to the song because it sounds completely wacko and awesome at the same time.

Fred Schneider:
Back in the day, the band would come out to Rumba on the tour. We'd play it before we went on at parties and things like that, and I think some shows even, and we also came out to it, I think we were doing an encore, we'd come out to One More Time by one of the jazz greats. We would come out after that and then walk offstage and then during One More Time we'd come out again and go off, and then they'd go one more time.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh, that's hilarious. That's very good. Well, my guilty pleasure is Falco. Do you remember him, Amadeus and Kommissar and all of that stuff?

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, I play that on my Sirius show.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, look at you. You're one of the last living beings outside of Germany and Austria who's still playing him. But yeah, it's like I grew up in Austria, so I mean, he was like a hero making number one in the US and I started collecting him when I was 13, and I think I've got like 150 or so of his records. And most people think he's got two hits, he's got two songs...

Fred Schneider:
He had 150 records?

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, when you want to have the Portuguese seven inch pressing and you want to be a Completest where you look for all the different covers and all the different everything. And I'm by far not done with him. But it's funny because when I travel and I go to record shops, which is one of the beautiful things of traveling for me, whenever I'm in a record shop, say somewhere in Scandinavia and I'm like, Hey, have you heard of this guy Falco? And they're like, oh yeah, Rock me Amadeus. I'm like, do you have any? And they're like, yeah, down in the bin over there, there's like a 50 cents area. And I'm like, okay. And I have to go through it for two hours to maybe find the one record I already have 50 times. I'm like, okay, that was my morning. Right.

Fred Schneider:
It's hard to find B-52s. Well, we probably weren't as popular as Falco, but I look for B-52s when I travel. I did collect our foreign pressings because Island issued different ones than America did without telling us...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh my God.

Fred Schneider:
With covers we didn't like...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
And wasn't there the album, which then turned into only an EP, that David Byrne was involved with famously, wasn't there a pressing in the UK that had totally different versions on it? And that was by accident?

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, they pressed a different version.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That's amazing.

Fred Schneider:
Love Land. Cindy was like appalled.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh, I'm sure.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah. Well, it's so hilarious that you hunt down your own records because they came out in so many different variations that you weren't even aware of back then...

Fred Schneider:
Yeah. And different countries, but I even have a Russian 45, a bootleg.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Exactly. They were not even legal at that point. I traveled to China two years ago and I went on this hilarious hunt for records in the country where records are still not really a hundred percent all legal, or at least people don't care as much about it. It was hilarious. And when I finally found the shop, I was so excited. And I mean, that kind of stuff is exciting, right? It's like, yeah, you've got the Japanese pressings with the OB, and by now it's like hype, right? And it's great, right? I mean, it's beautiful. It's great pressings, but I love the idea of Russian or Chinese or these pressings from those countries. You got to work for those.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, you really got to look, well, especially you got to look for B-52s.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
I'm surprised to hear that you think Falco was bigger than B-52s back then. I strongly doubt that.

Fred Schneider:
Well, maybe in England or Germany or whatever...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah, absolutely. Alright, let's talk about, and I gave you a heads up, but I don't know if you saw that, but this is a question that might take preparation. Top five albums in no particular order? What are some of your top albums? Not of the B-52s, but anything. I mean, it could be B-52s as well...

Fred Schneider:
Well, it would have to be Greatest Hits because there's a song or two or three that I liked on every album, like Motown groups. It had to be Martha's, Ella's Greatest Hits, the Shangri-la's Greatest Hits, the Ronettes Greatest Hits. I really loved and played it to Death, Jeff Buckley's Grace.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Oh yeah, that's a wonderful album.

Fred Schneider:
And well, you know what? I'll throw in Midnight For Two because when I see it, I buy it and play it. So let's give one to Midnight For Two. Hooray!

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Has to be part of it.

Fred Schneider:
Totally. And The Supreme's Greatest Hits, so that's a given, but let's go with Midnight for Two by The Three Suns.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Fantastic, fantastic. Do you have a favorite record store? I know that your assistant and friend Michael, he owns a record store, so I don't want that to be political or you getting in trouble here, but is there a favorite record store? It could also be international that you really enjoy going to.

Fred Schneider:
The record stores that I went to in LA were my favorite, but they closed. I mean, since I don't really travel as much as I used to, I like Michael's record store. He's my assistant now too. He helps me set things up and do things. And he travels on tour with me and he has a nice little collection, I mean, he's not as crazy as I am...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
You've got your private dealer, so to speak ; )

Fred Schneider:
Yes. If I need something, he can order it or save it up from record store day. I'm lucky. I do like some things on record store day and they reissued things that were never on albums, a single that was never issued during the artist's career or life.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Is there a recent release - talking about record store day - more like current stuff, even though I know you talk about re-releases or first releases on vinyl, but are there any recent releases that you're excited about? Recent bands? Are you keeping up with new stuff?

Fred Schneider:
Not really. I mean, I'll hear things I like, but I forget the names of the groups. I had to list a few when I did this other podcast with another podcaster, but I really don't keep up, which is really bad. But then a lot of it, it sounds like stuff I've heard before...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
And I find it amazing that once you listen out for it, I mean, there are so many really big hyped bands like Wet Leg that have been so influenced by the B-52s. They're some songs you hear and you're like, I totally get where they got that from. So yeah, everything old is new again. But it's beautiful. And I agree, it's harder to remember certain names because you're like, oh, that's a good song, but does it change things? Do you listen to it and you are being moved? I need to have that entire LP? It's a little harder to find these days.

Fred Schneider:
I've heard some bands that I liked and I've listened to a bunch of their songs, and I have hundreds of records I've never even played, so I figured, do I really need to buy more? And it would probably be on a CD since you get more songs. They add extra songs on a CD.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
I asked some people in my circle about their pressing questions for you, and I selected one of those questions that I want to bring up now that we're getting closer to the end of this show. This one is from Thorsten in Germany who caught you live with the B-52s back in 1993 at the Radio City Music Hall, when the late Julee Cruise, which most of my listeners would know from Twin Peaks, she filled in for Cindy, how did that come about? How did you find her or pick her? Was it a management deal or how did that come about? It's just amazing.

Fred Schneider:
Pat Irwin, who was our keyboard and guitarist then, he knew Julee or knew of Julee and took me to see her in a musical or play, and so I recommended her to the band. And Kate and Keith both said yes, and people enjoyed her.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
She fit right in.

Fred Schneider:
Yeah, nobody could be Cindy though...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Exactly. But yeah, that's amazing how simple it sounds, how something like this comes together, but for the outside world, it's quite a miracle.

Fred Schneider:
Right? Julee Cruise was also there in New York, it was also 30 years ago or something, so things really changed in New York. I don't recognize it. It's not as great as it used to be...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah, absolutely. What are you working on currently? What's next for you? I know you are always doing some projects. I also know that the B-52s are playing some big shows in the UK together with Devo in the summer, which is insane. And you're having a residency at the Venetian in Vegas in Spring, correct?

Fred Schneider:
Yes. We had that every year. Well, hopefully, I don't know what's going on with the man in charge in this country. He's sort of ruining everything.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
There might be some problems getting to the UK...?

Fred Schneider:
Well, he's making everything so difficult and, well, I don't want to get into politics, but let's just say it's really sad here.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
It's hard not to get into politics these days.

Fred Schneider:
I'm writing with Ursula 1000, and so I have vinyls out on 45s out and a song I did with Ursula 1000, because I like doing Halloween songs, I like doing things that aren't stressful, and we did a song called Vampire Van, and they release my Christmas album with the Superions every year now on color vinyl

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Every year? That's great.

Fred Schneider:
It's two years, but it's great to have on vinyl, I mean, I'm excited. And we also have a thing out called Bat Baby for Halloween.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That's right. That's right. I remember that...

Fred Schneider:
And Public Enemy. I need to give him a call. I did put out an EP with him.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
That's amazing. That's super cool.

Fred Schneider:
He worked with me. But where I live, it's just hard. I'd have to do it over the phone or something...

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Technology makes it easier these days. It's pretty amazing how you can produce things over the phone and the internet these days.

Fred Schneider:
But I'm going to keep working, and the band, we're doing things until the end of the summer so far.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Super cool.

Fred Schneider:
And we're doing something for the 50th anniversary, not a performance, but a big party hopefully in Atlanta. And Warner's releasing color vinyls and splatter vinyls of all our albums.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
So cool. The whole catalog, amazing! Well, that's for the 50th year, right? That's part of that?

Fred Schneider:
No, they just realize we sell.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Even better. Yeah, they want to make money. They didn't want to honor you for the 50th, but no, they just want to reel some in. Good for them. All right.

Fred Schneider:
The first album came out '79.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Yeah, '76 was Rock Lobster, right?

Fred Schneider:
No, no, '76. We got together in November. I met Cindy Halloween of September 76, and we jammed, I think maybe the next day after Halloween. And so I decided to move back. Thank God.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, listen, Fred, it was so wonderful chatting with you for almost an hour on this Sunday. Thank you so much. Be well, keep collecting, keep this wonderful party that is the B-52s spreading joy and happiness around the globe that well truly needs it right now. And to all my listeners, grab your tickets to see the B-52s on their Cosmic de-Evolution tour and grab all of that rereleased vinyl, the splattered ones, et cetera. It's super cool. And if you loved Fred as much as I have, then swing by the B-52's website and grab an I Heart Fred t-shirt because I saw that - it's going to make you look ready to party.

Fred Schneider:
Well, Michael came up with that.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
It's a good one.

Fred Schneider:
I know. I sort of am embarrassed because I didn't know what Kate and Cindy would think, but they thought it was funny.

Fabian Geyrhalter:
Well, that's why I have to bring it up. It's the very last thing I do with my guests. I make sure I embarrass them on the way out. Right. So that's the memory you will have from me. And yeah, best of luck with everything, and thank you for doing what you're doing.

Fred Schneider: Well, thank you.