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5 Surprising Facts About The B-52’s Debut Album

Eric Alper
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5 Surprising Facts About The B-52’s Debut Album

Released in 1979, The B-52’s debut album launched a revolution in sound and style that blended surf rock, new wave, kitsch, and post-punk into something totally unexpected. With towering beehives, sci-fi absurdity, and a danceable edge, the Athens, Georgia band created a record that still inspires—and confuses—in the best way possible. Here are five wild facts about this unforgettable debut:

1. The Album Cover Was Designed by “Sue Ab Surd”
The cover’s offbeat, high-energy look matched the music perfectly—and it came from the mind of artist Tony Wright, who cheekily took the pseudonym “Sue Ab Surd” for the credit. The cover’s playful design helped frame the band as visually unique from the jump, reinforcing their position as pop culture outliers.

2. John Lennon Became a Fan Before His Return to Music
Shortly before his 1980 comeback, John Lennon publicly praised The B-52’s and cited “Rock Lobster” as a direct inspiration. He saw echoes of Yoko Ono’s vocal style in the song’s surreal shrieks and chaos, and it helped rekindle his creative spark after five years away from the studio.

3. A Morse Code Signal in “Planet Claire” Came From a Real Canadian Military Transmission
The strange Morse code at the beginning of “Planet Claire” isn’t just gibberish—it’s from a real Canadian Forces Station transmission originating in Nova Scotia. That sonic detail adds an eerie, otherworldly energy to a song already drenched in sci-fi vibes.

4. “Rock Lobster” Helped Name a Hockey Team
The song’s popularity didn’t stop at radio and clubs. It eventually inspired the name of an actual professional hockey team in Athens, Georgia—the Rock Lobsters. That kind of influence proves the song’s legacy stretched well beyond music into pop culture folklore.

5. The Band’s Sound Inspired Future Icons—Including Kurt Cobain
After seeing the B-52’s perform “Rock Lobster” and “Dance This Mess Around” on Saturday Night Live in 1980, a young Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl later described the moment as unforgettable. It marked one of those early lightbulb moments that lit the path toward Nirvana and beyond.

With its blend of goofy confidence, sonic experimentation, and undeniable hooks, The B-52’s debut album turned weird into wonderful and carved out a joyful space in rock history. Over 40 years later, it still sounds like the future in a thrift store jumpsuit.

Lisa MacKinney Reclaims The Shangri-Las’ Legacy In New Book ‘Dressed in Black’

Eric Alper
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Lisa MacKinney Reclaims The Shangri-Las’ Legacy In New Book ‘Dressed in Black’

The first full-length history of the Shangri-Las, one of the most significant—and most misunderstood—pop groups of the 1960s.

Sisters Mary and Betty Weiss, together with twins Mary Ann and Marguerite Ganser, were schoolgirls when they formed the Shangri-Las in 1963, and had a meteoric rise to fame with songs like “Leader of the Pack” and “Remember (Walking in the Sand).” Their career was cut short for reasons largely beyond their control, derailed by the machinations of Mafia-linked record executives, and heartbreak and tragedy followed. Historian Lisa MacKinney marshals an impressive array of new evidence to tell the Shangri-Las’ story, dispelling many myths and long-standing mysteries along the way.

Equally importantly, Dressed in Black radically rewrites the accepted narrative of the Shangri-Las’ place in rock history. As young women, they were permitted little agency within a male-dominated industry that viewed teenagers as fodder to be manipulated and exploited by producers, songwriters, and label owners. For decades, this has served as an excuse for critics to deny the musical input of the group members, to trivialize the Shangri-Las as a “girl group,” and to assign their work a lesser rank in the canon of “authentic” rock and roll. MacKinney’s great achievement here is to foreground the Shangri-Las’ considerable abilities and musicality, and establish the centrality of their performance of their songs to the group’s underappreciated artistic achievement.

This is not to deny the critical role in the group’s success of professional songwriters (including Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry) and writer/producer George ‘Shadow’ Morton, a pioneering and eccentric figure whose self-mythologizing has generated a level of obfuscation that rivals that of the Shangri-Las themselves. MacKinney’s clear-sighted account reveals Morton in a completely new light—and as part of a complex ecosystem of musical relationships. Morton wrote and produced highly emotional material specifically for the Shangri-Las because he knew they had the skills to make his mini-operas not only believable, but enthralling. The group members, particularly Mary Weiss, channeled personal anguish into their extraordinary performances, which are central to the songs’ impact—no less so than for such classic singers as Ella Fitzgerald and Elvis Presley, who also relied on producers and songwriters for their body of work. The Shangri-Las’ impassioned delivery elicited a massive response from their audience of fellow teenagers at the time and has continued to connect profoundly with audiences ever since. MacKinney backs up these arguments with in-depth analysis of key Shangri-Las’ recordings, and makes a powerful case that their achievements warrant a far more prominent place for the Shangri-Las in the history of popular music.

Rik Emmett Blends Guitar Craft and Storytelling in ‘Ten Telecaster Tales’ Book

Eric Alper
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Rik Emmett Blends Guitar Craft and Storytelling in ‘Ten Telecaster Tales’ Book

Ten Telecaster Tales remakes the idea of the “concept album.” This book about guitar music is arguably the most comprehensive attempt at liner notes in the history of electric instrumental fingerstyle guitar albums.

In his latest offering, Rik Emmett delves into the creative process ― the roots, influences, philosophy, and spirituality involved in writing and recording. Even the story behind these stories explores creativity: Emmett dreamed of, then commissioned, a one-of-a-kind Telecaster-style guitar ― wrote for it, then recorded with it.

Playfully, beautifully, Ten Telecaster Tales goes on a journey of artistic revelation: The storytelling inherent in solid musical composition translates into an entertaining narrative about the process behind the songs, and how compositions turn into recordings. A generous amount of fairytale mythology is sprinkled throughout ― despite the whole project’s assimilation by digital technology. The notion of a “telecaster tale” implies something “vintage” at its heart. Humanity glues the layers together.

Ten Telecaster Tales became the next logical step for Emmett after publishing his memoir, Lay It On The Line. It represents the evolution of his life story into a combination of musical composition, guitar playing, and prose. After all, writing has always been the solid backbone and lifeline of his multifaceted journey.

Spotify Launches Personalized ‘Concerts Near You’ Playlist to Boost Live Music Discovery

Eric Alper
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Spotify Launches Personalized ‘Concerts Near You’ Playlist to Boost Live Music Discovery

Spotify listeners love discovering new artists and songs, but they also love finding out when they can catch their favorites live in concert. That’s why they’re rolling out Concerts Near You, a personalized playlist that helps you discover upcoming concerts in your area. 

Inspired by your listening habits, Concerts Near You is updated on Wednesdays with 30 songs from artists performing nearby. Concerts Near You gives users access to full event details and ticket links directly from expandable track rows in the playlist. And since live music is better with friends, both the playlist and the event info listed within it are easily sharable, so you can plan to attend a concert together.

“There’s nothing worse than realizing that your favorite artist played your town last week,” said Charlie Hellman, Vice President, Global Head of Music Product at Spotify. “Concerts Near You solves for that. This new playlist not only makes it easier for fans to find shows nearby, but it also gives artists a powerful new way of selling more tickets and filling venues with the audiences who love their music most.”

Stay in the loop with the latest concert updates by following these easy steps: 

  • Make sure your location is up-to-date via the “Live Events” section of the Spotify app. 
  • Have push notifications turned on to receive reminder messages for your favorite artists. 
  • Follow your favorite artists on the app to get their latest show updates.

Just search for “concerts” on Spotify to find your playlist on your own personalized Live Events feed.

Explore Concerts Near You to start filling your 2025 with unforgettable shows.

Jason Sudeikis Returns for ‘Ted Lasso’ Season Four with Apple TV+

Eric Alper
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Jason Sudeikis Returns for ‘Ted Lasso’ Season Four with Apple TV+

Apple TV+ announced that the global phenomenon “Ted Lasso” is officially returning back to the football pitch for a fourth season that will reunite the team behind the history-making, multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy series, with Jason Sudeikis reprising his award-winning role as the celebrated coach Ted Lasso.

“As we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to ‘look before we leap,’” said star and executive producer Sudeikis, “in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to LEAP BEFORE THEY LOOK, discovering that wherever they land, it’s exactly where they’re meant to be.”

“‘Ted Lasso’ has been nothing short of a juggernaut, inspiring a passionate fanbase all over the world, and delivering endless joy and laughter, all while spreading kindness, compassion and unwavering belief,” said Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+. “Everyone at Apple is thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Jason and the brilliant creative minds behind this show.”

“Ted Lasso” season four adds Emmy Award winner Jack Burditt (“Nobody Wants This,” “Modern Family,” “30 Rock”) as executive producer under a new overall deal with Apple TV+. Sudeikis stars and executive produces alongside Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee and Bill Wrubel. Brett Goldstein serves as writer and executive producer alongside Leanne Bowen. Sarah Walker and Phoebe Walsh will serve as writers and producers for season four, and Sasha Garron co-produces. Julia Lindon will write for season four, and Dylan Marron will serve as story editor. Bill Lawrence executive produces via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of NBCUniversal Content. Doozer’s Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer also serve as executive producers. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Kelly and Hunt, and is based on the preexisting format and characters from NBC Sports.

After its global debut on Apple TV+, “Ted Lasso” broke records and quickly earned praise and acclaim, with season one becoming the most Emmy-nominated comedy series in its first season, and landing rare back-to-back Outstanding Comedy Series Emmys for its first two seasons on air.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favourite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honoured with 553 wins and 2,562 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

5 Surprising Facts About Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’

Eric Alper
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5 Surprising Facts About Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’

Pink Floyd’s Animals, released on January 21, 1977, stands as one of the band’s most conceptually daring and visually unforgettable albums. Packed with long-form compositions and Orwellian themes, the album continues to spark fascination decades after its release.

1. A Pig Balloon Caused Airport Panic
To photograph the cover, Pink Floyd launched a 40-foot helium-filled pig balloon named Algie between the chimneys of Battersea Power Station. On the second day of shooting, the pig broke loose and floated over Heathrow Airport, delaying flights and prompting alarm. It landed safely in Kent and was returned by a farmer whose cows had been spooked.

2. A Hidden Guitar Solo Only Exists on 8-Track
Snowy White was invited to record a guitar solo for “Pigs on the Wing” after a Gilmour part was accidentally erased. This version of the song never appeared on vinyl or cassette but was included on the 8-track release. White later joined the band on the Animals tour, making his mark in Floyd history.

3. Two Tracks Were Recycled and Reimagined
“Dogs” and “Sheep” were originally performed live as “You’ve Got to Be Crazy” and “Raving and Drooling.” These earlier versions were considered for Wish You Were Here before being reshaped to fit the concept of Animals. Their transformation helped unify the album’s themes of control, rebellion, and power.

4. The Album’s Concept Flips the Script on Orwell
While Animal Farm focuses on totalitarianism, Animals takes aim at capitalism. Pigs represent powerful elites, dogs reflect aggressive enforcers, and sheep symbolize the public. In this version, the sheep rise up and defeat the dogs, creating a storyline rooted in resistance and unexpected power shifts.

5. The Pig Returned at the 2012 Olympics
During Danny Boyle’s “Isles of Wonder” film for the London Olympics opening ceremony, a pig balloon floated over Battersea Power Station once again. This moment paid tribute to Animals and its iconic cover, linking a piece of rock history to a global audience.

Pink Floyd’s Animals remains a powerful reflection of societal structures, using animal metaphors to explore themes of control, manipulation, and rebellion. Its lyrics continue to resonate in conversations about power, class, and resistance. Decades later, the album feels just as vital — a reminder that music can challenge, provoke, and inspire all at once.


Dr. Simona Valeriani Reimagines Victorian Innovation in ‘Building the Royal Albert Hall’

Eric Alper
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Dr. Simona Valeriani Reimagines Victorian Innovation in ‘Building the Royal Albert Hall’

This volume tells the fascinating story of how one of the most iconic buildings of the Victorian era came into being. Bringing material and archival evidence to life, it gives voice to its makers: from artisans and engineers to royalty and policy makers. This extraordinary piece of architecture reveals itself as a gateway to a new understanding of the political, artistic and scientific aspirations of a generation whose legacy still shapes the social and cultural landscape of today.

This groundbreaking study takes one of London’s most iconic buildings and deconstructs it to offer new insights into the society that produced it. As part of the new cultural quarter built in South Kensington on the proceeds from The Great Exhibition of 1851, the Royal Albert Hall was originally intended to be a ‘Central Hall of Arts and Sciences’. Prince Albert’s overarching vision was to promote technological and industrial progress to a wider audience, and in so doing increase its cultural and economic reach.

Placing materiality at its core, this volume provides an intellectual history of Victorian ideas about technology, progress, and prosperity. The narrative is underpinned by a wealth of new sources – from architectural models and archival materials to 19th century newspapers. Each chapter focuses on a particular element of the Royal Albert Hall’s construction, chronicling the previously overlooked work of a host of contributors from all walks of life, including female mosaic-makers and the Royal Engineers.

Lighting, ventilation, fireproofing, ‘ascending rooms’, cements, acoustics, the organ, the record-breaking iron dome, and the organisation of internal spaces were all attempts to attain progress – and subject to intense public scrutiny. From iron structures to terracotta, from the education of women to the abolition of slavery, in the making of the Royal Albert Hall scientific knowledge and socio-cultural reform were intertwined.

This book shows, for the first time, how the Royal Albert Hall’s building was itself a crucible for innovation. Illustrious techniques from antiquity were reimagined for the new mechanical age, placing the building at the heart of a process of collecting, describing, and systematising arts and practices. At the same time, the Royal Albert Hall was conceived as a ‘manifesto’ of what the Victorians thought Britain ought to be, at a crucial moment of its socio-economic history: a symbolic cultural hub for the Empire’s metropole.

This is the Royal Albert Hall: a central piece of the puzzle in Britain’s march towards modernity.

Dr. Simona Valeriani is based at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where she is a senior lecturer. She is an historian of architecture and technology with a background in building archaeology. This book is the result of a long standing interest in the topic (see the V&A display ‘Building the Royal Albert Hall’, 2017) and of a prestigious Leverhulme Trust Fellowship (2018-2020).

Joseph Straus Challenges Ageism in Music with ‘Cultural Narratives of Old Age’

Eric Alper
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Joseph Straus Challenges Ageism in Music with ‘Cultural Narratives of Old Age’

Operating largely within the world of European-American classical music, Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians by Joseph Straus discusses the creative work of old musicians—composers, performers, listeners, and scholars—and how those forms of music- making are received and understood. Like everything else about old age, music-making is usually understood as a decline from a former height, a deficiency with respect to a youthful standard. Against this ageist mythology, this book argues that composing oldly, performing oldly, and listening oldly are distinctive and valuable ways of making music—a difference, not a deficit; to be celebrated, not ignored or condemned.

Instead of the usual biomedical or gerontological understanding of old age, with its focus on bodily, cognitive, and sensory decline, this book follows Age Studies in seeing old age through a cultural lens, as something created and understood in culture. This book seeks to identify the ways that old musicians (composers, performers, listeners, and scholars) accept, resist, adapt, and transform the cultural scripts for the performance of old age. Musicking oldly (making music in old age) often represents an attempt to rewrite ageist cultural scripts and to find ways of flourishing musically in a largely hostile landscape.

Paul Lisicky Reflects on Creativity and Joni Mitchell in ‘Song So Wild and Blue’ Book

Eric Alper
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Paul Lisicky Reflects on Creativity and Joni Mitchell in ‘Song So Wild and Blue’ Book

?From the celebrated novelist and memoirist, a gorgeous account of how Joni Mitchell’s work has shaped his writing throughout his life.

From the moment Paul Lisicky heard Joni Mitchell while growing up in New Jersey, he recognized she was that rarity among musicians—a talent whose combination of introspection, liberation, and deep musicality set her apart from any other artist of the time. As a young man, Paul was a budding songwriter who took his cues from Mitchell’s mysteries and idiosyncrasies. But as he matured, he set his guitar aside and turned to prose, a practice that would eventually take him to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and into the professional world of letters.

As the decades passed, Paul’s connection to Mitchell’s artistry only deepened. Joni’s music was a constant, a guide to life and an artist’s manual in one. As Paul navigated love and heartbreak and imaginative struggles and the vicissitudes of a creative career, he would return again and again to the lessons found in Joni’s songs, to the solace and challenges that only her musicianship could give.

Song So Wild and Blue is a gorgeously written, beautifully intimate, and unique tribute to the woman who shaped generations of creators and thinkers. Lisicky offers his own coming-of-adulthood as testimony to the power of songwriting and staying true to your creative vision. A guide to life that is part memoir, part biography, and part homage, Song So Wild and Blue is a joy for devoted Joni enthusiasts, budding writers, and artists of all stripes.

Teen Idols and Wartime Identity: Katie Beisel Hollenbach’s ‘The Business of Bobbysoxers’ Reframes 1940s Sinatra Fandom

Eric Alper
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Teen Idols and Wartime Identity: Katie Beisel Hollenbach’s ‘The Business of Bobbysoxers’ Reframes 1940s Sinatra Fandom

Katie Beisel Hollenbach’s The Business of Bobbysoxers reconsiders the story of American popular music, celebrity following, and fan behavior during World War II through close examination of “bobbysoxers.” Preserved in popular memory as primarily white, hysterical, teen girl devotees of Frank Sinatra clad in bobby socks and saddle shoes, these girls were accused of displaying inappropriate behavior and priorities in their obsessive pursuit of a crooning celebrity at a time of international crisis. Author Katie Beisel Hollenbach peels back the stereotypes of girlhood idol adoration by documenting the intimate practices of wartime Sinatra fan clubs, revealing a new side of this familiar story in American history through the perspective of the bobbysoxer.

In World War II America, fan clubs and organizations like Teen Canteens offered a haven for teenage girls to celebrate their enjoyment of popular culture while cultivating relationships with each other through media icons and the entertainment industry. Many of these organizations attempted to encourage diverse memberships, influenced in part by Frank Sinatra’s public work on racial and religious tolerance, and by Sinatra’s own identity as an Italian American. Away from the critical public eye, these communities offered girls a place to safely explore and discuss issues including civil rights, politics, the war, patriotism, internationalism, and professional development in the context of their shared Sinatra fandom. With these broader social and political complexities in mind, The Business of Bobbysoxers shines a light on musical fan communities that provided teenage girls with peer groups at a critical moment of personal and historical change, allowing them to creatively express their desires and imagine their futures as American women together.

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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