B-52s still flying high

On "Pump," a standout track from the band's latest album, "Funplex," the lyrics are inescapably sexual.

"Rub my belly, I turn to jelly!" croons Fred Schneider in his unmistakable sing-speak style. As usual, he trades vocals with Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. The other surviving founder is Keith Stickland, who composes the music for the band. Original guitarist Ricky Wilson, Cindy's brother, died of AIDS-related complications in 1985.

The pioneering new-wave band was formed in 1976 in Athens, Ga., and a little ditty called "Rock Lobster" soon rocketed the B-52s to fame. Many hits followed, from "Planet Claire" to "Dance This Mess Around" to "Love Shack."

The B-52s will bring their uptempo, happy-feet rock to Centennial Hall on Wednesday. It's the band's first performance in Tucson since 2001.

We spoke with Schneider on the phone recently. Here's some of what he had to say.

How do you approach playing a concert where everyone will be seated?

"We pretend it's an assembly or a graduation ceremony. No, not really. I don't know. We just do it. We're just up there shaking our asses. And people see that, and they want to dance. Or if there's a little area up front, they'll all crowd into that."

Ever get a crowd that just doesn't want to dance?

"We've had some pretty conservative audiences, but we just do our thing."

Wikipedia says, "Schneider is well-known for his sprechgesang." Is that a word you knew before you joined a band?

"Oh, yes. That means talk-singing. I took German in school, so I already knew that. I think I'm the one who said I do that. Now I can say 'I don't eat meat' and stuff like that in German."

Is it hard to find vegetarian food on the road?

"I eat dairy and eggs, so it's not as hard as it used to be. America's finally come to some of its senses."

What are you most proud of?

"The fact that we've always done our own thing our way and created a legacy of great fun songs. The lyrics, the music — and we're still doing it. To go from having no career to having a career is a big accomplishment. Having the respect of my peers and everybody else who likes our music."

What's your favorite song to play live?

"Luckily, we'll be doing a lot of new songs. We do six new songs in the set, and that makes a big difference, and they really blend well with the old material."

Here's a question from our copy editors: Should we put an apostrophe in the band's name?

"Not anymore. It looked good in the beginning, but then we realized it was grammatically incorrect."

What's on your iPod?

"I have two iPods, and I've never even opened them. I still play vinyl and CDs. I went through a Scott Walker/Walker Brothers phase recently. I like the new Peaches album. A wide variety of things. With my vinyl, I just take a record and play it, and if I don't like it, I get rid of it. I have thousands of records to listen to still, and dozens of CDs. I like Leslie and the Ys, and I'm waiting for the new Scissor Sisters."

Is there anything in Tucson you're looking forward to seeing or doing?

"Cactus! I think we get there the day of the show, and then we leave that night. I'll just be happy to get off the bus. Or maybe we're flying; I don't know. I haven't gotten the itinerary yet."

Do you ever get any days off during the tour?

"We have days off. A lot of times you have to just recuperate from the overnighter on the bus, where you can't sleep. We'll be in Nashville for four days, and I look forward to that because I love hitting the South. Me and Tracy, the bass player, love to go junk shopping. We'll hit Salvation Armies and used-record stores."

Where do they have the best Salvation Army stores?

"In towns that's not a college town and everyone shops at thrift stores, and in the Southwest, where there are a lot of snowbirds."

What do you buy when you go vintage shopping?

"I tend not to buy clothing, because I look like a middle-aged tourist if I buy vintage shirts. I'm usually just looking for records. I like the thrift-store experience because you see so many wild people and things for sale. I see so much terrible pottery — it makes me glad that I never did ceramics."

Do you meet a lot of interesting people on the road?

"Basically, the band takes up all my time. We're on the road different times all year long. But I've made a lot of new friends from MySpace. I can tell who the real nuts are. I have a friend who helps manage it, and he keeps out the crazies. I've met some real funny people on the MySpace, so that's good. Some of them have turned out to be really great people. Like when I needed walkie-talkies because the ones I used on stage break really fast and they sent me a bunch. They're fun to hang with, too. Some people think I'm nuts to hang out with fans, but I'm a pretty good judge of character — and characters."

If you go

• What: The B-52s in concert.

• When: 8 p.m. Wednesday.

• Where: Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd.

• Tickets: $29-$64.

• More info: uapresents.org

• Bonus: You can stream the band's newest album, "Funplex," at theb52s.com.