. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera", one of the most recognizable singers of a generation - kate pierson of the b-52s. >> (singing the song "love shack"). >> the greatest thing i think a band can do is give people this joy and make them happy and make them dance or sing or just, you know, just kind of give them a joy. >> the group was once given the title "america's favorite party band" by rolling stone, but pierson said beneath the bee-hives, there was a message. >> we felt we were misunderstood and we felt like everyone's just calling us wacky, wacky, wacky and they didn't understand the incredible seriousness of the band. >> the band's cult following continued to grow until a tragedy in the '80s, when lead guitarist, ricky wilson, died of aids. >> we didn't know he had aids until he passed away. so we were told to be silent and that was very very difficult. >> her first break into music was a protest band in the civil rights era. >> so we were the sun donuts and we all wrote and one of the girls wrote about environmental... you know, tomorrow there would be no more sun. >> now, after

. >> i spoke with kate pierson at her private recording studio in woodstock, new york where she lives with her partner monica. >> i think most people look at you and their reputation of you is beehives, crazy dancing, love shack, what more is there to kate pierson? >> ooh, well it's all that, it's all that. um, no beehive. beehives, we sort of put them, well we revive them sometimes. >> you are now a solo artist. >> yes. >> your first solo album coming up, i heard it took you a long time to put this together. why? >> it didn't take so long to put it together, it just took me a long time uh, to start it because it's a lifelong thing. i've always wanted to do a solo project. i've always known i wanted to be a musician. i've always wanted to be a musician. i love music from like i probably sang when i was born, you know just like something, and i used to stick my head out the window when i was a kid and sing at the top of my lungs and makeup songs and i didn't think my parents could hear me, um, my father played uh this beautiful gretch guitar, he was in a big band, and then when he got

. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera", one of the most recognizable singers of a generation - kate piersone b-52s. >> (singing the song "love shack"). >> the greatest thing i think a band can do is give people this joy and make them happy and make them dance or sing or just, you know, just kind of give them a joy. >> the group was once given the title "america's favorite party band" by rolling stone, but pierson said beneath the bee-hives, there was a message. >> we felt we were misunderstood and we felt like everyone's just calling us wacky, wacky, wacky

. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera", one of the most recognizable singers of a generation - kate piersonf the b-52s. >> (singing the song "love shack"). >> the greatest thing i think a band can do is give people this joy and make them happy and make them dance or sing or just, you know, just kind of give them a joy. >> the group was once given the title "america's favorite party band" by rolling stone, but pierson said beneath the bee-hives, there was a message. >> we felt we were misunderstood and we felt like everyone's just calling us wacky, wacky, wacky and they didn't understand the

. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera", one of the most recognizable singers of a generation - kate piersons. >> (singing the song "love shack"). >> the greatest thing i think a band can do is give people this joy and make them happy and make them dance or sing or just, you know, just kind of give them a joy. >> the group was once given the title "america's favorite party band" by rolling stone, but