Moments into a new decade, on January 26, 1980, The B-52's performed on an episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Teri Garr.
Like The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Bowie on Top of the Pops in 1972, and Nirvana on SNL in 1992, this performance of "Rock Lobster" sent a generation of listeners to the record store the next day and launched a thousand bands.
In addition to being an impressive performance in general, this video is a great opportunity to see and hear original guitarist Ricky Wilson's playing. His distinct style of open tuning, often with the third and fourth string missing, formed the quirky and inspired sound of the band.
