It’s unbelievable, but the B-52s have been around since 1976! The Athens, Georgia new wave group can still make the whole shack shimmy, though, with their catalog of danceable hits. The boys of the band were always gay, but it wasn’t till age 55 that energetic frontwoman Kate Pierson (pictured, R), came out publicly. Now at 65, she talked on the phone with Manuela Kay about how she stays in a partying mood. For the upcoming tour, the B-52s are billed as the world's best party band. After almost 40 years together, how can you still keep partying? The secret is not to party after the show. The party is the show itself, and we really get the energy from the audience. Even though it was 16 years between the last two albums, we tour a lot, and the band has a dynamic like a family. We still make each other laugh ... and cry. But the band is about more than just partying. We always had political messages hidden in our lyrics. When Ricky (Wilson, former band-member) died in 1985 his family made the decision not to reveal that he had AIDS. But then the whole family became very supportive and so we did a lot of AIDS charities. Also we've done a lot for PETA – I even got arrested during a raid on Vogue magazine. Do you also engage in any gay activism? Yes, we're also very engaged in gay causes. We play a lot at pride festivals. You came out quite late. Since you've been surrounded by gay bandmates for such a long time, why didn't it happen sooner? I always had long relationships with men. Then I met Monica, and I just fell in love with her. To me it wasn't a gender thing. There was no need to come out until then. I never really felt that I had to come out of the closet. It was just a fact that I was with her, so it was natural I didn't hide it or anything, it just happened. And you're still together with her? Yes, in fact we're planning to get married, now that it's legal in New York. But we're still arguing about the planning!