The B-52's Fred Schneider: Why I Don't Eat Lobster

I grew up in New Jersey, and every summer we visited relatives near Toms River. They had a boat, and we all would go crabbing out in the bay. We always caught a lot of crabs and brought them back to cook. I was 4, and I watched as they started putting the live crabs in a big pot of boiling water. I was horrified and would never eat crab again.

I got the idea for the song "Rock Lobster" watching a slide show in an Atlanta disco in the late '70s. There obviously was no budget for a light show, so they showed slides of puppies, children, and ... lobsters on a grill! Ridiculous! But I thought, "Hmm, rock this, rock that ... rock lobster!" I told the band, and we jammed on the title.

Fred Schneider of the B-52's: Let Lobsters and Crabs 'Rock On'

Fred Schneider, vocalist of the B-52's breakthrough hit "Rock Lobster," has always considered crustaceans "sea life," not "seafood."

Unfortunately, people would bring live lobsters to shows, offer dinners as prizes, etc. But we put a stop to that. We even had an offer from a soup company to sell the song to promote a lobster bisque -- I refused. To this day, I don't go to dinners on the beach and am appalled by people cooking any sea life. I hope my narration and the video will resonate with people everywhere.

Prepping for a dinner party celebrating the 35th anniversary of "Rock Lobster" at vegan hot spot Sublime Restaurant & Bar in Fort Lauderdale.

For more about Fred's stance lobsters and crabs, view the original post on PETA.org.