Was (Not Was) is again

Don Was (right) with other members of the band, (from left) Harry Bowens, David Was, and Sweet Pea Atkinson. (Ellen stone)

As a producer Don Was has worked on critically acclaimed albums by everyone from Bob Dylan to Bonnie Raitt to the B-52s. This year he stepped back into the role of performer with his absurdist dance-rock band Was (Not Was), famous for its wacky 1988 hit "Walk the Dinosaur." The group recently released its first album in 16 years, called "Boo!" A mix of classic soul, techno, and spoken-word weirdness - featuring songwriting help from Dylan and a vocal cameo from Kris Kristofferson - it is a typically atypical Was (Not Was) release. The band hits Johnny D's tomorrow night. We touched base with Was in Los Angeles as he prepared for the tour.

Q. Why now? Did you feel the creative juices flowing again or have you been working on this forever and it's finally coming out?

A. Well, a couple of things fell into place. Probably the biggest factor is we signed a record deal with Rykodisc and they wanted a record.

Q. Silly record company.

A. (Laughs) A deadline was something that was missing for a couple of decades. There was a six-year gap when we didn't do anything, but we were always working on songs. We probably could've kept going for another 20 years, but they said, 'It's coming out April 8.' That was good incentive.

Q. Since you've been producing records for so long are you nervous taking on the performance role again?

A. If you don't get nervous before a show, it's probably going to be a crappy show. But ultimately, 30 seconds into the first song it turns into the fuel that drives the thing. There was always some kind of mojo with the band. The whole was far, far greater than the sum of its parts, and it was always mysterious to me why the band got over, but at some point you just accept it. . . . People leave happy and we don't really know why.

Q. With your abstract lyrics and diverse musical experiments you must have some diehard fans who want to sit down and seriously dissect the songs with you?

A. It's pretty wild, yeah. I don't know how widespread this subset of people is. (Laughs) But it stuns me that there are people - not people I went to high school with, they're strangers! - who know intimate things about these songs and have really listened to them. It really blows my mind. But that's another reason for getting out there - on the selfish side it's just the interaction with people. If you hole up in the studio you really don't know.

Q. As successful as have you been as a producer, is it a different feeling when someone compliments your work in Was (Not Was) as opposed to, say, a Dylan or Rolling Stones record?

A. Yeah. Just to see people dancing. The gig we played in Austin last month, everyone knew the words to the songs! That was incredible. If you can take people's minds off their impending mortality for an hour, that justifies the 17-hour bus ride. It really does.

Was (Not Was) with Todd Snider at Johnny D’s tomorrow night at 8:30. Tickets

are $25 at the door. 617-776-9667, johnnyds.com

Sarah Rodman can be reached at srodman@globe.com.