Devo

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Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, sometimes spelled Dev-O and often "DEVO") is an American Rock group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972.

Their style has been variously classified as punk, art rock and post-punk, but they are most often remembered for their late 1970s and early 1980s New Wave music which, along with others (such as Gary Numan, Oingo Boingo, and The B-52's) ushered in the synth pop sound of the 1980s.

Devo's music and stage show mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and mordantly satirical social commentary via sometimes-discordant pop songs that often feature unusual synthetic instrumentation and time signatures.

Their work has proved hugely influential on subsequent popular music, particularly New Wave and alternative rock artists, and they created many memorable music videos popular in the early days of MTV.

Mark Mothersbaugh later went on to start Mutato Muzika, famous for composing the music for Naughty Dog's line of video games.

Contents

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History

Devo first performed on April 18, 1973 as the "Sextet Devo" at Kent State University's Creative Arts Festival at Recital Hall. Founders Gerald Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Bob Lewis were students at Kent State at the time the National Guard shot and killed four students at a protest against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia--the "pivotal moment" in their founding, according to Casale.

It's sometimes maintained that the inspiration for the band's name and underlying philosophy came from Oscar Kiss Maerth's The Beginning Was the End, a pseudoscientific anthropological thesis that attributes the rise of man to an evolutionary accident caused by a species of sex-crazed, cannibalistic apes who developed tools to exploit each other sexually and feed on each others' brains. (See Devolution (fallacy).) However, Casale and Lewis developed their own theories of regression and simplification long before actually finding a copy of Maerth's work, and their use of reductio ad absurdum as metaphor is carried throughout Devo's work as a commentary on modern society.

Only Mark Mothersbaugh, the band's lead singer and synthesizer player, and Gerald V. (Gerry) Casale, the group's bassist have been members of Devo since its inception. The first lineup included Gerald Casale (bass), Mark Mothersbaugh (keyboards), Bob Lewis (lead guitar), Bob Casale (rhythm guitar), Rod Reisman (drums) and Fred Weber (vocals). Later versions of the band added Bob Mothersbaugh (lead guitar) and Jim Mothersbaugh (drums). In 1978, Lewis successfully sued the band for theft of intellectual property.

Devo's big break came in 1976 when their short film The Truth About De-Evolution won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival; it was then seen by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who championed them and enabled Devo to secure a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records. By this time Alan Myers had replaced Jim Mothersbaugh as drummer. After David Bowie backed out due to previous commitments, their first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! was produced by Brian Eno and featured a radical cover of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and the controversially titled "Mongoloid".

Although they started out with a mixture of traditional rock instruments and electronic effects, during the early 1980s Devo adopted mostly or entirely synthetic instrumentation, becoming one of the first American acts to perform on stage using only synthesizers; they were also one of the first groups in the world to regularly use radio microphones and microphone headsets on stage.

Devo actively embraces the Church of the SubGenius, a parody religious cult. In concert, Devo sometimes performed as their own opening act, pretending to be a Christian soft-rock group called "Dove (the Band of Love)". They also recorded "E-Z Listening Muzak" versions of their own songs to play before their concerts. In 1982, they appeared in the Neil Young film Human Highway.

Devo remained popular in many countries—for instance, they had a large and loyal following in Australia. The nationally broadcast '70s-'80s pop TV show Countdown there was one of the first programs in the world to broadcast their video clips, and they were given consistent radio support by Sydney-based non-commercial rock station Double Jay (2JJ), which was one of the first rock stations outside America to play their recordings. The late night music programme Nightmoves provided a showing of The Truth About De-Evolution.

During the 1980s, Devo produced the albums New Traditionalists (1981), Oh, No! It's Devo (1982), Shout (1984), and Total Devo (1988). After the release of Smooth Noodle Maps in 1990, the band stopped recording and full scale touring, although it has been revived on several occasions for one-off performances and short tours. In 2001, members of Devo formed the surf band The Wipeouters, describing it as a reunion of the first garage band they started while in their early teens.

Mark Mothersbaugh has gone on to considerable success writing and producing music for television programs (starting with Pee Wee's Playhouse and perhaps most famously with Rugrats), video games, cartoons, and movies (notably working alongside director Wes Anderson). In 1985, he released an elaborately packaged solo cassette, Musik for Insomniaks, which was later expanded and released as two CDs. His company, Mutato Muzika, provides employment for Devo guitarists Bob Mothersbaugh and Bob Casale: The former works as a composer, and the latter as a recording engineer. Gerry Casale has directed rock videos by other bands, including Rush and Foo Fighters. Recently Devo recorded a new version of "Whip It" to be used in Swiffer television commercials, a decision they have said they regret.

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Devo 2.0

The band is currently working on a project with Disney known as Devo 2.0. Details are scarce, but it seems that a band of child performers (among them Nathan Norman [1]) has been assembled and re-recorded Devo songs. A quote from the Akron Beacon Journal elucidates, "Also Devo recently finished a new project in cahoots with Disney called Devo 2.0, which features the band playing old songs and two new ones with vocals provided by children. Mothersbaugh doesn't rule out the idea of the band gathering in the studio, eventually, to record a new Devo album." Their debut album, a two disc CD/DVD combo entitled "DEV2.0", was released on March 14, 2006 to mixed reviews. The lyrics of some of the songs have been bowdlerized for family-friendly airplay (Examples: "Uncontrollable Urge" has been changed from a song about sexual anxiety to a song about cravings for snack foods. "Jerkin' Back 'N Forth" is about dancing, not masturbatory self-loathing. And the darkly ironic lyrics of "Beautiful World" are now bright and optimistic). For more information, see: [2].

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Style and Influence

Devo is probably as well known for their image as for their music, donning uniforms that mocked industrial culture and pop consumerism, such as the yellow chemical-protection suits during the early Q: Are We Not Men? period, and famously worn on their now-legendary Saturday Night Live appearance. The band also wore matching JFK-esque plastic hairpieces, masks and the signature "flower pot" hats (energy domes) for Freedom of Choice--which were intended (according to the band) to channel their sexual energy into their voices.

Mark Mothersbaugh also donned a baby mask to create his famous alter-ego, Booji Boy (pronounced "Boogie Boy"), said by some to symbolize the infantile regression that Devo saw in American culture. The character featured in many stage performances and video clips, as did Booji Boy's father, General Boy (played by Mothersbaugh's father Robert Mothersbaugh), who satirised American authority figures. For their performance at the 1996 Sundance Festival, they wore black-and-white-striped prisoners' uniforms. In their more recent shows, they have returned to the hazmat outfits and energy domes of their earliest days.

Devo were pioneers of the music video, thanks in part to their frequent early collaborator, director Chuck Statler. The video for "Whip It" became an early staple of MTV, and their many promotional films and video clips are important landmarks in the development of this genre. They also pioneered the use of long-form promotional video cassettes with releases such as The Truth About De-Evolution and The Men Who Make the Music, which mixed self-produced conceptual video clips with live performance footage and mock-documentary segments. Devo created and directed many of their own videos, and the band has cited the video for the song "Beautiful World" as their favorite example of their video work. The video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's Devo tribute song, "Dare to Be Stupid", consists of elements inspired by, and directly parodying, various Devo videos.

Some hear influences from Krautrock in Devo's music, such as Neu!, Can and the production work of Conny Plank. Other influences are said to include American rock iconoclasts Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and the Residents. Gerald Casale was strongly influenced by American blues music, while Mark Mothersbaugh has cited electronic music pioneers Raymond Scott and Tonto's Expanding Head Band as influences and personal heroes. Devo were one of the first American groups to use the services of noted British producer, musician and artist Brian Eno, who produced several landmark New Wave music groups including Talking Heads and Ultravox. Devo have covered songs by The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Nine Inch Nails, Lee Dorsey, Bonnie Dobson, Tom Glazer, and Larry Parks. They have appropriated melodies from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Raymond Scott.

In the liner notes of their "Greatest Hits" album, there is a transcript of a late '70s interview in which the band describes their music as "industrial", underscoring the dehumanization (devolution) of their art. (In this context, the term predates the posthumous application of the label to '70s avant-garde noise bands such as Throbbing Gristle.) Their extensive mechanization of popular music through synthesizers helped to inspire the more modern industrial pop acts of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

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Line up

Classic line-up Devo's line up during their most commercially successful period (1976-1985) was:

  • Mark Mothersbaugh: lead vocals, keyboards/synthesizers, occasional guitar
  • Gerald (Jerry) Casale: lead vocals, bass guitar, synthesizers
  • Robert Mothersbaugh ("Bob 1"): lead guitar, vocals
  • Robert Casale ("Bob 2"): rhythm guitar, synthesizers
  • Alan Myers: drums

Other members

Note: as the group's sound evolved, it became more common for the members to use synthesizers and drum machines over their original bass guitar, guitars and acoustic drum kit.

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Discography

Career Albums:

Posthumous Compilations:

As a backup band for others:

  • Hugh Cornwell & Robert Williams: Nosferatu (1979) (Mark Mothersbaugh & Bob Mothersbaugh co-wrote and performed on the track "Rhythmic Itch")
  • Jermaine Jackson: Let Me Tickle Your Fancy (1982) (backup on title song)
  • Toni Basil: Word of Mouth (1983) (backup on covers of Devo's own "Space Girls", "Be Stiff" and "Pity You")
  • David Byrne: Feelings (1997) (backup on "Wicked Little Doll")
  • Martini Ranch: Holy Cow (1988) (Bob Casale produced "How Can the Labouring Man Find Time for Self-Culture?" while Mark Mothersbaugh contributed backup vocals.)

As The Wipeouters:

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Home Video

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Singles

  • 1976 - "Mongoloid" (Booji Boy Label)
  • 1977 - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (Booji Boy Label)
  • 1978 - "Be Stiff" (Stiff Records)
  • 1978 - "Come Back Jonee"
  • 1979 - "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize"
  • 1979 - "Secret Agent Man"
  • 1979 - "Flimsy Wrap"
  • 1980 - "Girl U Want"
  • 1980 - "Whip It" (#14 US)
  • 1980 - "Gates of Steel"
  • 1980 - "Freedom of Choice"
  • 1981 - "Through Being Cool"
  • 1981 - "Working in a Coalmine" (#43 US)
  • 1981 - "Beautiful World" (Picture Disc)
  • 1982 - "Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth"
  • 1982 - "Peek-a-Boo!"
  • 1983 - "That's Good" (Picture Disc)
  • 1983 - "Theme from Doctor Detroit"
  • 1984 - "Are You Experienced?"
  • 1985 - "Here to Go"
  • 1985 - "Shout"
  • 1988 - "Disco Dancer"
  • 1988 - "Baby Doll"
  • 1990 - "Post Post-Modern Man"
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See also

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External links

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