Devo

From Wiki Gonzalez

Someone in a recent (January 2005) Lounge asked, "What is Devo," apparently without irony.

To which a Primate replied, "They are not men."

Profile

Devo was an important band in the "new wave" style of the 1970s. It was formed in Akron, Ohio by Kent State University art students Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale. The classic band lineup was rounded out by Bob 1 (Mark's brother), Bob 2 (Jerry's brother), and drummer Alan Myers.

Their earlier music is mainly guitar-based, with synthesizers just beginning to creep into the mix. Devo was influenced by surf music and punk, and their first album (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002KJ1) yielded a couple of well-known tunes, "Jocko Homo" (a.k.a. "Q. Are We Not Men? A. We are Devo!") and an amazing remake of the Stones' "Satisfaction."

Once past their first two major releases, Devo's sound became increasingly electronic. Their third album, Freedom of Choice (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002KLC) yielded a couple of radio/MTV hits in the title track, "Girl U Want," and of course "Whip It."

Along with their music, Devo was famous for their image, on-stage antics, and a stream of humorous, self-produced documentaries. Chief among their tongue-in-cheek tenets was their doctrine of "de-evolution" (hence their name) -- the idea that modern humanity was no longer evolving, but actually was de-volving.

Two of their more famous on-stage looks were a) the cheap yellow radiation suits (http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp2/features/wallpaper/images/1024/devo.jpg), and b) the infamous inverse flower-pot hats (http://www.studio-sn.com/DEVO.jpg).

Devo is more or less still around, but rarely put out albums or do shows. The band actually opened for Metallica at the 1996 Lollapalooza, and lived to tell about it. They have released a DVD recording of this concert: Devo Live (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006RJCU).

Lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh has scored many soundtracks, including the main theme for the tv show Rugrats and the Wes Anderson films Bottle Rocket (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0115734/), Rushmore (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0128445), The Royal Tenenbaums (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0265666/), and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0362270/).

Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Bob Casale also reunited as the Wipeouters (http://www.tonecasualties.com/data/CT/wipeouters/) to release a surf album in 2001, P'Twaaang!!! (http://www.emusic.com/album/10598/10598923.html). In 2006, Jerry Casale helped Disney cast a group of kids who would perform Devo tunes for a kiddie audience (age 4-8).

External links

• Biography and Discography at Allmusic.com (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:46rsa9cgb23h)
• "Devo" on Wikipedia
• Devo 2.0 (http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001919314) -- modern Disney derivative, performed by kids and produced by Devo

Also see

• List of bands