Not ALL Devo, Just Part of It
April 13, 2016 2:00 AM   Subscribe

Gerald Casale, one of the original members of DEVO (and reported originator of the “Theory of Devolution”) was tired of waiting for another band reunion, so he wrote and recorded a new song with Italy's Phunk Investigation to be released physically and digitally on Saturday. But the video is available now, designed by collage artist Max Papeschi, with a visual mix of Energy Domes, Donuts, Drones, Dentures, Dinosaurs, Dropped Pants, Drumpf, Disney, Dildos, Dynamite and lots of other things that don't start with D, plus a new version of Devo mascot Booji Boy...
Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for "Devo's Gerald Casale" with "IT'S ALL DEVO".
posted by oneswellfoop (25 comments total) 21 users marked this as a favorite
 
Nice!
posted by JHarris at 3:14 AM on April 13, 2016


FWIW: DEVO is playing a show together later this month. Also, Mark has a single coming out for Record Store Day along side Jerry's "It's All DEVO"

Anyhoo... I dig this song, and the video. And it nicely avoids the racist overtones of the Jihad Jerry and the Evilldoers project, which I enjoyed the music of, but was left rather miffed by the presentation.
posted by SansPoint at 4:16 AM on April 13, 2016 [4 favorites]


That was fun!
I'm trying to decide from which mega-corp the first cease-and-desist will come.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:37 AM on April 13, 2016 [3 favorites]


The last collage piece with all the characters looks like a Todd schorr painting!
posted by ian1977 at 4:43 AM on April 13, 2016


I'm trying to decide from which mega-corp the first cease-and-desist will come.

Probably from big kewpie doll
posted by ian1977 at 4:52 AM on April 13, 2016 [2 favorites]


Damn!
posted by PHINC at 6:31 AM on April 13, 2016


I want to say "stop trying to make Devo happen".
posted by Mezentian at 6:40 AM on April 13, 2016


Mezentian: Devo's already happened. It's over. De-evolution is real.
posted by SansPoint at 6:53 AM on April 13, 2016 [7 favorites]


I favour Intelligent De-sign.
posted by Mezentian at 6:55 AM on April 13, 2016


This reminds me of later Devo. I miss the early, garage-Y Devo.
posted by tunewell at 7:07 AM on April 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'm just going to remind everyone that Disney had Devo 2.0.
posted by Mezentian at 7:10 AM on April 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


I thought of Devo and other New Wave bands as being such a total break with the past and I then learned that a bunch of the band were at Kent State during the shootings and that this was the origin of the devolution concept. That still seems to me like a strange collision of cultural eras.
posted by thelonius at 7:25 AM on April 13, 2016 [8 favorites]


I'm just going to remind everyone that Disney had Devo 2.0.

Which also recorded a great, otherwise unreleased DEVO song: "Cyclops" as well an alternate version of Jihad Jerry's anti-Bush anthem "If the Shoe Fits".
posted by SansPoint at 7:28 AM on April 13, 2016 [3 favorites]


Loved it! Glad to see Gerald hasn't lost his knack for subtlety.
posted by ejs at 7:30 AM on April 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


Devo 2.0 was excellent. Disney didn't co-opt DEVO. DEVO infiltrated Disney.
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:44 AM on April 13, 2016 [5 favorites]


I thought of Devo and other New Wave bands as being such a total break with the past and I then learned that a bunch of the band were at Kent State during the shootings and that this was the origin of the devolution concept. That still seems to me like a strange collision of cultural eras.


As someone who was heavily influenced by his college aged uncle's love of Devo at a very young age, that collision still reminds me that I am, in fact, older than I feel.

I really like the song.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:56 AM on April 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'm a fan of Devo, so much so that I tracked down a copy of this book.

from the wiki: Gerald V. Casale said of the book, "It's a better story than the Bible as far as DEVO's concerned."


It's amazing in its horribleness. Very much next level crackpot insanity.
posted by Mr.Krotpong at 10:36 AM on April 13, 2016 [6 favorites]


Mr.Krotpong beat me to the comment about Oscar Kiss Maerth by a moment. I liked the Oswald Spegler-ish vibe, but I could mention that sensitive readers could be offended by his, um, provocative implications about race in some passages.

I was quite surprised to see a comment that "Devo" was interested in re-issuing the book, because I was under the impression that they were later trying to distance themselves from any association with it?
posted by ovvl at 10:52 AM on April 13, 2016


I thought of Devo and other New Wave bands as being such a total break with the past and I then learned that a bunch of the band were at Kent State during the shootings and that this was the origin of the devolution concept. That still seems to me like a strange collision of cultural eras.

Yeah, I also had that WTF? moment when I read the chapter about Devo in the Jimmy McDonough biography of Neil Young. (Recommended.)
posted by ovvl at 10:55 AM on April 13, 2016


Devo's already happened. It's over. De-evolution is real.

I remember when it used to seem like a joke.
posted by bongo_x at 11:09 AM on April 13, 2016 [2 favorites]


Huh. I thought the DEVO/Kent State connection was pretty much common knowledge. I guess I'm wayyyyyyy older than I thought.

Sadly, DEVO remains one of the few bands on my "must see" list I never got a chance to see.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:12 AM on April 13, 2016 [2 favorites]


Mr. Krotpong: That picture on Wikipedia, by the way, is my copy of the book. The reissue has probably fallen by the wayside, but I don't think they've disavowed it. Hell, it appears in the "What We Do" video!
posted by SansPoint at 1:48 PM on April 13, 2016 [2 favorites]


Sadly, DEVO remains one of the few bands on my "must see" list I never got a chance to see.

I saw the New Traditionalists tour and it was fantastic. Strangely the videos I’ve found were of a much smaller production, the one I saw was huge with scaffolding that covered the stage.
posted by bongo_x at 4:31 PM on April 13, 2016


I saw DEVO live, they got about 3 songs in, even played "Uncontrollable Urge" (the whole crowd was pogo-ing) and then the fire marshall closed down the show for overcrowding.

For all those peripheral fans thinking they know DEVO, it is not "We are not men, we are DEVO", the actual line is "Are we not men? We are DEVO."
posted by telstar at 5:54 PM on April 13, 2016


Huh. I thought the DEVO/Kent State connection was pretty much common knowledge. I guess I'm wayyyyyyy older than I thought.

It's funny, actually. There was a massive divide in cultural consciousness between that old hippy era and the new-wave, with a big sloppy pile of glam/rock/disco/punk stuck in between. Kinda amazing to think that Kent State/Devo was bridged by a few short years. It's like a cultural short-circuit.
posted by ovvl at 7:29 PM on April 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


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