In one of many flavorful TV interview excerpts from the band’s prime in Devo, they identify themselves as aliens who have come down to Earth in UFOs with the aim of cultural infiltration. With their red plastic “energy dome” flowerpot helmets and utilitarian uniforms that look like kids’ home-made spacesuits, the group could almost pass for interplanetary messengers, preaching change as an urgent gospel for late 20th century America in rapid regression. As one member says: “We already felt like humans were insane, so for people to be enlightened, something had to happen.”
Anyone familiar with Devo solely through their 1980 monster hit “Whip It,” or even a handful of other heyday bangers like “Beautiful World,” “Working in the Coalmine,” “Girl U Want” or “Freedom of Choice,” will likely find Chris Smith’s propulsive documentary enlightening as well as vigorously entertaining.
At one point after the group’s classic lineup had undergone changes,...
Anyone familiar with Devo solely through their 1980 monster hit “Whip It,” or even a handful of other heyday bangers like “Beautiful World,” “Working in the Coalmine,” “Girl U Want” or “Freedom of Choice,” will likely find Chris Smith’s propulsive documentary enlightening as well as vigorously entertaining.
At one point after the group’s classic lineup had undergone changes,...
- 1/24/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There were red flowerpot hats on each of the seats. The “Energy Domes,” as they used to call them, were Devo’s headgear of choice during the early 1980s, back when the band went from extremely bizarre, unclassifiable group to extremely bizarre, slightly more classifiable (postpunk, New Wave, geek rock) group who’d somehow turn a single entitled “Whip It” into a massive hit. No one told the Sundance Film Festival audience to put them on before the premiere of Devo, Chris Smith’s documentary on the pride of Akron,...
- 1/22/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
There has only ever been one Devo — and there will likely never be another. The new wave band best known for their 1980 megahit “Whip It” was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1973, when two sets of brothers — Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald and Bob Casale — met at Kent State University and decided to create an art collective.
The name came from the concept of “de-evolution,” a kind of reverse Darwinism that posited, tongue in cheek, that humankind was moving backwards. But then they bore witness to the infamous Kent State Massacre on May 4, 1970, in which Ohio National Guardsmen killed four unarmed student war protesters — pushing Devo into the realm of performances and protest art. Along the way, they created surrealist art videos to accompany their music, including 1976’s short film The Truth About De-Evolution, which became an underground phenomenon, drawing the attention of David Bowie and landing them a record deal at Warner.
The name came from the concept of “de-evolution,” a kind of reverse Darwinism that posited, tongue in cheek, that humankind was moving backwards. But then they bore witness to the infamous Kent State Massacre on May 4, 1970, in which Ohio National Guardsmen killed four unarmed student war protesters — pushing Devo into the realm of performances and protest art. Along the way, they created surrealist art videos to accompany their music, including 1976’s short film The Truth About De-Evolution, which became an underground phenomenon, drawing the attention of David Bowie and landing them a record deal at Warner.
- 1/19/2024
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 are in, and the list features Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran, Beck, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest, Kate Bush, Devo, Judas Priest, Eurythmics, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, and Dionne Warwick. The top vote-getters will be announced in May and inducted in the fall.
“This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture,...
“This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture,...
- 2/2/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
The nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2021 are in and the list features Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Mary J. Blige, Iron Maiden, Tina Turner, the Go-Go’s, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Devo, Chaka Khan, Carole King, Fela Kuti, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Todd Rundgren, and Dionne Warwick. The top vote-getters will be announced in May and inducted in a Cleveland, Ohio, ceremony in the fall.
To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to...
To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to...
- 2/10/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
By the time Devo rubbed their sweaty mitts all over the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” it had already been covered by everyone from soul singer Otis Redding to the singing eyeballs in the Residents. Devo’s take on the song was rigid, mechanical and otherworldly – perhaps less of a plea for sexual attention than an explanation of why five guys in yellow jumpsuits weren’t getting any. It was all the more startling when the group performed the tune – their first single, which was a hit in the U.
- 8/28/2018
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
//players.brightcove.net/416418724/default_default/index.min.js
For some, urns are a topic that borders on taboo. The mere term can conjure uncomfortably morbid thoughts that many prefer to push to the back of their mind. But Pete Saari is trying to change that. As the CEO and founder of Foreverence, a company that produces customized urns, he’s leading a revolution in how we view the end of our lives by allowing us to take a greater role in shaping our own legacy.
â.This is no longer a death industry product,â. Saari tells People. â.Itâ...
For some, urns are a topic that borders on taboo. The mere term can conjure uncomfortably morbid thoughts that many prefer to push to the back of their mind. But Pete Saari is trying to change that. As the CEO and founder of Foreverence, a company that produces customized urns, he’s leading a revolution in how we view the end of our lives by allowing us to take a greater role in shaping our own legacy.
â.This is no longer a death industry product,â. Saari tells People. â.Itâ...
- 10/19/2016
- by Jordan Runtagh
- PEOPLE.com
Legendary “Whip It” singers Devo lost a member of their crew on Monday (February 17).
Per a Facebook post from the band’s official page, the 80s band announced that Bob Casale died suddenly from heart failure at the age of 61.
The Facebook post read, “Very sad news to report today. Bob Casale of Devo. Born: July 14th, 1952 . Deceased: February 17th, 2014.”
It continued, “As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning. He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all. Gerald Casale, Devo founder.”...
Per a Facebook post from the band’s official page, the 80s band announced that Bob Casale died suddenly from heart failure at the age of 61.
The Facebook post read, “Very sad news to report today. Bob Casale of Devo. Born: July 14th, 1952 . Deceased: February 17th, 2014.”
It continued, “As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning. He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all. Gerald Casale, Devo founder.”...
- 2/18/2014
- GossipCenter
Devo has lost a part of the family. Bob Casale, an original member of the eccentric group Devo, has died at the age of 61 from heart failure. His brother and bandmate Gerard Casale, Devo's founder, announced the news on the band's official Facebook page. "Very sad news to report today. Bob Casale of Devo. Born: July 14th, 1952. Deceased: February 17th, 2014," Gerard Casale wrote on Monday, Feb. 17. "As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the [...]...
- 2/18/2014
- Us Weekly
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