Devo, have you thought about them lately?

I just watched a Devo concert from 2003 in Japan on Netflix. I wasn't reading very carefully when I selected it because I thought it was one of their shows from the late 70's or 80's. Two things - 1. I really enjoyed the show. 2. Why do I love Devo?

1. Devo are old. They have been doing this, in one form or another, since the 70's. Yet, their show from 2003 was lively as hell. Devo were still jumping and marching around like robots from start to encore. They still play quite tight, and have lots of energy. I also noticed, that their lyrics are pretty much timeless (although, truth be told, was "jocko homo" ever really timely?). Anyway, Devo are fun to watch. I need to see some footage from 20 years ago to really get it, but I am excited at the possibility of seeing Devo live sometime soon!

2. Devo is an idea that caught fire. Everybody knows "Whip it" but have you really thought about why? Devo was an idea, started - like so many weird ideas - by some art students. Devo is a satirical movement that plays deadpan camp. They aren't the first and won't be the last. But Devo caught on. People bought into it. They wanted to join a movement, even though it was a fake one. I love Devo because they sold it. I'm not saying they sold out (at least not by being popular alone), but that people bought their "message." That, to me, is the essence behind creativity. Something "creative" is just a new way to package message, and everytime someone wraps one up in shiny new package that I haven't seen, I am just a little bit jealous.

I like Devo, because they took, by the 80's (I know they didn't start out that way), the nascent field of digital sound and instrumentation, and created a cultural phenomenon. They dressed in yellow, put flower pots (I know, I know, "energy domes") on their heads, danced like robots and convinced people they were saving humanity from dehumanization.

Having said that, I think I can now tie up something I said in relation to my "Morningwood" review. Music that is overproduced isn't necessarily overproduced. It simply lacks an emotional connection in sufficient quantity to justify the "quality" of the sound. That is to say, Devo, without a fake message that touched real buttons, would have been a waste of time and energy. It would not have been played on the radio and we wouldn't know the lyrics. Devo broke ground, but they broke ground by connecting to deep seated fears and visions our culture had shared in the preceding decades. Luckily for Devo, some of us still see the same things, and find squawks and beeps both comforting and frightening.

Finally, what are Devo? Nerds. Nerds like me. Mark Mothersbaugh wears coke bottle glasses and he's the lead singer. That nerd is a rock star! By his example, nerds throughout the world can foster unrealistic hopes of rock stardom and a perfected cybernetic female companion. Thanks Devo.