‘WE WERE LIKE KISS WITH BRAINS'
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In the 70s Devo’s subversive pop was deriding stupid America but 30 years on, David Pollock finds that their message is as relevant as ever
nyone whose knowledge or memories of Devo
encompass their being an irony-splattered gag
band whose fancy dress sense of humour was accompanied by some truly great pop songs might wish to adjust their radar. Described by one of their founders. Gerald Casale. as ‘the house band on the Titanic‘. the quintet from Akron. Ohio (variously described as pop. punk. post-punk. art-rock and new wave. they were all of these and none at the same time) have always been harbingers of doom at heart.
Formed in 1972 by the creative core of art students (‘asale and Mark Mothersbaugh. their most popular line-up would consist of the pair’s respective brothers Bob and Bob (‘the Bobs'). and drummer Alan Myers. The band‘s formation and naming came from the concept of de-evolution. which (‘asale describes as
’refuting the whole idea that there was some sort of
linear progress and things were getting better. that humans were evolving. What we saw was that things were going the other way. that it appeared things were de-evolving and people were getting dumber.
‘People don’t process information the same way any more‘. he continues. ‘Their reasoning abilities seem to be gone. and they respond like children to soundbites and sparkly things. voodoo and monsters in the closet. So everybody‘s living in fear. and repeating mindless. manipulative soundbites that they hear on the 24/7 cable news cycle. spouted over and over like propaganda. Reasonable people that believe in rational humanism are on the run.‘
So that‘s what Devo are all about. And you probably thought ‘Whip It was a lighthearted. MTV-friendly
ditty about 8&M. huh'.’ How about a veiled comment on US foreign policy‘.’ ‘(‘rack that whip~ indeed.
‘And we thought (the Nixon administration) was as bad as things could get at the time!‘ says (‘asale 'Boy.
were we wrong. It's always been the same in terms of
the conflict between reasonable. rational people and psychotic morons. who. over the years. have really gotten stronger. There was always a substance behind our style. a definitive anger at injustice. and an acute awareness of the tragedy of the human condition.‘
For a band who were early favourites of MTV and who have sufficient history as to hear their music paraphrased on The .S'impsmis. the theory behind l)evo
seems even more relevant today. Lest we forgot. of
course. the likes of ‘Whip lt‘. ‘Mongoloid‘. ‘Jocko Homo' and ‘(iirl U Want‘ are perfect. precise party songs. yet might the band not seek to follow up this long-awaited liuropean jaunt with some new tracks? Mark Mothersbaugh — who wrote the soundtracks to Rugrats and all of Wes Anderson‘s films — seems thus far happy to reel out the hits. but (‘asale is keen to talk him back into the studio.
‘At our best. we were an embodiment and a reflection on the state of things.‘ he muses. ‘We were like Kiss with brains. I think we inspired people to think about things. we energised them creatively and stimulated their brains. the way a good film. a good book. or a good teacher can. And obviously Kiss just wanted to party and screw. which was an easier sell. becatise then nothing has to change.‘
Carling Academy, Glasgow, Sun 24 Jun
:3: Guru A warm welcome for one half of New York's most excellent hip hop dons, Gangstarr for a couple of rare solo shows. Classic Grand, Glasgow, Wed 27 Jun; Bongo Club, Glasgow, Thu 28 Jun. (Rock & Pop)
Deva See preview, left. Carling Academy, Glasgow, Sun 24 Jun. (Rock 8 Pop)
:35: Glasgow Jazz Festival Bigger and better than ever, a proud mix of local heroes, cross- pollinating and collaborating with the raft of visiting international names. See previews. page 60. Various venues, Glasgow, Fri 22 Jun—Sun 7 Jul. (Jazz)
:1: Asobi Seksu, diAugusto and Callel Dreamy. Japanese indie pop with some surprising turns from the headliners who will appeal to fans of Camera Obscura and Sonic Youth alike. King Tut’s, Glasgow, Thu 22 Jun. (Rock 8. Pop)
if: The Outsider Well worth the jaunt for the varied line-up that focuses on the feelgood, Idlewild. KT Tunstall, Salsa Celtica and Fred Deakin being among the highlights. Calrngorms National Park, Roth/emurchus, Fri 22—Sun 24 Jun. (Flock & Pop)
Underling Home grown hip hop done with style and frantic energy utilising live instrumentation and a lyrical positive attitude. See preview, page 61. Jazz Bar, Edinburgh, Sat 30 Jun. (Rock 8 Pop)
-:t The Strange Death of Liberal England Comparisons to Arcade Fire are not unfounded, both in style and ambition for this London group. Fitting that name on T-shirts is going to be a bit of a chore. King Tut’s, Glasgow, Wed 4 Jul,- Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 4 Jul. (Rock & Pop)
2’1 .Jtiirf) Jtli 900/ THE LIST 59