I Just Watched DEVO 1980 Again...

[Rev. Richard Skull]

And it got me thinking! (I know that's scary!)

I do remember DEVO always getting the shaft from all the "Critics" of
their era. Always panning them as some kind of novelty act.

I was wondering, how many of the 'big Gun Bands" of the 1980's who got
ALL the critical acclaim in those days can match DEVO in their present
day reputation?

How many of them can tour today hand have both Parents & their kids
stand in line in the 90+ degree heat of Downtown Washington DC?

How many can release 3 Live DVDs in the past 5 years (two of which are
essentially the same song set) and have them all sell?

How many of them can get people like Kurt Cobain to claim them as the
most subversive band ever?

Well? How many?

Foreigner? Blue Oyster Cult? Bee Gees (They were OK before they went
Disco), Olivia Newton John?

No my friends, not one. The ones that are still around are touring on
the Nostalgia Circuit. Playing to the same people who watched them back
when they were "cool"

Only DEVO can claim to have won Oscars! To hell w/Grammys!

Yes! today we can wear our DEVO T-Shirts to the Doctor as he treats us
for Kidney Stones with our head held high!

Only DEVO can claim to have beat "the system" at its own game!

[Zapanaz <http://joecosby.com/code/mail.pl>]

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
Yes! today we can wear our DEVO T-Shirts to the Doctor as he treats us
for Kidney Stones with our head held high!

Hey the Kidney Stones are pretty cool! Mick can still dance pretty
good.

[Lord Chain Smerker]

Post by Zapanaz <http://joecosby.com/code/mail.pl>

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
Yes! today we can wear our DEVO T-Shirts to the Doctor as he treats us
for Kidney Stones with our head held high!

Hey the Kidney Stones are pretty cool! Mick can still dance pretty
good.
--
Zapanaz
International Satanic Conspiracy
Customer Support Specialist
http://joecosby.com/
In every work of genius,
we recognize our own rejected thoughts;
they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I should really listen to there music some time

[iDRMRSR]

Somewhere in the iDRMRSR entertainment vault, I have a VHS tape of their
appearance on the Fridays show from January, 1980. I'd play it, but prolly
the tape will snap off the reel when I rewind it.

Omibob, that's 26 years ago!!! How time flies. Or something.

[*]
-----

[Artemia Salina]

Post by iDRMRSR
Somewhere in the iDRMRSR entertainment vault, I have a VHS tape of their
appearance on the Fridays show from January, 1980. I'd play it, but prolly
the tape will snap off the reel when I rewind it.

Don't say I never gave yuh nuthin.

Post by iDRMRSR
Omibob, that's 26 years ago!!!

Not on the Internet it's not.

[iDRMRSR]

http://youtu.be/vpVnBEM8g_g

Don't say I never gave yuh nuthin.
<<

Thanks! Now I can preserve my old tape yet longer. Only thing was, by the
time I got there, the bandwidth on the site was used up. Looks like it'll
take 26 more years to d/l the video. Sigh. They sure kicked some butt in
their day.

Imagine how good they woulda sounded if they could play a synthesizer with
BOTH hands!!!

[*]
-----

[Boom]

On Sun, 26 Feb 2006 19:44:31 -0500, "iDRMRSR"

Post by Artemia Salina
http://youtu.be/vpVnBEM8g_g
Don't say I never gave yuh nuthin.
<<
Thanks! Now I can preserve my old tape yet longer. Only thing was, by the
time I got there, the bandwidth on the site was used up. Looks like it'll
take 26 more years to d/l the video. Sigh. They sure kicked some butt in
their day.
Imagine how good they woulda sounded if they could play a synthesizer with
BOTH hands!!!

Jerry plays with both hands. He's playing bass lines, though, which
doesn't make it that remarkable. So never mind, I guess.

[Pink Pussycat]

Post by iDRMRSR
Imagine how good they woulda sounded if they could play a synthesizer with
BOTH hands!!!

Uh, it's pretty hard to play a monophonic synth with both hands. ;-)
Ok, so playing the keyboard with one hand & working the modulation
section of a Mini with the other hand counts as playing with both
hands.... ;-)

~Pink

[m***@yahoo.com]

Post by Pink Pussycat
Uh, it's pretty hard to play a monophonic synth with both hands. ;-)

Why do you think the typical Devo keyboard setup in that era had pairs
of monosynths side-by side? ;^)

But seriously ... learning how to play Devo keyboard parts two-handed
(i.e. Jerry's & Bob2's, or Bob2's & Mark's, simultaneously) is quite a
time-consuming challenge (but lots of fun and ultimately rewarding).
It's not that they're difficult to play (the single parts are usually
trivially easy), it's playing them *together* that's the challenge.

An easy example is "Blockhead", since both parts are playing the exact
same rhythm. More challenging examples I've tackled include: Girl U
Want (LH melody, RH solo), Jerkin' Back & Forth (LH bass RH solo),
Planet Earth (LH bass RH lead) and Freedom of Choice (LH melody RH
solo). Combining bass and high-pitched synth parts on "I'm A Potato"
is also pretty tricky. Their "normal" two-handed keyboard parts (like
the Clavinet on "Clockout") are much more straightforward than playing
different, interlocking, monosynth lines with each hand.

Fortunately for me, Dove's keyboard parts are all pretty simple ...

Doug

[Pink Pussycat]

Post by m***@yahoo.com
Why do you think the typical Devo keyboard setup in that era had pairs
of monosynths side-by side? ;^)
But seriously ... learning how to play Devo keyboard parts two-handed
(i.e. Jerry's & Bob2's, or Bob2's & Mark's, simultaneously) is quite a
time-consuming challenge (but lots of fun and ultimately rewarding).
It's not that they're difficult to play (the single parts are usually
trivially easy), it's playing them *together* that's the challenge.

(snip)

I bow to your keyboard prowess. :)

~Pink

[dave]

Post by Pink Pussycat
Uh, it's pretty hard to play a monophonic synth with both hands. ;-)

I play my Rogue with both hands all the time.

Maybe because I suck on keyboards :^)

[Curate SODDI]

Post by Artemia Salina
http://youtu.be/vpVnBEM8g_g
Don't say I never gave yuh nuthin.
<<
Thanks! Now I can preserve my old tape yet longer. Only thing was, by
the time I got there, the bandwidth on the site was used up. Looks like
it'll take 26 more years to d/l the video. Sigh. They sure kicked some
butt in their day.
Imagine how good they woulda sounded if they could play a synthesizer with
BOTH hands!!!
[*]

Them little SH101s they played for a while (and you see in a lot of concert
films) were monophonic, so no matter how many hands they had they weren't
going to get but one note out at a time.

The two handed playing was most likely playing a note and using pitch/mod
controllers or triggering the SH101's arpeggiator.

One of the Mothersbaughs (non-Devo) was allegedly a product developer for
Roland synths, so they got special toys.

[Pink Pussycat]

Curate SODDI wrote:

(snip)

Post by Curate SODDI
One of the Mothersbaughs (non-Devo) was allegedly a product developer for
Roland synths, so they got special toys.

Jim Mothersbaugh was service manager of Roland US in the 80's. He was
also Devo's first drummer.

~Pink

[Rev. Richard Skull]

<<Jim Mothersbaugh was service manager of Roland US in the 80's. He
was
also Devo's first drummer. >>

Lets not forget he "invented" the syth. drums.

[N***@gmail.com]

You're definitely right that DEVO's stature beyond "novelty" or
"one-hit wonder" has grown over the years. And it's great that the
people who made this art are able to still make a good living with it
[despite my anti-DEV2.0 stance, I've been very pro
Devo-in-TV-commercials]. I think the comparison with Foreigner et al is
a bit off since they weren't exactly critically acclaimed. (Exception:
BOC. Their vintage stuff has a reputation comparable to DEVO's. They
have a dividing line between the good and the crap -- roughly the
fourth or fifth studio album, depending on what a generous mood you're
in, same as DEVO I'd estimate. And based on the show I saw last summer
in a Spinal Tap-esque outdoor setting -- not much different from the
very "nostalgia circuit" Nike Run-Hit Wonder shows, I'd gather
--they're still a good live act).

I'd say the "big gun" critically acclaimed bands of DEVO's era were the
Clash, Talking Heads, Ramones, and probably still Zeppelin and Pink
(yawwwwn) Floyd. All have repuations and "hipness" intact, deserved or
otherwise, and any would get a big audience of young and old if it
chose to, or were able to, tour

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
And it got me thinking! (I know that's scary!)
I do remember DEVO always getting the shaft from all the "Critics" of
their era. Always panning them as some kind of novelty act.
I was wondering, how many of the 'big Gun Bands" of the 1980's who got
ALL the critical acclaim in those days can match DEVO in their present
day reputation?
How many of them can tour today hand have both Parents & their kids
stand in line in the 90+ degree heat of Downtown Washington DC?
How many can release 3 Live DVDs in the past 5 years (two of which are
essentially the same song set) and have them all sell?
How many of them can get people like Kurt Cobain to claim them as the
most subversive band ever?
Well? How many?
Foreigner? Blue Oyster Cult? Bee Gees (They were OK before they went
Disco), Olivia Newton John?
No my friends, not one. The ones that are still around are touring on
the Nostalgia Circuit. Playing to the same people who watched them back
when they were "cool"
Only DEVO can claim to have won Oscars! To hell w/Grammys!
Yes! today we can wear our DEVO T-Shirts to the Doctor as he treats us
for Kidney Stones with our head held high!
Only DEVO can claim to have beat "the system" at its own game!

[abNorm Nihil]

I, too am firmly anti DEV2.0. I know that everyone needs money, but
have a few standards.

I saw them 5 times in the last 2 summers, and each show was fantastic.
They still deliver with every bit of energy they had 25 years ago.

[nu-monet v8.0]

Post by abNorm Nihil
I, too am firmly anti DEV2.0. I know that everyone
needs money, but have a few standards.
I saw them 5 times in the last 2 summers, and each
show was fantastic. They still deliver with every
bit of energy they had 25 years ago.

A group with a true Devo philosophy should recycle its
members at about 3-year intervals. A strict age limit
and spaced out so that one member of the group is just
leaving and another is just coming in.

This means that they are continually recruiting and
training new, avant-guard talent, producing cutting
edge music & noise, and are not caught up in the whole
freshman-sophomore album problem.

This would force them to only hire musicians and
composers, not "performers".

A rude analogy is what they do on Saturday Night Live,
which, granted, gets its fair share of stinkers, but
also gets some of the best new talent heading up.

To keep them a little grounded, they should also do
what Santana does, and bring in a guest for a single
track, which would connect them with a dozen other
groups and get crossover listeners.

This would create "Devo forever".

[Rev. Richard Skull]

<<A group with a true Devo philosophy should recycle its
members at about 3-year intervals. A strict age limit
and spaced out so that one member of the group is just
leaving and another is just coming in.>>

Back when "Menudo" (the FIRSY BOY BAND!) was big, DEVO joked that they
should do the dame thing with DEVO, as in theory, all the SPUDS were
just interchangeable cogs in the machine of "Big Entertainment".

I guess DEVO 2.0 could be looked at in that light.

But the time is right for DEVO once again! Last Night as I saw "Bob1"
Signing Secret Agentman" I thought WOW! The Future in the past is NOW!

[nenslo]

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
Back when "Menudo" (the FIRSY BOY BAND!)

Ever hear of The Four Lads? Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers? I thought
not. Those who remember the past are condemned to spend their lives
among those who don't.

[Rev. Richard Skull]

<<A group with a true Devo philosophy should recycle its
members at about 3-year intervals. A strict age limit
and spaced out so that one member of the group is just
leaving and another is just coming in.>>

Back when "Menudo" (the FIRSY BOY BAND!) was big, DEVO joked that they
should do the dame thing with DEVO, as in theory, all the SPUDS were
just interchangeable cogs in the machine of "Big Entertainment".

I guess DEVO 2.0 could be looked at in that light.

But the time is right for DEVO once again! Last Night as I saw "Bob1"
Signing Secret Agentman" I thought WOW! The Future in the past is NOW!

[Rev. Richard Skull]

<<A group with a true Devo philosophy should recycle its
members at about 3-year intervals. A strict age limit
and spaced out so that one member of the group is just
leaving and another is just coming in.>>

Back when "Menudo" (the FIRSY BOY BAND!) was big, DEVO joked that they
should do the dame thing with DEVO, as in theory, all the SPUDS were
just interchangeable cogs in the machine of "Big Entertainment".

I guess DEVO 2.0 could be looked at in that light.

But the time is right for DEVO once again! Last Night as I saw "Bob1"
Signing Secret Agentman" I thought WOW! The Future in the past is NOW!

[Boom]

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
And it got me thinking! (I know that's scary!)
I do remember DEVO always getting the shaft from all the "Critics" of
their era. Always panning them as some kind of novelty act.
I was wondering, how many of the 'big Gun Bands" of the 1980's who got
ALL the critical acclaim in those days can match DEVO in their present
day reputation?

I'd say Duran Duran and the B-52's are the only bands of that era that
can actually make serious money on their tours. There's a bunch of
them on the nostalgia circuit, but none of them can draw like those
three.

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
How many of them can tour today hand have both Parents & their kids
stand in line in the 90+ degree heat of Downtown Washington DC?
How many can release 3 Live DVDs in the past 5 years (two of which are
essentially the same song set) and have them all sell?
How many of them can get people like Kurt Cobain to claim them as the
most subversive band ever?

I think that quote from him is majorly responsible for Devo still
drawing.

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
Well? How many?
Foreigner? Blue Oyster Cult? Bee Gees (They were OK before they went
Disco), Olivia Newton John?
No my friends, not one. The ones that are still around are touring on
the Nostalgia Circuit. Playing to the same people who watched them back
when they were "cool"

Well, I'd put Duran and the B-52's in that category too, but it's a
pretty exclusive club.

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
Only DEVO can claim to have won Oscars! To hell w/Grammys!

They won Oscars?

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
Yes! today we can wear our DEVO T-Shirts to the Doctor as he treats us
for Kidney Stones with our head held high!
Only DEVO can claim to have beat "the system" at its own game!

I can't believe they beat the system by fucking themselves up the ass
as often as they did. That's a major accomplishment. Devo was its
own worst enemy and yet they've come out on top in the end. Nice!

[Curate SODDI]

"Boom" <***@nnn.com> wrote:

(snippage)

Post by Boom

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
Only DEVO can claim to have won Oscars! To hell w/Grammys!

They won Oscars?

MM won a BMI for "Rugrats in Paris".

IMDB doesn't show much else (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006205/)

I recall reading somewhere that The Residents had won an Emmy but can't
source it.

[Dr. Zontar]

Post by Curate SODDI
I recall reading somewhere that The Residents had won an Emmy but can't
source it.

For Pee Wee's Playhouse?

- Rich

[Pontifex SODDI]

Post by Dr. Zontar

Post by Curate SODDI
I recall reading somewhere that The Residents had won an Emmy but can't
source it.

For Pee Wee's Playhouse?
- Rich

Elfman did the music for "Pee Wee's..." with incidentals by MM.

Residents' Emmy would be for some weird Discovery Channel thing or
another... still can't source it.

[Gary Childs]

Post by Pontifex SODDI
Residents' Emmy would be for some weird Discovery Channel thing or
another... still can't source it.

The music they did for the Discovery Channel was called "Hunters".

[Fr@nk P@nucc|]

Post by Pontifex SODDI
Elfman did the music for "Pee Wee's..." with incidentals by MM.

Soundtrack composers for the PEEWEE show included not only MM, but
Elfman, Todd Rundgren, the Residents, Mark Snow, Dweezil Zappa, and
others I can't remember right now.

I think only the Elfman PEEWEE TV soundtrack score has been released, on
one of his DARKENED THEATRE series of albums.

____________________
www.frankpanucci.com
http://reperkussionz.blogspot.com/

[Artemia Salina]

Post by Pontifex SODDI
Residents' Emmy would be for some weird Discovery Channel thing or
another... still can't source it.

Yep. 1994. I was surprised to catch them in the credits of the show
at first, but after thinking about it for a second the music did seem
Residents-like. Some sort of slightly off-tune gamelan music.

Here's a link to the soundtrack album:

http://www.theresidents.co.uk/recordings/albums/rhunter.htm

[Rev. Richard Skull]

Post by Rev. Richard Skull
Only DEVO can claim to have won Oscars! To hell w/Grammys!

They won Oscars? >>

Mutato Music a.k.a. DEVO minus Jerry and Alan Myers, won an Oscar for
the soundtrack to Rushmore, if I remember correctly.

They were also nominated for a few other films as well

[Doc Martian]

JOURNEY!