Login

Register

Member List

RSS Feed

Amanda | Contact

Auguste | Contact

Jesse | Contact

Pam | Contact

Next entry: And Boom Goes The McCainimite Previous entry: Prop 4 and the new trend in anti-choice campaigning

Further evidence of Devo’s infinite coolness

 

From the press release:

The four founding members of DEVO (two sets of brothers—Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerry Casale and Bob Casale) sprang from Akron in the 1970s at a time when the city was mired in a severe recession and dealing with the after-effects of a failed war. The band channeled that frustration into such groundbreaking hits as “Gates of Steel,” “Whip It,” and “Freedom of Choice.” Their albums blended political lyrics and pop iconography with urgent guitars and groundbreaking electronics, the combination of which earned them a place in music history and continues to influence countless bands today.

And at a time when the country is facing an economic crisis of historic proportions and soldiers are returning from service to bleak job prospects, DEVO is converging on Akron to channel their energies with a concert called “Duty Now for the Future.” All proceeds will benefit the Summit County Democratic Party in their efforts to create a future filled with hope and responsibility by electing Barack Obama as President of the United States.

O-HI-O!

 

 

------

Registration is now required! We're still in the process of getting it all squared away, so for the moment don't forget to Login or Register using the links in the upper left menu before starting to write your comment.

Posted by Amanda Marcotte on 01:40 PM • (9) Comments

Something that I only found out a few years ago was that Devo was born at Kent State, and the Kent State shootings had a profound affect on band members and de-evolution.

Comment #1: FungiFromYuggoth  on  10/15  at  02:16 PM

Akron. Akorn. ACORN. Coincidence? For shame, you supermarket tabloids for not investigating this further.

Comment #2: Earnest  on  10/15  at  03:11 PM

The effects of the economic downturn of the 1970’s and ‘80s were quite obvious by the time I arrived at my small liberal arts college in one of the poorest areas of Ohio during the mid-‘90s. 

The companies which used to provide most of the employment in the county have all shut down resulting in a large population of a mostly White resentful working-class whose options were to make long commutes to Cleveland for the few dwindling low-skilled factory jobs, work for the college, working the few service sector jobs in the area, getting by on a large assortment of low skilled odd jobs, and/or find ways to get public assistance/welfare. 

The fact that the college provided about 80% of the available jobs in the town at the time meant there was a great deal of palpable class resentment by the local town residents for the college and its mostly socio-economically privileged student body which was expressed by those residents in the form of racist, homophobic, sexist catcalls along with frequent accusations of us being protest obsessed* “radical left pinko commies” whereas the students would respond by dismissively referring to them as “townies”** and other pejoratives….factors in the extremely poor town-gown relations at the time I was there. 

* This part is true as the almost daily campus protests for progressive and radical-left causes were a popular student pastime….far more than most other ostensibly “liberal” colleges such as Harvard, Tufts, NYU, or Columbia (Ya gotta be kidding me). 

** “Townie” was regarded as a dismissive pejorative term used by college students against the local town residents as it was clearly meant to highlight the residents’ inferior intellectual status and though no student will openly admit it….their lower socio-economic status as well.  This is probably the group who are most receptive to GOP memes of “liberal elitists” snubbing their noses at the White working class….and sadly enough….many of my classmates were walking stereotypes of such.

Comment #3: exholt  on  10/15  at  03:11 PM

I just heard their “She’s out of sync” the other day and it’s perfect for Palin.

Comment #4: AzBats  on  10/15  at  06:46 PM

She’s out of sync
And everybody senses
There’s a distance to keep
She’s out of sync
And totally committed
To living in a dark age
She’s out of sync
She’s constantly undoing
What’s already been done
She’s out of sync
Trapped in a silent movie
And she’s on the brink
She’s out of focus
She’s a warp in time
She’s discontinued
A break in the line

Comment #5: AzBats  on  10/15  at  06:47 PM

I also found out about the Kent State connection two years agon in the throes of a Devo obsession.  Who’d a guessed that the spudboys were a bunch of DFH’s? 

This video never gets old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRguZr0xCOc

We’re ALL Devo!

Comment #6: Big Bad Bald Bastard  on  10/15  at  07:17 PM

I thought Devo was, ahem, “through being cool.”

Heh.

Comment #7: Linnaeus  on  10/15  at  11:13 PM

Will they dedicate this song to the non-autistic Trig Palin?

Comment #8: Ms Kate  on  10/16  at  02:38 AM
Page 1 of 1 pages
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.