Devo - documentary

 

Everyone's been talking about this new Devo documentary on Netflix so once we had some time to actually sit together and watch something, this was first on our list!

Obviously, I am primarily a fan of straight-ahead 60's/70's garage/punk/rock'n'roll but I have always had a soft spot for the oddities, as well - from the Velvets to Zappa to Captain Beefheart to Roxy Music to the Shaggs and much more. So while Devo was pretty freakin' out there, even by 70's new wave/punk standards, they did also strike a nerve. I was never a full-on fanatic, as they were just a bit too silly visually, but their oddness was still catchy - catchy enough for them to actually have hit songs in the 80's, against all odds.

This doc gives a great background on the band with current and past interviews with everyone and some excellent, vintage video footage. In fact, they declare that they were visual artists before they were a musical entity. Visuals and music and lyrics all went hand-in-hand to the band and they wouldn't have existed without the melding of the three. 

In fact, their initial video is what catch the attention of record executives and while live audiences were baffled to the point of hostility early on, they did build a following even before they were signed and, of course, once they put out their debut album and started touring, they took off, with celebrities extolling their virtues until they did, indeed, hit big.

But, I think that many people did not really understand their message - especially early on when they were Kent State students who survived the 1970 massacre and were truly angry at society and the de-evolution of the human race. I find it fascinating that they were initially influenced by a 1938 pamphlet that referenced "Jacko Homo" and "De-Evolution" and they took it from there - I need to find that pamphlet somehow!

As usual, the early days are the more intriguing and the fact that they have so much video footage of their initial experiments are the highlights of this doc, but the story is strong throughout. Of course, the band, like any and every other band, ran its course eventually, and two members pass away, but the survivors seem to be reasonably happy, content and even thriving.

Absolutely recommended!