At long last, we have reached the one album that I have been most excited to cover. For over 20 years now, Devo has been one of my favorite bands and a lot of that is because of “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!” (shortened to “Q&A” for future reference). As someone who grew up on punk rock and its antagonistic spirit, there was more than enough oddity for me to latch onto. Every single track will mess with your head and make you reconsider the potential for both what punk could do as well as new wave. Relistening, I found myself enamored with how even the poppier tracks have this irksome quality that makes you feel their mission statement at play.
Before delving much further, I figured it’s important to understand that Devo is one of the quintessential concept bands. Much like The Buggles, their catalog rewards immersion because you’re likely to find characters and ideas that turn their farcical elements into brilliance. While I accept that some of them haven’t aged all that brightly, Devo as a motif has. The band’s name refers to the concept of De-evolution, an idea created at Kent State University by Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis (both future members) that refers to the idea that the world is regressing as it ages. It started as a joke through art pieces. There was also a pamphlet they found called “Jocko Homo Heavenbound” that featured a winged devil with the words “D-EVOLUTION.”
Unlike The Buggles, I think that Devo lived and breathed their concept so thoroughly that it risked any commercial appeal. They were unapologetically art kids who made works that provoked and confused the public. It was said that they would sometimes perform early staple “Jocko Homo” for 30 minutes straight until audience members got into fights with them. Even then, they would create a whole brand around De-evolution, including the nine-minute 1976 short The Truth of De-evolution that satirically explored the concept with surrealist humor. It would also feature a chant inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau (1932) where they yell, “Are we not men?” Things would work out after that. However, before going further, there is a need to step back just a smidge.
While Casale and Lewis were friends, it wasn’t until they discovered Mark Mothersbaugh in 1970 that they began to find the core of the Akron, OH band. It was said that Mothersbaugh brought a sense of humor to the music and helped to create something more concrete. Despite the friendship, it would take a tragedy for Devo to become something more serious. Members have noted that The Kent State Massacre on May 4, 1970, ultimately motivated them to make something greater. Despite being seen as satirical; their work does have an underlying seriousness in subject matter done in exaggerated and sometimes absurd fashion that hides the horrific subtext.
The band would kick things off in 1973 with two sets of brothers: The Casales and The Mothersbaughs. Over time, they would find themselves in the company of Iggy Pop and David Bowie. The latter would receive demos and see their short film that really impressed him. He promised to produce their work, but found commitment issues interfering. As a result, Brian Eno would step in as producer for “Q&A.” It would prove to be a fraught relationship since Devo rejected a lot of Eno’s input. He created synth beats for several tracks that they didn’t want to use. This may have been inspired by he fact that Devo had essentially been workshopping their songs for years in live performances and had developed something they felt confident in. While their later work would be more synth-driven, “Q&A” had a grittier, less polished sound that felt like a band falling apart.
Because I have seen live footage of the band, it’s easy to go down the list and just wax poetic about every track for different reasons. The thing that I find most interesting is that “Uncontrollable Urge” is the opener and arguably the most normal-sounding song on the entire record. It has a straightforward chorus that repeats “Yeah!” and verses that discuss Mothersbaugh’s eagerness. However, I think when you get to the bridge in the final third, it becomes something more disarming. After falling for this band that, not unlike The Ramones, was updating 60s girl groups with fast guitars, you suddenly get this jerky halt. It’s not the catchiest melody, and yet it becomes hypnotic. It feels like things have glitched and you worry the record is skipping. Then, the high-pitched whines enter and create a sense of madness that will only become more at home as the record continues. What I love is that this song live is a whole theatrical moment where the band does an awkward, stilted dance that makes them seem mechanical.
Though not as mechanical as their follow-up and arguably the song that confirmed their status as New Wave’s strangest pairing. Most would think to do straightforward covers, but Devo chose to practically build The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” from scratch. Gone are the bluesy guitars in favor of a jerky bass line and screeching guitar riff. Mothersbaugh sort of sings the harmony, but not without hitting high notes that were melodically off. Even the repetitive “baby” that comes in the latter half feels more like a comical ripple than tribute. It’s among the most creative covers of the 1970s, though not without being arguably the most beguiling.
A funny detail is that Devo would appear on Saturday Night Live. They shared their short film with staff members who found their style compelling. They would perform “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” as one of their numbers. The best part remains the fact that they were on the week after The Rolling Stones.
Already, listeners to “Q&A” are thrust into a world that doesn’t fully make sense. It looks like our own, but something feels off. The instrumentation is so discordant that one can’t help but wonder why anyone with common sense would do it. “Uncontrollable Urge” was mainstream by comparison. However, if anyone thought that Devo was only doing these tracks as a gag, I would recommend giving their next two songs a listen. “Praying Hands” and “Space Junk” may be even more obtuse, but I’d argue they delve into Devo’s knack for writing covert commentary. “Space Junk” is the perfect inversion to America’s fascination with space race mentality and the idea of filling outer space with satellites and, of course, junk. Given that billionaires have thrown their old cars beyond orbit in more recent years, I’d argue it’s a prescient number. Meanwhile, I feel like “Praying Hands” is about obedience to capitalism with one of the funniest moments on the whole record where a backing vocalist says:
Roll over, play deadGet spiritual minded
I accept that there are ways to read this as a religious song, but how Mothersbaugh details a routine lifestyle makes me think it’s more about finding the desire to go to work. He repeats characters going into “doggy submission” as if you’re somebody’s bitch. Given that it’s in a comical punk version of a 50s soul song, it only adds to the subversiveness with which “Q&A” is crafted. Their sound may be new in theory, but it’s mostly a warped version of genres that were popular a decade prior.
I think if there’s one song that may or may no have aged well, it’s “Mongoloid.” I will always have a special fondness for the track because it was the first song I learned on bass. The melody is simple and builds in this haunting way where the synths come in and then the drums have an overpowering blast beat for one measure. However, I think some may find the song offensive. I’m unsure if the term “Mongoloid” is pejorative, but it could be seen as belittling the character. Devo has suggested that it’s meant more as a commentary on a certain type of man trying to feel normal in society. As someone who is neurodivergent, the way the melody and vocals feel alien only help to create something that I think informs the song’s viewpoint. I personally still like it, but respect those who may take umbrage.
If there is one song that I think defines Devo, it’s “Jocko Homo.” Inspired by the pamphlet they found at Kent State, they wrote a song detailing their worldview. Whereas the other songs could be seen as having some sense of normalcy to the world that the listener exists in, this is the weird centerpiece. De-evolution is given an odd time signature that plays like a drunken waltz before Mothersbaugh turns to the agenda. The seriousness with which he sings will either endear the track to you or find you completely tuning out. As he claims at one point, “God made man, but he used the monkey to do it.” I think Devo’s greatest gift on “Q&A” is that you’re left wondering if this is real and the people are sincere. I argue it’s satirical to a fault, managing to find truth in the cartoonish nature of their style. It makes the messaging easier to convey. Also, in an age of “fake news,” I think “Jocko Homo” has an overbearing relevance in reflecting how people as a species may have lost the plot. Then, in a dizzying change-up, the song returns to a normal time signature for most of the closing where Mothersbaugh performs a fast-paced call and response in order to create the sense that he’s drilling in the message. It concludes with a sublime cry of “Okay, let’s go!” as if everyone is assimilated. It’s not their catchiest song, but I’d argue it’s among their most essential.
I’m not as wild about “Too Much Paranoias” which feels like a quick track about how the fast food industry creates this sense of obedience to the customer. At the same time, it’s a track about how people pleasing is a toxic trait because, as the character reveals, they are still disconnected from the people in their lives. It’s the quickest track and Mothersbaugh’s vocals are so frantic that it’s charming. However, I think it only works as a pairing with “Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy)” in that it helps to build the erratic pacing that Devo is going for. “Gut Feeling” is one of the most conventionally pretty songs on the album and has an epic lead-in that would not be out of place on a lot of these Make It New albums. I also like how the synths compliment the guitars and it’s removed from the digital sound of the tracks around it. As the song transitions into the “(Slap Your Mammy)” part, it’s once again an absurd confusion on why Devo wants to hoot and holler as they do the most obnoxious punk version of a hoe down imaginable.
The final stretch is arguably where the album feels the most filler, though not without the Devo charm. “Come Back Jonee” was one of the songs that got Bowie’s attention and you could see why. There’s something fun about the backing vocals doing a girl group parody. The only difference is that there’s something off about them repeating “Jonee” in the background. I think that “Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Getting)” is a tad better and plays around with form the most on the album. This could be because of how Mothersbaugh says “sloppy” in a high-pitched manner as the track slowly falls apart. The rest is so upbeat that it captures the retail therapy nature of the character. There is the high on the verse, but the chorus reflects reality setting in, finding it difficult to rationalize the joys they’re buying into. “Shrivel Up” is a slower tempo and finds a singer happily telling the listener to submit, to shrivel up and give into the system. Its gentleness arguably makes it more haunting, as it reflects the subliminal messaging that allows to one buy into corruption.
Overall, I think that “Q&A” is an odd duck. I can understand why people would dislike Devo. They have created their own lane and nobody could hope to compete with them. It’s thrilling and comes with a whole host of self-made music videos. The viewer is left wondering who Booji Boy is and why they’re wearing red energy domes. They are weird to a fault, and it’s maybe why they haven’t escaped the one hit wonder criticism. Even then, those willing to buy into the idea of this art rock band, you’re likely to find something meaningful and even deeper. There is a reason that Mothersbaugh has gone on to be a film composer and done odd projects that continued to test the limits of what media can achieve.
The question from here is how much I feel like diving into Devo’s rich career. At the time critics were calling them cold and impersonal, though I think that’s just because of how avant garde they were. Later critics suggested that “Q&A” was a masterpiece and one of the best records of the 1970s. For me, it’s the prime example of what New Wave music could be. It was rock that was popular buy outside of the conventions that came before. Devo may have a lot of roots in preexisting material, but they make it their own and leave the listener sometimes with a headache. It’s evident in their Rolling Stones cover that they don’t care to conform even as they mock it. Few bands have captured the punk ethos even as they moved into more synth-pop as they’ve evolved. I may actually love “Q&A” the most in part because it was the first I heard, but also just because it feels the least polished.
It should also be noted that because I am using Paste Magazine’s list as a guide, I will be returning to Devo for another entry on “Freedom of Choice.” They are one of three bands (Elvis Costello, The Talking Heads) with multiple albums on here. I’d argue all three are deserving of that honor because their records have withstood the test of time best. Maybe they’re more accessible than “Q&A” and I may more willingly put on, but New Wave would feel emptier without this record. The fact it wasn’t immediately beloved only helps to reflect how I feel New Wave as a genre could grow and be reconsidered. Not everything was stuck in the Top 40. Most were just trying to get on MTV and really confuse people. If you’ve seen Devo’s music videos, you’re likely to feel the same way.
For now, I end without detailing a “where are they now?” because I feel that it would be more pertinent in their other entry. For now, the world was getting ready to see what de-evolution could achieve. They would go on a world tour and have international success. Even if most would choose to see them as a cult band, I want to argue that they are something greater. There’s a reason that they still exist in some form to this day, whether as a band or with their music used in works by everyone from Wes Anderson to Jackass. Many have bought into the messaging, if just a little, and that’s saying a lot for those willing to laugh at the darkness, but not without understanding how absurd it can actually be.
Coming Up Next: The B-52’s – “The B-52’s” (1979)
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