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Emperor_Zar t1_jd8j3c2 wrote

Reply to comment by Typical_Humanoid in Devo documentary film announced (simply titled 'Devo') and will be directed by Tiger King/American Movie/Fyre director Chris Smith by YoureASkyscraper

What surprised me about listening to most of DEVO’s albums is how anti-establishment they are. I really quite like it.

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sanspoint_ t1_jd8zbed wrote

Do you know why they're so anti-establishment?

The founding members of the group were students at Kent State and were witness to the shooting of students engaged in an anti-war protest by the National Guard. That'll make anyone anti-establishment.

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Emperor_Zar t1_jd943c5 wrote

I knew about that event, but I did NOT know they were there/witness to it. TIL.

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sanspoint_ t1_jd97lxt wrote

Yeah, it blew my mind when I first heard about it too. Gerald Casale even knew two of the students who were killed. He’s said in interviews that he “quit being a hippie” and “got mad” after that. He gave a speech at the 40th anniversary of the shootings, and you can find it on YouTube.

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Mosenji t1_jdahmpc wrote

Chrissie Hynde and Joe Walsh were there too. All dropped out and founded bands.

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MonksHabit t1_jd8mw4l wrote

I was listening to “Girl U Want” and “Freedom of Choice” the other day and it struck me how much of a straight ahead rock band they were. We all had the impression that they were new wave electronica, but they sound pretty organic by today’s standards.

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stevencastle t1_jd9axxo wrote

Check out their Hardcore compilations, it's demos from before they got a record contract. They were pretty punkish back then, before punk was a thing.

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stomach t1_jd96x00 wrote

i agree - the tempo and vibe was very 80s, but the band was mostly relying on synths as substitute guitar parts, whereas lots of other new-wave bands were trying to make 'synth music.'

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Emperor_Zar t1_jd93yn9 wrote

“Some Things Never Change” which was featured as the title song to the 1988 game Nueromancer (based on the 1984 Novel by William Gibson), is a VERY good song and is just as relevant today, as it was then. Scarily so.

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