Devo
Devo
Devo, short for “De-Evolution,” formed in Kent, Ohio, in 1973. They formed as artistic response to the May, 1970 shooting of unarmed war protestors on the Kent State campus. Founding members Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale were both Kent State students at the time, and involved in SDS, along with early collaborator Bob Lewis. The idea of “De-Evolution” was an art school joke, often at the expense of the culture around them and the bad art of fellow students. Following the Kent State shootings, the joke “became real” according to the band.
“De-Evolution,” the idea that humanity was regressing instead of progressing, remains the major focus of the group. Their lyrics often contain pointed satire at human foibles, such as greed, violence, and sexual hangups. Devo’s image was a source of De-Evolutionary satire, as well, with identical, absurdist uniforms to satire conformity, and selling equally absurd Devo branded merchandise as a tongue-in-cheek response to commercialism.
Devo first performed as the Sextet Devo, at the 1973 KSU Performing Arts Festival. The next year, Devo performed as a four-piece of Mark Mothersbaugh (synthesizer), Bob Mothersbaugh (guitar), Gerald Casale (bass, vocals), and Jim Mothersbaugh (electric bongos). By mid-1975, Jim Mothersbaugh left the group, and they recruited Alan Myers on drums. Myers’s extremely tight sense of rhythm quickly earned him the nickname “The Human Metronome” by the band. Bob Casale joined the group on rhythm guitar and keyboards the same year. With two Bobs in the group, the band quickly assigned Bob Mothersbaugh the moniker of “Bob 1” with Casale assigned “Bob 2.” This lineup would endure until 1985.