This project is about observing life in Iraq from Iraqi citizens with cameras. I'm not making any grand political statements with this, I just haven't seen anything that shows this mess from a perspective which is not skewed.
I am simulatenously mourning the end of Project Runway and celebrating the start of America's Next Top Model tonight. Guilty, guilty television pleasures. If I were to cancel our cable tv, I would be productive times one thousand.
Tomorrow, I am teaching a real college marketing class. Just call me Professor Jen! I just don't want to be an incredible bore to my liberal arty students. I want it to be just like that Van Halen video, Hot for Teacher.....errrrrr....or not. But if David Lee Roth wants to tread on my classroom territory, he's going to have to do his homework just like everyone else, mister.
Disney has put together a group of tweens to make this band:
My initial reaction was anger! But this is a Mark Mothersbaugh sanctioned and approved group. Mothersbaugh and Gerald whatshisface are helping these kids directing videos and such. So would this be considered the devolution of Devo? Devolution of a band about devolution = metaband? I mean, Devo was about human devolving as a result of corporate culture. Does this make your head swirl? Also, Disney's marketing machine kills me. Clearly, these kids aren't even old enough to know who Devo is, but keyboardist Nicole says, "My mom and dad said they were listening to Devo when they were in high school and college, and my mom said she had this eight-track player thing and it had a bunch of Devo songs on it...I'm honored to be the new Mark Mothersbaugh," said Nicole. Sure, Nicole, you little lying 12 year old.
14 comments:
Hey! Do you remember phonographs?! Well they're back, in pog form!
Hey! Do you remember pogs?!
Dev 2.0 (deviation from devolution) makes me sad, but also makes me want to buy the record. I'd put it right next to my Sugar Ray album. I could feel the hair inside my ears growing growing growing after thinking, "Hm. 8-tracks were before MY time and I'm twice as old as this girl. Oh.. god."
They are wearing way to many clothing items for me to respect them.
Adam! Do you want to trade pogs at the flea market this weekend? Sweeeeeeeet. Hush your mouth about 8-tracks, I've got a player and the tapes to prove it. No Devo 8-tracks, sadly...Sighsigh.
If I were to see the Dev2.Oh! CD in the used $1 bin of my local record store, I would consider making that purchase and adding it to my collection of Kidz Bopz! CDs. Sugar Ray CDs belong with Michael Bolton and Yanni (wifebeater) CDs: in the trash, not on the shelf.
Brad! Disney may support the gay and lesbian community, but they do not support child pornography!
First the Mighty Ducks, now this, and Disney (and their shareholders) wonder why the stock has been in the fucking toliet since it split in 1998?
Is Devo that broke that they need to endorse this crap?
I am cranking Devo right now. Mongoloid is turned up to 11 if you are picking up what Im putting down, and Jocko Homo is next.
"Do you remember Alf? Hes back, in pog form." - Millhouse.
The fact that
A.) you (happier man) say these girls could be better than Devo is not only laughable but shows how musically inept you are.
and B.) your mention of the song "Whip It" like its the be all end all of Devo's catalog coupled with you suggesting that Devo sucks because Whip It is a horrible song that you need 'convincing of' does nothing but reiterate point A and furthur show that you are out of your element and truly know dick about Devo.
Which ever label one prefers to give them - post punk, new wave, art punk, american punk, underground, etc. - Devo was one of the best and most innovative groups of their time. Other groups who were similar to Devo and putting out good music at the same time as Devo, see Talking Heads, Television (marquee Moon era), early Blondie, I would even go so far and say early Cars.
Historically punk started in The US. Velvet Underground lead to Detroit which gave way to MC5 and the Stooges which made its way to New York to give us the New York Dolls and then the Ramones. Then shit hit the fan and the UK got its hands on it to change it into a fashion show and gives us groups like Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, Clash, etc. Once at that level, the only NEW bands still doing good "punk" like music in the US were more arsty bands like Devo and the Talking Heads.
Devo's first 3 albums (Q:Are We Not Men? A:We are Devo, Duty Now for the Future, and Freedom of Choice) are all epic albums. Not even taking into consideration the state of music in the late 70's, Devo's music stands up on its own as being good music, and when you do take into consideration the changes being made in music from the transition of the 70's to the 80's, then a band like Devo becomes a goldmine.
It is my opinion that unless you know your music history (pertaining to Devo in this case) and unless you have heard enough of their music, you have no frame of reference.
The fact that you mentioned "Whip It" to me shows that you are not well versed in their albums. If you were you could have picked a much better song for dissection to convince you.
I will switch gears for a second and actually say here that I think Whip It is a bad song. I like it, and when listening to Freedom of Choice, I dont skip over it, but would I defend it as a great song, no. None the less, hardly a reason to trash an entire band.
The Who wrote "You Better You Bet" which is a bad song, by that are they a shithole band? Do you need convincing thats a good song before you give The Who credit?
Stevie Wonder wrote "i just called to say I love you" which blows. So are Talking Book and Innervisions bullshit albums?
The Beach Boys wrote Kokomo which may be the worst song I have ever heard in my life by a band I actually like. So for that latter day sin does that make Pet Sounds an album not worth wiping my ass with?
I could go on and on, but you get the point. To end this on an historical note: Whip It was essiently to down fall of Devo. Reason being very simple, that song broke them into mainstream. With those fans came expectations. So on their follow up album(s), most of the pople waiting to buy it were expecting more crappy pap like Whip It, instead they got an album more along the lines of real Devo music. They hated it, it got bad reviews, and it was the band's proverbial snakebite. The never bounced back from it.
Something to think about.
Barry: Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the '80s and '90s. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?
I won't attempt to hypothesize Devo's reasons for not only approving but actively participating in this Dev2.0 endeavor, but Mark Mothersbaugh basically said, "No, I don't really care," in the press release (which should be taken with a very large grain of salt- as little lying Nicole has already proven). Devo has gone so far as to write two new songs for this new kiddy tribute band. All I'm saying is: Mark Mothersbaugh has been making money producing and writing movie/t.v. scores AND if the other members were in it for the money, they probably wouldn't be directing music videos and writing new songs. They'd pick up their fat royalty check and call it a day.
My next thought was: are they doing this because they want to make some grand artistic irony about how their band which was all about the devolution of humans through corporate culture is now actively helping one of the most recognizable corporate identities in the world repackage and redesign their music that is simplistically put, "anti-coporation"? Mothersbaugh says no. I've also heard that Mark Mothersbaugh is a royal douche. My point is, there is no reliable source to back up these claims. I sure as hell don't trust a press release put out by Disney- so I guess in a sense, Devo did their job, because I'm not about to believe any thing because a press release told me so.
A question of whether Dev2.0 could sell more records than the original Devo v. artistic superiority- well, that's comparing apples to oranges. I don't doubt that the Disney marketing machine could and would sell their souls to sell the CD, DVD, and tiny red flower pot hats to kids on their 50 Disney channels, throwing a Dev2.0 song into the Shaggy Dog movie, etc. Artistically better, well, that's subjective.
What I look for in a good song is something catchy, like a television commercial jingle. And there's never been anything catchier than "Aruba, Jamaica, ooohhh I wanna take ya..."
Woah-oh-oh, everybody! Devo should have been the least controversial part of this post. I mean honestly, COMIC SANS, people! COMIC SANS!
KK, I do not know who you are, but thank you for commenting. Do you remember the episode of Full House where Uncle Jesse gets to play with the Beach Boys in Hawaii and they play Kokomo? I don't think Uncle Jesse ever had that same rebel attitude after that...
Wasn't Uncle Jesse (from Full House, not to be confused with Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazzard (who never lost his rebel side (nor his rebel flag (note the multiple digressions within the digression, but I digress)))) in the video too? He was. Nothing says rebel sell-out like playing the keyboard in a soon-to-be VH1 favorite video. I think that's why Rebecca eventually dumped him. My favorite episode was the one where the kids got into trouble, tried to hide it from Dad, Dave Coullier futher wanged things up, then Uncle Jesse came in to save the day and Dad casted the moral lesson. Oh wait, that was the entire series.
And you don't know me, but I know you. Odd dynamic, isn't it?
KK. Oh that Kimmy Gibbler, she's such a hoot!
I've never really gotten over the fact that Alanis Morrisette sang an angry song about going down on Dave Coullier in a theater. Uncle Joey with his hand up that puppet's bum will never be the same.
And, I know who you are and what sports teams you cheer for. (Cue diabolical laughter)...What?
MY BLOG WORD VERIFICATION INCLUDES AN UMLAUT. WHAT A SICK JOKE.
The best episode of full house to me is hands down the "Jesse and Becky's Wedding Part 1"
First Jesse and Becky's dad hate each other, then Jesse goes skydiving, gets caught in a tree, and get arrested in Tomatoe country.
Oh that Uncle Jesse.
Frank, in the words of Fred Durst, spokesman of our generation, "I think we're all in agreeance."
I endlessly pleasure myself to that scene where gets Uncle Jesse stuck in that tree. And also him locked in the closet of his nightclub the opening night. Ummmm...
I mean, no, I don't. Yes I do.
In the wedding part 2, they finally get to the church which was drven by the leader of the black gospel choir. So when they get there, they go through the ceremony and then Uncle Jesse sings his wedding song to becky and out of nowhere the entire gospel choir (whom they just met a short bus ride before from Tomato Country to the churh) files into the church, lines up, and starts singing backup to Jesse's chorus.
I remember being a kid, maybe 10 years old, and seeing that for the 1st time and thinking "what the fuck is this shit? They just met these people, how do they know the chorus?"
Even more sad that me remembering this episode in detail, is that I still know word for word the song Jesse sand to Becky.
Frank! That is not sad at all. That is grandmotherfucking awesome is what that is.
Do you remember the song Tommy Page sang to Stephanie on her 10th Birthday on Full House. Cause I sure do. And I was always super excited when Stephanie and DJ argued about who the song was really about (they both thought it was themself) when in actuality it was Tommy Page's non-Tanner family girlfriend, JENNIFER. Which proves once and for all, that I am dating a former pop star.
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