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Devo: Same Band, New Century / Live In The Land Of The Rising SunDirector: Gerald V Casale / Scott Stanton M 15+ 119 mins / 54 mins Warner While they're remembered by most people as That Band What Did Whip It, Devo were probably the most interesting US group of the 70s. They shouldn't really have been a band at all: the music side of Devo was originally but one facet of an all-consuming arts/philosophy project based around the concept of de-evolution, a theory that humans were actually getting dumber and more violent rather than developing toward some sort of Platonic ideal (and yes, any biologist worth their salt will tell you that evolution doesn't work towards ends but acts randomly within an environment, but you can see what the band were getting at). Frustrated with life in Akron, Ohio, and shocked by the events at nearby Kent State University (where the US national guard opened fire on a group of student protesters, killing four) this group of like-minded artists finally settled around the brothers Casale (Gerald and Bob) and Mothersbaugh (Mark and Bob) and drummer Alan Meyers, who picked up (and built) instruments, pulled on rubber masks and began making some of the strangest American music ever. 'Now It Can Be Told: The Complete Truth About De-Evolution' was originally released in 1991 as a videodisc (remember that pre-DVD technology, kids?) and is a collection of video clips stretching from 1976's 'The Beginning Was The End' short film (which contained Secret Agent Man and Jocko Homo, the band's de-vo manifesto ) to 1990's Post Post-Modern Man. As a history of the video clip it's a pretty sweet journey; the band were one of the first to see the possibilities of the medium in the pre-MTV days, and songs like The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise, Girl U Want, Beautiful World and Through Being Cool are just plain great, visuals or no. However, the best thing is the commentary recorded for the videodisc by main strategists/frontmen Gerald Casale and Mark Motherbaugh, who are both informative and - since this was recorded not long after the band wound down after two under-performing albums on Enigma - bitchy as all hell. Casale in particular was clearly not worried about getting Xmas cards from his former record company as he curses the budgets they were given for their final videos Disco Dancer (great song, inventive video) and Post Post-Modern Man (average song, dreadful video featuring a writhing Penthouse Pet at the label's insistence). There are also a few absences: R U Experienced? (which was on the laserdisc version) is missing since Jimi Hendrix's estate refused to license it. The extras are also great with early live performances, film insets from their live shows (Devo were also one of the first bands to integrate film into their gigs, and in the commentary Casale explains the nightmare process of synching up film and music pre-MIDI), costumes, excerpts from mascot Booji Boy's 'My Struggle' and tonnes more. It's also been packed with a DVD of their 1996 reunion set at Lollapolooza (with Josh Freeze subbing on drums, looking terribly uncomfortable in his yellow jumpsuit), showing a clearly delighted band still hurling around the stage. If the band looked a bit grey and pudgy in 1996, they look positively middle-aged in 2003 on 'Live In The Land Of The Rising Sun' with late period drummer David Kendrick back on the drum stool. They're also inspirational: sure, the set is much the same as their 1996 one (and there's nothing later than 1980's 'Freedom Of Choice') but they still tear through Uncontrollable Urge, Smart Patrol/Mr DNA, Mongoloid, Whip It and more with enthusiasm. The set is intercut with clips of Japanese interviews from the tour, which are interesting enough; although you'll learn more about Gerald Casale's activity with Japanese groupies than you'd ever, ever wish for. Neither film takes the place of the epoch-spanning critical documentary that I fervently hope someone is making on the band (for one thing, I want to hear more from Bobs 1&2), but if you have ever thought music could do with being a bit smarter, or have dismissed Devo as being those zany guys with flowerpots on their heads, you'd be wise to give these a watch.  |
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