29 Facts About Devo

Devo is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973.

Name Devo comes from the concept of "de-evolution" and the band's related idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind had begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society.

Devo returned to perform in the Student Governance Center at the 1974 Creative Arts Festival with a lineup including the Casale brothers, Bob Lewis, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Jim Mothersbaugh on drums.

Devo gained some fame in 1976 when the short film The Truth About De-Evolution directed by Chuck Statler won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival.

In 1977, Devo were asked by Neil Young to participate in the making of his film Human Highway.

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In March 1977, Devo released their first single "Mongoloid" backed with "Jocko Homo", the B-side of which came from the soundtrack to The Truth About De-Evolution, on their independent label Booji Boy.

In 1979, Devo traveled to Japan for the first time, and a live show from this tour was partially recorded.

Devo actively embraced the parody religion Church of the SubGenius.

In concert, Devo sometimes performed as their own opening act, pretending to be a Christian soft rock band called "Dove ", which is an anagram of "Devo".

Devo gained a new level of visibility with 1980's Freedom of Choice.

Devo made two appearances on the TV show Fridays in 1980, as well as on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, American Bandstand, and other shows.

Devo recorded two albums of their own songs as elevator music for their fan club, Club Devo, released on cassette in 1981 and 1984.

Devo enjoyed continued popularity in Australia, where the nationally broadcast 1970s–1980s pop TV show Countdown was one of the first programs in the world to broadcast their video clips.

In 1981, Devo contributed a cover of "Working in the Coal Mine", recorded during the Freedom of Choice sessions, to the film Heavy Metal.

Devo released their sixth album, Shout, in 1984 to poor reviews.

In 1987, Devo re-formed with former Sparks drummer David Kendrick to replace Myers.

Devo followed this up with a world tour, and released the live album Now It Can Be Told: Devo at the Palace.

However, Total Devo was not a commercial success and received poor critical reviews.

In 1989, members of Devo were involved in the project Visiting Kids, releasing a self-titled EP on the New Rose label in 1990.

Devo launched a concert tour in support of the album, but poor ticket sales and the bankruptcy and dissolution of Enigma Records, which was responsible for organizing and financing the tour, caused it to be cancelled part way through.

In January 1996, Devo performed a reunion concert at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Also in 1996, Devo released a multimedia CD-ROM adventure game, Adventures of the Smart Patrol with Inscape.

In 2005, Devo recorded a new version of "Whip It" to be used in Swiffer television commercials, a decision they have said they regretted.

Devo continued to tour actively in 2005 and 2006, unveiling a new stage show at appearances in October 2006, with the Jihad Jerry character performing "Beautiful World" as an encore.

Devo played their first European tour since 1990 in the summer of 2007, including a performance at Festival Internacional de Benicassim.

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In December 2007, Devo released their first new single since 1990, "Watch Us Work It", which was featured in a commercial for Dell.

Devo was scheduled to perform at Moogfest, but Bob Mothersbaugh severely injured his hand three days prior, and the band was forced to cancel.

In January 2021, Funko released two Devo Funko Pops inspired by the group's "Whip It" and "Satisfaction" music videos.

Casale claimed that Devo were not at fault, as it was the publishing company's duty to pay him, not the band's.