# Are we not men?... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2010, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613 "2010-06-17T23:14:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/1 "2010-06-17T23:14:40Z")
We Are DEVO!!! They’re back!!! “I don’t believe in evolution. Therefore I don’t believe in devolution. I believe in intelligent decline.”~ Stephen Colbert [http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.colbertnation.com%2Fthe-colbert-report-videos%2F312645%2Fjune-16-2010%2Fdevo&h=9269cavbIlep-ZdwNOUjmiJDl4Q](http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.colbertnation.com%2Fthe-colbert-report-videos%2F312645%2Fjune-16-2010%2Fdevo&h=9269cavbIlep-ZdwNOUjmiJDl4Q) ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/2 "2010-06-17T23:34:24Z")
And judging by the “song” that they played on Letterman the other night, they are still as talentless and gimmick-oriented as ever… ---
**Author:** ![KatK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c5a1d2/32.png) [@KatK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KatK)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/3 "2010-06-18T06:23:19Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > And judging by the “song” that they played on Letterman the other night, they are still as talentless and gimmick-oriented as ever… Too bad you can’t see how much fun they are. Love the guys, and I believe their music is a million times better than the noise that passes for music nowadays. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/4 "2010-06-18T07:02:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid > Happier than you and me > Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid > And it determined what he could see Good stuff. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/5 "2010-06-18T12:21:06Z")
I thought their performance on Letterman was quite good. There’s just something about the theater/acoustics/whatever that make most bands on the show sound really awful. So if you can come off better than 95% of the folk that appear on that show, you’re doing something right. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/6 "2010-06-18T12:48:30Z")
Gotta track this down. I just saw a DEVO license plate the other day, and it had me reminiscing. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/7 "2010-06-18T12:49:07Z")
I loved them as a kid. One of my first albums was Freedom of Choice, bought with savings from my paper route. Relistening (thank, Rhapsody!) has been fun; they’re pretty compositions are pretty complex and though like many bands a lot of their lyrics are simplistically inscrutable, they covered an absurd range of topics and ideas. Glad to hear they’re back! Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeah! ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/8 "2010-06-18T13:24:00Z")
I got their new album yesterday. It’s really, really, really good. The tracks are all very different. If you are or ever have been a DEVO fan this album is a must. If on the other hand you always found them “talentless and gimmick-oriented” then just skip it. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/9 "2010-06-18T13:37:49Z")
Shrivel up! Their first album is still my favorite. I never felt like they went away, what with the music for the Sims, and Yo Gaba Gaba. ---
**Author:** ![prettydorky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@prettydorky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prettydorky)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/10 "2010-06-18T13:39:50Z")
Devo’s \*Greatest Misses \* is a timeless classic! Fun, playful music with a sense of humor… love it! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/11 "2010-06-18T18:06:12Z")
Obligatory Weird Al mention: [Dare To Be Stupid](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nll8-kSlq6c), Al’s clever style parody of Devo. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/12 "2010-06-18T18:31:45Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid > > Happier than you and me > > Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid > > And it determined what he could see > > Good stuff. 🙂 _Asteroids, I’m playing Asteroids And I’m having such a wonderful time Asteroids, I’m playing Asteroids And I’m slowly losing my mind…_ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/13 "2010-06-18T18:41:45Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > And judging by the “song” that they played on Letterman the other night, they are still as talentless and gimmick-oriented as ever… “Talentless”? DEVO? I’m not sure how you could possibly come to that conclusion. You might not like them, but they had plenty of talent and were certainly influential in post-punk/new wave electronica and synth pop. Despite being mainly known for “Whip It,” they don’t deserve to be remembered only as a one-hit wonder. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/14 "2010-06-18T19:02:28Z")
Now I have “Snowball” in my head. I love DEVO. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/15 "2010-06-18T19:06:01Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Despite being mainly known for “Whip It,” they don’t deserve to be remembered only as a one-hit wonder. Funny, I never thought of them as a one-hit wonder, probably because I was so familiar with them before the hit. Being a Dr. Demento listener in the '70s, I was aware of Devo from the time of their first, self-released single, and I remember the huge buzz that followed their 1978 Saturday Night Live appearance. I would have thought that at least the stuff they released after “Whip It,” like “Peek-A-Boo,” would have been moderate hits. So I looked up their chart history, and wow. Apart from “Whip It,” which reached #14, Devo had five other charting singles. All five stalled at almost exactly the same point, in a range from #102 to #107! ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/16 "2010-06-18T20:01:42Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > …I remember the huge buzz that followed their 1978 Saturday Night Live appearance… Their version of Satisfaction was one of the greatest musical moments on SNL. When they were done, I just stared at the screen in a true WTF moment. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/17 "2010-06-18T20:35:00Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > Their version of Satisfaction was one of the greatest musical moments on SNL. > When they were done, I just stared at the screen in a true WTF moment. Never saw the SNL, but that’s one of the greatest covers ever. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/18 "2010-06-18T21:03:17Z")
Whenever I see the title, all I can think of is “Not to walk on all-fours, that is the Law”. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-not-men/543613/19 "2010-06-20T15:10:59Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > Now I have “Snowball” in my head. I love DEVO. I had “Snowball” on the mix tape at my wedding in the 80s! 😃