Devo's Freedom of Choice

As a young teenager, I remember being entranced by Devo, so delightfully different from the pop-rock garbage on the radio.  I joined Club Devo and eagerly awaited every new release.  Alas, I never saw them live.  Looking back after three decades, I am realizing how much I missed in Devo's music.  Evie Nagy has filled in a lot of gaps for Devo fans in Devo's Freedom of Choice.

Focusing on Devo's third album, Freedom of Choice, Nagy tells Devo's story.  She draws extensively on interviews with band members, who lend insight into the creative process behind the album and tell great stories about the life of Devo.  Perhaps more importantly, Nagy places the album in context.  She quotes contemporary reviews and other musicians who were influenced by Devo, and discusses Devo's place in and influence on the general state of rock music.

I enjoyed reading some of the backstory of the songs.  On "Whip It": it wasn't meant to be sexual.  They say "We wrote it as a 'you can do it, Dale Carnegie' pep talk for President Carter." After so many fans assumed a sexual theme, for the music video, "Devo ran with the S&M theme to the absurd extreme."

Devo famously had a dysfunctional relationship with record labels.  They also continuously satirized commercial culture.  So it's interesting to read their thoughts on the subject of money and success.  Nagy writes, "While Devo objected to the excessive corporate greed that led to unacceptable levels of inequality, they of course were not opposed to making money. . . ."  They also had a contentious relationship with MTV.  When the network started, Devo was one of a very few bands that had been making videos of their songs, so Devo got heavy rotation.  Soon, all the bands were doing it, and MTV shifted from "playing all the art stuff that was out there, to concentrating on music videos that record companies were basically making as commercials for the albums they were trying to sell." Since Devo didn't get the radio airplay that many other bands got, the found themselves excluded from MTV's rotations.

Now that I'm well into middle age, I have to admit Devo's music doesn't move me like it did when I was kid.  But I do still love it!  As a conservative Christian I probably shouldn't embrace them; I certainly don't embrace their liberal politics and atheism.  As a conservative Christian 13 year old, I know I didn't get some of that subtext.  As I've looked back at some of Devo's videos, I am also reminded that Mark Mothersbaugh is to blame for giving me the idea that it would be cool to wear my racquetball eye guards to a party.  I was a dork.

Spuds will love the nostalgia and the insiders' information in Devo's Freedom of Choice.  You may or may not agree with Mark that Freedom of Choice marked "the end of Devo."  But a good case is made here that, while their later work is enjoyable, this album did mark their pinnacle.  Non-spuds who think of Devo as a one-hit wonder will be surprised to read of Devo's impact and musical influence.  Spuds and non-spuds alike will want to dust off their old LPs or cassettes, or pull up some songs on YouTube, and relive the early days of Devo, a great band ahead of its time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Sometimes being a blogger means getting to read books you wouldn't have otherwise. This is one of those books. I've never really been a Devo fan. Before reading this book (I listened to the album before reading this), I had heard two of their songs. "Whip It," because everyone has heard that one. And "Girl U Want," because it was in Tank Girl. Not that I dislike them, more that their music just hadn't been something I explored. My appreciation had always been more of a "you influenced bands I like, and for that I respect you" sort.

This book put Devo's music in context. How the music came out to counter the arena rock that was so popular at the time, which explains why my geeky friends of a certain age love Devo. And I think that explains why I don't "get" Devo the way they do.

Overall the book was a fun read, although it jumped around at times and could be hard to follow. Which is why I really wanted to give this book three and a half stars, but I felt like three was two low so I went with four.

I still remember the day in 1980 when I bought Devo's Freedom of Choice album. They were one of my favourite bands at the time, and this was a definite breakthrough album for them. The success of "Whip It" took everyone, including Devo, by surprise. (For what it's worth, my favourite songs on this album are the title track and two others, "Gates of Steel" and "Snowball.")

Evie Nagy's book on Freedom of Choice is a solid look back at the point where everything changed for Devo. As 33 1/3 books go, this is one of the more straightforward ones, built on research and interviews with a lot of the key players, looking at the album's creation and its place in Devo's career, It's a good read, and Nagy gets Devo's mix of nerdishness, humour, and serious political intent. Unlike a few books that keep an extremely tight focus on the album at hand, this one provides history on the band, leading up to and following on from Freedom of Choice.

1980 was a strange time. new wave had caught on enough, and Devo had trimmed out some of its experimentalism enough, that the band that was too weird for a lot of people a year before was suddenly just weird enough to be a cool, fun party music band, like the B-52s. But the Reagan era was about to start, and Devo struggled with being expected to produce another hit record while also wanting to wanting to push their messages to an audience that seemed to miss the point entirely.

Nagy does a solid job bringing together new quotes from Devo members, others involved with the album, other people from Devo's circle over the years, and other musicians as well as bits from contemporary articles to tell a story that's well worth reading for anyone interested alternative music or 1980s pop culture.

(Not what my library buys, but I'll be recommending it online and buying the paperback.)