DEVO

Be like your ancestors or be different. It doesn't matter.
Lay a million eggs or give birth to one.
Wear gaudy colors or avoid display. It's all the same.
The fittest shall survive yet the unfit may live.
We must repeat.

(Trust me there would be no MutantNation without the early influence of these Mutants - Roblem)

Devo (The De-Evolution Band) is a proto-industrial New Wave/Rock band originating from Akron, Ohio, whose first performance was in 1972. Co-founders Gerry Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Bob Lewis were students at Kent State University at the time the National Guard shot and killed students at a protest against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia - the 'pivotal moment' in their founding, according to co-founder Gerry Casale.

Devo's music and stage show mingled kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and satirical social commentary in discordantly synthesized pop songs that often featured unusual time signatures. They proved hugely influential on new wave music.

The band's deliberately constructed 'geeky' image also enabled them to expound often provocative commentaries about the state of American society and, like Frank Zappa, beneath the clownish exterior there was serious musicianship, and socio-political content.

Devo was probably as well known for their image as for their music, donning uniforms that mocked industrial culture and pop consumerism, such as the yellow chemical-protection suits during the early Q: Are We Not Men? period, matching plastic hairdos, masks and the signature "flower pot" hats (energy domes) for Freedom of Choice -- which were intended (according to the band) to channel their sexual energy into their voices. Mark Mothersbaugh also donned a baby mask to create his famous alter-ego, Booji Boy (pronounced Boogie Boy), who symbolised the infantile regression that Devo saw in so much of American culture. The character featured in many stage performances and video clips, as did Booji Boy's father, General Boy (played by Mothersbaugh's own dad), who satirised American authority figures.

Devo were pioneers of the music video; the video for 'Whip It' became an early staple of MTV — and their many promotional films and video clips are important landmarks in the development of this genre. They also pioneered the use of long-form promotional video cassettes with releases such as The Truth About De-Evolution and The Men Who Make The Music, which mixed self-produced conceptual video clips with live performance footage and mock-documentary segments. Devo created and directed many of their own videos, and the band has cited the video for the song "Beautiful World" as their favourite example of their video work.