::SHOUT IT OUT to DEVO!::

mailed 11/18/2004:
Subject: Forget the kids in Texas

On Nov 18, 2004, at 12:46 PM, Anthony Petrecca wrote:

Holy horsepoop, cross dressers in Texas have nothing on this story from Time magazine... words fail me here!
Yup, pin this one on Billy Sunday and William Jennings Bryan.
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004:

At a park called Dinosaur Adventure Land, run by creationists near Pensacola, Florida, visitors are informed that man coexisted with dinosaurs. This fantasy accommodates the creationists' view that the Earth is only 6,000 years old and that Darwin's theory of evolution is false. Among the park exhibits is one that illustrates another creationist article of faith. It consists of a long trough filled with sand and fitted at one end with a water spigot. Above the trough is a sign reading “That River Didn't Make That Canyon.” When visitors open the spigot, the water quickly cuts a gully through the sand, supposedly demonstrating how the Grand Canyon was created, practically overnight, by Noah's flood. That's nonsense, of course, but what else would you expect at a creationist park? Certainly, one might think, this couldn't be acceptable at, say, a National Park, right? Think again.

Two-thirds of the way across the continent, some four million people annually visit Grand Canyon National Park, marveling at the awesome view. In National Park Service (NPS) affiliated bookstores, they can find literature informing them that the great chasm runs for 277 miles along the bed of the Colorado River. It descends more than a mile into the earth, and along one stretch, is some 18 miles wide, its walls displaying impressive layers of limestone, sandstone, shale, schist and granite.

And, oh yes, it was formed about 4,500 years ago, a direct consequence of Noah's Flood. How's that? Yes, this is the ill-informed premise of “Grand Canyon, a Different View,” a handsomely-illustrated volume also on sale at the bookstores. It includes the writings of creationists and creation scientists and was compiled by Tom Vail, who with his wife operates Canyon Ministries, conducting creationist-view tours of the canyon. “For years,” Vail explains, “as a Colorado River guide, I told people how the Grand Canyon was formed over the evolutionary time span of millions of years. (Most geologists place the canyon's age at some six million years). Then I met the Lord. Now I have a different view of the Canyon, which according to a biblical time scale, can't possibly be more than a few thousand years old.”

Vail's book attracted little notice when it first appeared in the NPS stores in 2003, until a critical review by Wilfred Elders, a respected University of California geologist, brought it to light and took apart its pseudoscientific claims. That led David Shaver, who heads the Geologic Resources Division of the Park Service, to send a memo to headquarters urging that the book be removed from the NPS stores. “It is not based on science,” he wrote, “ but on a specific religious doctrine and should not have been approved for in NPS affiliated book stores.”

The presidents of The American Geological Institute and six of its member societies also weighed in, expressing their dismay to the Park Service. Noting that the Grand Canyon “provides a remarkable and unique opportunity to educate the public about Earth science,” the scientists urged that, “in fairness to the millions of park visitors, we must clearly distinguish religious from scientific knowledge.”

But when Grand Canyon National Park superintendent Joe Alston attempted to block the sale of Vail's book at canyon bookstores, he was overruled by NPS headquarters, which announced that a high-level policy review of the matter would be launched and a decision made by February, 2004. So far, no official decision has been announced.

Even worse, according to the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), an organization that includes many Park employees, papers obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that no review has ever taken place. Indeed, PEER claims that the Bush Administration has already decided it will stand by its approval for the book and that hundreds more have been ordered. “Now that the book has become quite popular,” explained an NPS flack to a Baptist news agency, “we don't want to remove it.”

Even more troubling, PEER charges that Grand Canyon National Park no longer offers an official estimate of the age of the canyon, and that the NPS has blocked publication of guidance intended for park rangers that reminds them there is no scientific basis for creationism. The group has been increasingly concerned about what it calls the Park Service's “Faith-Based Parks” and the agency's seeming indifference to the separation of church and state Among other moves, for example, NPS has allowed the placing of bronze plaques bearing Psalm verses at Grand Canyon overlooks. PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch is indignant, “If the Bush Administration is using public resources for pandering to Christian fundamentalists, it should at least have the decency to tell the truth about it.”

Is this religious bias, as some creationists charge? Hardly. It's more than likely that the majority of scientists, environmentalists and others protesting the NPS stand are themselves intelligent, rational Christians who are convinced by overwhelming evidence that the Grand Canyon is no Johnny-Come-Lately. The creationists have demonstrated again that they are scientifically illiterate, and out of step with the 21st century.

-- anonymous

mailed 11/6/2004:
Subject: DEVO Mashes Chicago

Hey DEVO,

Through the wonders of E-Bay, my own driven self-obsessions, and the fact that you cannot get enough de-evolutionary education, my son and I made the trip to Chicago to see if what was again learned in NYC was still consistently being spread throughout the midwest. I am happy to report that this is indeed the case, although the irony of it all coming down to Ohio, the birthplace of de-evolutionary thought, cannot be ignored. I am sure that Gerry has insight to the reasons why, and we wait for his informed reply. I along with the rest of the country, sat fixated on the round ended state that is high in the middle early November 3rd. Wow.

In the meantime, the Chicago show was as raw and back to basics as I have ever seen the boys, with a powerful set not unlike NYC, and rest assured they left it all on the stage that night. I am enclosing some pictures for those of you not lucky enough to have been there. My son, wearing the energy dome we caught in NYC, was exposed to the real DEVO that I remember from the early days. I am stilll baffled at the energy level, as we stood dead center 2 deep in the "mash pit". We had a great time and met many new spuds in the know, before, during, and after this great party. There is nothing like a live DEVO performance. My 8th, and hopefully not last, DEVO experience was as good as they get.

All in all, a great weekend in Chicago (which is a great town), a chance to spend quality time with my son, all thanks to boys from Akron. What could be better?

Thanks DEVO and duty now, more than ever,

-- Tom Q./Manalapan, NJ

mailed 11/1/2004:
Subject: Coaching Session

Thought you'd enjoy this day brightener. Chimps across America, however, are demanding a retraction.
Finally, see with your own eyes ----- irrefutable proof President Bush was coached for the last debate:

-- from HC

mailed 8/7/2004:
Subject: DEVO not fit for the public

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/06/library.cdsettlement.ap/index.html

The Kansas attorney general has withheld more than 1,600 compact discs from distribution to state libraries because officials determined the albums promote violence or illegal activity, records show. The albums removed by Attorney General Phill Kline's office were part of 51,000 discs given to Kansas as part of a nationwide settlement to resolve allegations of price fixing.

The confiscated CDs included recordings by 25 musicians, including rap artists such as OutKast and Notorious B.I.G., rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Stone Temple Pilots, and even older acts such as Lou Reed and the 1980s experimental group Devo. Gentlemen, I'd be proud to be in such company!

cheers -- Michael Cobb

mailed 7/31/2004 :
Subject : 7th Times The Charm

Thanks DEVO for an excellent time in Central Park last Friday. My 7th, and possibly best DEVO show was a pleasant da-da experience on several levels. Got together with guy's I grew up with, my brothers and sister also, and what was most important, my 13 year old son. Even the rain lent a totally DEVO-esque touch to the party. We bought yellow and orange rain panchos, and a black magic marker, 'nuff said. Even caught an Energy Dome for my son! As Gerry promised, the show certainly mashed potatoes. We were right up front and into it all the way! And in a bizarre finale', as soon as Boojie left the stage, the skies opened up. Whoa.

The next night my brother and I took my son down to the FUSE gallery in the East Village. Problem: No mention that it was 21 years and older to enter.
We wait til 8:30 for Mark, as the kid wearing his "Duty Now" shirt, and armed with a Sharpie Marker and his "Freedom of Choice" CD gets to meet his man.

Mark couldn't have been nicer to him, signed his CD Mark-O-DEVO, (which cracked me up) and intuitively turned to his wife and said "this is why they shouldn't have alchohol at these things". I thought that was really solid, and it made my son feel great. Mark, I cannot thank you enough. I was gonna ask if something could be done, but the way you handled it was the right touch. He did want to meet Gerry and the Bob's (as he is so inspired, I had to buy him a guitar this week). My brother taught him the first 8 bars of "Girl-U-Want" and he's now taught himself the first twelve bars of "Iron Man", so you can just imagine what it is like in my house now, over and over. I guess it is only a matter of time until "Smoke on the Water". Thank you Bob-1. Is that how you started?

Overall, a great DEVO weekend, a little bummed we couldn't meet the rest of the band, (although he is still talking about meeting Mark), but you guy's made a life long memory for a 13 year old boy and his 46 year old, teen-age father. Thanks again, and we will be watching on WABC-CH7 on August 14.

I went on the web-site to try to purchase tickets in Chicago, as I was going to surprise him and fly out (would our dad's have done this, or what?), but alas, you have sold out. If there is any way you could put me in touch with 2, I will happily buy them and make the "trek". You can connect via my e-mail. If not, thanks for getting it up again, and I look forward to you guy's doing it again here. You have to admit, NYC welcomed you with open arms. BTW -- the Yeah-Yeah-Yeahs were really something as well. Thanks again, guys.

-- Tom Quercia, Manalapan, NJ

mailed 7/24/2004:
Subject: Devolution in NYC

SPUDS! - I'm sure you will get thousands of accolades, but I'm compelled to share mine as well. Your central park show was, in a word, fantastic. I cannot describe how great it was to see you live after 21 years. Never did I think it would happen.

I have been devolved since your performance of snowball on Merv Griffen, when I was 15. Of course, my history was similar to many in that after buying freedom of choice, I went back and bought your first two albums and never stopped buying. I first saw Devo on the New Traditionalist tour (Tower Theatre in Philly, 1st row stage right, directly in front of the speakers) and then again on the Oh, No tour (only managed 6th row).

Thanks to your greatest hits and misses CDs, smooth noodle maps and the adventures of smart patrol on CD, my two boys, ages now 5 and 7, became hooked. Because they listened to those CDs so much, I bought your first 6 albums on those recently released two albums on one CD deals. (I hope you guys are making money off those.) Because my wife's minivan doesn't have a CD player, we made two mixes on tape so they could listen in that vehicle. The boys picked the songs on their own--a pretty eclectic mix. my one son is fond of 38C on the smart patrol CD, although we told him it was about batteries. I also bought the complete truth DVD and recently the live DVD. (it was a Devo Christmas; I also bought the book. sorry about that.)

Anyway, when I saw you were doing the Nike deal, I was hopped up. I thought I'd have to start running. Then the public show was announced and I knew we all had to go. So along with my wife, my two boys and I sat in the bleachers in the rain through stellastar and then through the yeah yeahs in order to see my third show, and my boys first ever concert. They loved it as did I. Bought an energy dome.

Just as you played the last note the skies opened up and we walked 15 blocks back to our hotel. I carried the little one. it was well worth it. On Saturday, the 7 year old wore the energy dome to lunch at the Stage Deli.

Devo was as crisp as I remember. I especially liked the banter with the audience, which if I remember, did not happen in your early days. It was all business back then. Devo has much wisdom that needs to be heard. I also realized how many songs you are not able to play because there are not enough hours in the day, nor would your now more devolved bodies be able to manage.

Anyway, thanks for the tour. Keep it up as long as you can. We will keep coming. And for god's sake, please put out some new material. the world is devolving and you need to tell the masses how to avoid the traps.

Sincerely, an old tuber, Jim DeCinti and two new spuds, Dominic and Jake DeCinti

mailed 7/12/2004:
Subject: Election Day Terror

Let me get this straight. Osama and his cronies are (theoretically) plotting heinous attacks against the US with the intent of disrupting our democratic process, and the current administration thinks delaying the general election is a viable option to thwart that plan. Ok, gimme a second to think about this logic.. hmmmm...Here, read the story while I contemplate, cuz I'm sure my brain will need a moment to figure this out.Ok, reviewing that logic again: Terrorists want to attack us to disrupt our elections so we think its a good idea to DISRUPT OUR ELECTIONS. Ummmm isn't that giving them exactly what they want? I mean, I'm no genius, but it just seems to me that if they want to disrupt our elections then the one thing we SHOULDN'T do is, uh, disrupt our elections.

Of course, if I were a President losing popularity and felt like seizing dictatorial control, using fear, the best tool my administration has had from the beginning, as an excuse to disrupt the democratic process of my country might be a good idea, but naaaahh... that thought couldn't have crossed anybody's mind, could it?

I for one will be working at my polling place for 12 hours on November 2nd come hell, high water, or nuclear fallout. The brave will be there voting... how bout the rest of you?

-- Anthony P.

mailed 7/11/2004:
Subject: Thank You for showing us the Truth

Spudboys, I say to you "Thanks!" I bought my first album when I was 15. I had seen "Satisfaction" on the now visionarily defucnt MTV and the next day I called all over town looking for your Albums. At the time, you were up to New Trads, so I bought all five albums (DEVO Live included). What I heard in the music was not only entertainment, but encoded messages about how screwed up the world really is and what we spuds can do to protect yourself from it. Those of my peers who did (and still do not) get DEVO missed no opportunity to socially punish me for my choice in music, making me a serious target for mockery (not good for the self image of a nerdy high schooler. Instead of buckle under the pressure of the Mongo-march of my buddies, I stayed the course realizing that following their view of the world would be defeat. Instead, I would embrace even closer DEVO's message.

Over the years, I would explain to everyone the concept of DEVO and encourage them to look past the music if that was not their taste, but rather listen to the MESSAGE, the substance of the music. No Luck! But something miraculous began to happen. I became less and less self-concious about my love of your music and the message and found it easier to fly in the face of huboonery rather than fear the price of non-conformity. It has never been easy, but always made me a better person, knowing that just scratching a little under the surface reveals worlds of truth. I thought I was a master of all that was DEVO. In true DE-Evolutionary form, after reading, "Q:Are we Not Men, A: We are Devo!" I found I didn't know SHIT! AS a result of the book, I have an even more inspired awe of your mission and it's complexity.

Anyway, After getting way off track about DEVO and it's impact on my life, again....Thank you for your hand in making me a responsible upstanding Spud unwavering in the mire of mental grease and grime.

--DarrEn daVisOn

Thanks for your thoughtful e-mail. I find it especially curious that you could reach the conclusion you reached by reading the unauthorized biography "Q: Are We Not men? A: We Are Devo!" Though you couldn't possibly know it the book was done without our approval or co-operation (most of the quotes were extracted from pre-existing sources and the short "interview" with me was done under a different pretext) .The book is loaded with mis-information, delusional distortions and outright lies perpetrated by people with axes to grind. The result is that the significance of the creative process that spawned the almost 100 songs that Mark and I wrote and the excitement of the concepts and aesthetic influences behind our stage shows, costumes and videos gets trivialized and even buried by petty and spiteful politics. These politics are perpetrated by people who often times weren't even involved in the events they spin so far afield but their spin is never-the-less swallowed by the book's writers hook line and sinker. Some day soon we will release another book that sets the record straight on what it meant to be DEVO.

-- Gerald Casale

Michael: He points out the sad truth. First the racist Bush regime co-opts this guy then they send him out to do their dirty work including a dog and pony shoe at the UN for "weapons of mass destruction evidence" then finally a truly humiliating travesty on the world stage as one of the Village People. Please post this as #1 on The Brainwasher with my note. -- GVC, Devo Inc.

mailed 6/6/2004:
Subject: This is as Devolved as it gets

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3861901.stm

-- Michael Bowen

mailed 6/6/2004 :
Subject: Hand Spins

You know, I was sitting here for ages thinking "what I can I type that'll read really cool and smart and impress Jerry Casale enough for him to put it on the Devo website?" ...but then I just thought, dammit, I don't need to try and impress Devo - I just want to tell them honestly how much I enjoy and am inspired by what they do. Sincerely. I finally got my hands on your Complete Truth About De-evolution DVD. (I had to hack my UK DVD player's region settings to be able to even watch the damn thing?! Clearly the powers that be are concerned that if I watch it before you do your tour of UK cinemas, they might loose out on ticket sales :-) I was three years old when you made that first Devo film with Secret Agent Man and Jocko Homo - and 27 years later, in a different continent, I finally get to see it! And it's brilliant! :-) Isn't recorded media wonderful? :-) Do you know what I like best about the whole entire thing? It's the way Boogie Boy just gets carried away and so enthusiastically spins his hands round during the chorus of 'Secret Agent Man'. It's just so funny and poignant, to see little Boogie trying so earnestly to do his dance routine.

Some people have complained about Mark Mothersbaugh selling out and doing silly soundtracks for Rugrats cartoons, but it makes perfect sense to me - Mr Mark was always doing baby stuff. Get 'em early before they de-evolve too far, I say.... thanks Devo.

-- DAVID DAVIS / http://www.feline1.co.uk

mailed 5/28/2004 :
Subject: More 1984

As the Dead Kennedys said back in 1980: "California Uber Alles!"
Here's a link to some more Fascist Orwellian fun in the guise of protection.
Ya know, some wise folks once wrote:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the feedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peacably assemble and to petition their government for a redress of grievances."
But what did they know? I guess if you can't beat em, join em... so I'm here to say repeal the First Amendment! Bring on totalitarianism! There's one sure fire way to create safety: become China! Vehicles inspected at random, thought and speech controlled by the government, individuals imprisoned with no charges pending... W00t! That sounds like the safe life. Come on, join the party! Mao Ze Dung for president! Joseph Stalin for head of Homeland Security. Adolf Hitler for Secretary of State!
"Freedom of choice is what you've got. Freedom FROM choice is what you want." - Devo 1980.

-- from Anthony P.

Michael: Here's one for The Brainwasher with a tip of the hat from General Boy -- GVC, Devo Inc.

mailed 5/13/2004 :
Subject: Brainclaw chooses it's mutations carefully

Greetings, Devo! David and Tara from the band Brainclaw at your service, writing from a heavily devolved community on the East coast of Amerika called Morrisville, Pa. (It's directly across the Delaware River from Trenton, N.J., an even MORE DEVOLVED town).

Ever since I was given a copy of "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!" at the ripe, old age of 10 (a Christmas present from an uncle who had NO idea what he was starting. He just thought the cover was weird.) I have wanted to communicate with you. When we saw people writing in to the Club Devo website, we felt that the time was right.

While trying to NOT sound like a hysterical fanboy, I've eaten up every bit of Devolution I could lay my hands on over the years. I've never had the honor of seeing you lads play live, but that will be rectified on July 23 in Central Park. (Tara and I got tickets to the July 23 show as our wedding present to each other) I've read all of the letters on the site, and my story isn't very different. Young alien type hears Devo, begins to see and hear the Truth, also discovers Gary Numan, Kraftwerk and Yello about the same time, begs parents for a synthesizer, starts using summer job money to buy more electronic gear, begins writing music about the ridiculous world around him, and generally wondering where it went wrong and where it will all end up.

Our current state of focus has us creating BRAINCLAW music, a sort of loud and fast electronic music about the horrors we see around us. Devo is (joyfully) directly responsible, along with the aforementioned artists, for influencing our worldview and the music we write. We've even had some happy successes recently, with one of our songs being chosen for use on the just-released Matrix Revolutions DVD, and two more being used on the upcoming Spiderman Collector's edition DVD. We've released our latest CD, called Insekt/Angel, independently, trying to sidestep the ninnies and the twits in the "Music Industry" as much as is possible. I can't wait to see how digital music distribution changes the face of the god Record Label. We don't have the promotional reach of a Label, but we're doing OK on our own for now. At the present moment, besides writing and playing Brainclaw music, Tara runs a chiropractic office, trying to fight the other evil gods, Big Medicine and Pharmaceutical Industry, while I spend my eight hour grind as a mastering engineer at a large, independent CD manufacturing plant, trying to polish audio turds all day long, getting them ready for mass consumption by an unsuspecting public. I never imagined a job as an audio engineer (once a dream of mine, now a harsh reality) could keep me so close to poverty while leaving me hating music by 5:00pm every day. You actually helped burst my bubble/dream of getting signed one day to a big label and being able to make my living writing music long ago, with your war stories. Now we just keep up the fight as best we can... (so, can I come to the West Coast and work for Mutato? I bet you've had at least 10,000 people ask you THAT question!)We were beaten down so far in the last two years by the media and the state of the world that we made the decision to shoot our TV and eliminate "news" papers and radio from our lives. I got to experience a prime example of Devolution in action when I tried to cancel my cable two years ago. To make an already long story somewhat shorter, I spent one and a half hours on the phone with four different corporate lackeys who tried to tell me that my cable was too important to cancel, and I finally needed an upper-level manager to cancel it for me. Weird, huh? They were bio-corporately incapable of understanding that we didn't WANT to watch their programming anymore. So much for "freedom of choice." I also take major heat when I tell people that I have opted out of this silly farce of Democracy that is foisted on the public. I use your line from an interview I once read where you said that "choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil, and we choose not to participate in that choice." (rough paraphrasing) I think it is a curse and blessing that the Few are doomed to watch the Many bring this thing we laughingly call civilization down around our ears. We've especially enjoyed your Brainwasher segments, in response to the idiocy being perpetrated on the American public and the world by the current regime. What should have been a simple question has turned into my life story, and I apologize. I guess what I really wanted to ask is "What now? How is this all going to end?" Most likely with a whimper and NOT a bang... We try to fight the good fight and die with our boots on. With this letter, we just really wanted to reach out across this scary country and acknowledge the amazing work Devo has done over the years and to tell you that it meant and means everything to us. Your music was and is a refuge for those who could see what was going on, and who felt very alone. I felt like even though things were going to hell, there were other people who understood my horror. Seeing you play this summer will be a wonderful way to finally be in touch with a source of inspiration for me. Being a musician even on the level that we are on now makes me realize that you probably aren't accessible in the kinds of ways that would allow us to necessarily meet face to face. You are extremely busy with your various projects and your businesses. So instead, we send a copy of this letter along with several copies of our new CD to Devo Headquarters as a small "thank-you" for all of the hard work you have done in the trenches before us. You are truly a force for awareness and logic in an otherwise insane world, and we in Brainclaw salute you and hope, in some small way, to help carry this torch onward into the future with our efforts as musicians and as free-thinking, considerate HUMANS. So, (and we say this with intense pride and sense of responsibility) Duty Now for the Future!

Your friends in Brainclaw, David and Tara Giuffre / http://www.brainclaw.com

Michael, This MUST go in the "Brainwasher. It says it all. It was the Terminator himself that trumpeted the strength of NO EXPERIENCE as an enticement to voters. He saluted soldiers returning from their tour of duty in Iraq recently by explaining that he only plays "The Terminator" while they, in fact, are the REAL "Terminators". I wonder if any of the men in the crowd had been responsible for forcing Iraq prisoners into "blow job" positions and photographing them with their homies in the shot wearing shit eating, Ft. Lauderdale, Spring Break, Fraternity hazing, Army Girls Gone Wild grins on their pinhead faces. Isolated bad apples? I don't think so. And you can print this. Devolution is real!

-- Gerald Casale

mailed 5/7/2004:
Subject: Guv

-- from Andrew R. Grantham

mailed 5/4/2004:
Subject: Republicans more devolved than Democrats?

This is the proof we've all been waiting for:
http://www.americanassembler.com/features/iq_state_averages.htm

The dumber the person, the more likely he is to vote Republican.

-- Michael Bowen

This man speaks the truth! -- Gerald Casale.

mailed 4/27/2004 :
Subject: 1984 or 2004?

I'm not bothering with a link here. After my rant I'm just going to post the whole friggin story. Its bad enough that every frustrated teenager who expresses himself these days gets strip searched then suspended because he might be the next Columbine shooter, but now the secret service has to check out a 15 year old for an art project?!?! The strongest, richest nation in the world and somehow a 15 year old kid is a friggin threat?!?! What a bunch of chicken s*#ts we are, we're even afraid of damn kids. Attention Americans: You are going to die someday, your kids are going to die someday, your friends are going to die someday, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. It might be at the hands of a freaked out teenager, it might be at the hands of a Baptist Extremist named McVeigh, but its far more likely going to be because you eat too much, drink too much and smoke too much. Get over your stupid fear of the inevitable and let people live free. Or as Ben Franklin so politely put it once "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. " Here's the story, enjoy Big Brother's antics:

PROSSER -- Anthony Petrecca

Washington (AP) -- Secret Service agents questioned a high school student about anti-war drawings he did for an art class, one of which depicted President Bush's head on a stick. Another pencil-and-ink drawing portrayed Bush as a devil launching a missile, with a caption reading "End the war--on terrorism." The 15-year-old boy's art teacher at Prosser High School turned the drawings over to school administrators, who notified police, who called the Secret Service.

"We involve the police anytime we have a concern," Prosser Superintendent Ray Tolcacher told the Tri-City Herald newspaper.

Secret Service agents interviewed the boy last Friday. The student, who was not arrested, has not been identified. The school district disciplined him, but district officials refused to say what the punishment was. Tolcacher said the boy was not suspended. The artwork was apparently part of an assignment to keep a notebook of drawings, according to Kevin Cravens, a friend of the boy's family. The drawing that drew the most notice showed a man in what appeared to be Middle Eastern-style clothing, holding a rifle. He was also holding a stick with an oversize head of the president on it. The student said the head was enlarged because it was intended to be an effigy, Cravens said. The caption called for an end to the war in Iraq. A message left by The Associated Press with an after-hours duty officer with the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., was not immediately returned on Monday.

"If this 15-year-old kid in Prosser is perceived as a threat to the president, then we are living in '1984'," Cravens said. Tolcacher insisted it was not a freedom of speech issue, but a concern over the depiction of violence.

"From what I saw, [school officials] were right to be concerned," Prosser Police Chief Win Taylor said.

mailed 4/12/2004:
Subject: Thank you, Devo!

Hello, Devo. Let's start this off with the requisite fanboy gushing. I've been a fan of your work since I was old enough to make decisions about what I did and didn't like. At an early age, I spotted a mention of you in a magazine, and the phrase "robots devolved from brain-eating apes" burned itself into my memory. Shortly thereafter, I saw the video for "Satisfaction" in between movies on one of the pay-TV channels. Then, "Whip It" came out, and I demanded Freedom of Choice. I was 10 years old, and it was 1980. John Lennon had just been killed, and the overwhelming sense of Things Going Wrong was just beginning to register with me. Growing up in a small town in Alabama (on a farm, no less) was not easy on a Devotee in those days - not that it was probably particularly easy *anywhere*. But everyone always wondered why I came out so strange. I never bought into the whole culture of redneckism, I never bowed to the altar of George Wallace and proclaimed the superiority of White Folks, and I never pursued the aggressive stupidity that so many others around me went for ("I don't know nuthin' and I don't *need* to know nuthin'."). While my parents were clearly responsible for fostering this bizarre tendency toward actually (*gasp!*) thinking about things, I have to also lay part of the blame at the feet of DEVO. Without the truisms of your commentary on the world around us all, I might have found it easier to sink into the sludge that surrounded me. You didn't make my life any easier, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I thank you.

Which brings us to today.

Since your re-emergence as a band in the mid-90s (I first caught you live, never thinking I'd ever have the chance to do so, at the George, WA Lollapalooza date in 1996), it's been clear that we'd need you guys sooner rather than later. We'd been lulled into a false sense of security in the Clinton years – we just knew that this bubble was never going to burst, that the superficial prosperity was never going to run out. We got lazy. We lost our sense of rigorous attention to chronicling the devolution of our society. And we let the unholy horror of W. become unleashed on our world. DEVO, if I may appropriate a slogan from Nixonian times, "Now More than ever!" We're in a time when we've allowed W. to stage a coup unlike anything since (and surpassing) the assassination of JFK. We've sat back and let ourselves be lied to in ways previously thought impossible, and let ourselves be led into military conflicts more grossly misjudged than anything since Vietnam. We have let our civil liberties get yanked around like a fat kid in a Tilt-a-Whirl, with our rights being expelled like so much popcorn-and-cotton-candy-flavored vomit after the ride is over. We not only allow this, but we *embrace it* with a fervor I never thought I'd see in this country in this time. We live in a time when a celebrated pretty-boy monkey-man like Mel Gibson can make a film out of a medieval passion play, which was originally performed to incite anti-Semitism in those times, and amp up the anti-Semitic content, and show us a person being beaten to death for 2 hours. Not only that, but we live in a time when we support a movie like it to the tune of over $300 million.

The hostile takeover of the government by Big Business and neo-con goons. The fascistic technique of the "Big Lie" being operated directly under our noses? The bullying stupidity of W.? Our culture – social and artistic, being held hostage by religious fundamentalism in the guise of John "Cats are emissaries of the Devil" Ashcroft and Mel Gibson? Wars being waged for no good reason? Freedom of Choice under attack?

Again, Now More than Ever. To quote Nu-Tra and General Boy, "It's time to give the past the slip. It's time for New Traditions. It's time for Devo." When is it *not* these days?

It is with this in mind that I celebrate your upcoming spate of live shows, and the revitalization of the Club DEVO site. New writing from Gerald V.? New Mark artwork? More frequent updates? I applaud it all. To mix metaphors like crazy, you guys threw down the gauntlet, but who is carrying the torch? Who is pointing out our decline? Who is shining a flashlight on these Dark Ages? You may not have painted a pretty picture, and you may not have been able to halt the inevitable sinking, but you at least encouraged people to think and talk about it in avenues where it was all too enticing to follow the Eagles' advice and "Take it Easy." Today, it's so tempting to view what's going on in the world, and think "what would DEVO be saying about *this*?" Thanks to the revitalized site, we can see and read, and thanks to the live shows, the message is being delivered once again to those with the ears to hear.

We must repeat. But we don't have to take it lying down.

Duty Now, -- Aleck Bennett

mailed 4/12/2004:
Subject: How Devo saved one boy

It was the height of the rap craze, 1996. A young man, 16 perhaps, was confused and concerned about this new fad. All around him, his friends were being indoctrinated into a way of living that had absolutely nothing to do with the reality of their lives. He had no problem with the hip-hop ideals per se, and in fact quite enjoyed the pounding beats and sample laden fare. Lyrically, the music spoke of struggle and revolution, both noble ideas whose time had come. The problem, he thought, was the way that his young, white, Canadian friends were now talking with inner-city accents and displaying fashions which hinted that they had been shot in the leg. And it wasn't just one or two of his friends who were now acting differently (yet the same), it was all of them.

What was this? Was this a form of mind control? He knew the music was good, but was it really worth sacrificing your personality for? "What the hell is going on?" he thought, as he threw in the new Public Enemy CD, scanning for subliminal messages.

A year previous, they had all discovered punk rock. Punk provided a window on society that exposed various elements of life that were less than savory. But punk ideas were over 20 years old, and it seemed antique and incapable of explaining this phenomenon. Hip-hop had allot in common with punk, so perhaps the times had simply changed to accommodate a modern context.

No, he thought, there had to be something more going on...but what?

He searched high and low, and behold he fell upon an abandoned book at a bus station near the university. The title of that book "Sociology in Action" would be his answer. It outlined for him the precise mechanism that would result in the anomalous behavior of his friends, and he realized that their so-called rebellion was in fact yet another example of conformity gone mad.

As great as it was to finally have the scientific terms to describe what he was seeing, the kid was now in a precarious position. Not wanting to go overboard and join the masses in their blind adherence to the hip-hop lifestyle, he instead withdrew. He was sad and alone. Reading that textbook did something to his brain, and nobody around him could relate. There were no musicians or artists who incorporated this new-found sociologic information into their work. People on telivision diddn't discuss how humans actually work. Everything seemed different now. He was desperate and confused, on the brink of buying some baggy pants and a baseball cap just to feel like he was a part of something. His lonliness continued for a long time.

Then, late one night, it happened.

The Canadian variant of MTV played a video. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was horrifying and spectacular. It was shocking in a new way. The video was "Jocko Homo" by Devo and it would prove to be a turning point in this young mans life. In those 4 minutes the video aired, the boy went from a shy outcast to a confident, responsible citizen dedicated to a vision of reality that incorporated chaotic truths and intelligence as the highest achievements.

He was not alone.

He rushed out to find the record which contained the song he had seen, but sadly could not find "Jocko Homo". Instead he found one of Devo's later releases, "Shout", on cassette. When he got home, he popped it in his stereo and the effect was stunning. What was this music? This wasn't like ANYTHING he had ever heard, not even close. It sounded like it came form the future! Not some idealized future that you might envision as the result of years of exposure to science fiction films, but the future as it was certain to be; it ran along the trajectory of time in an accurate manner. As he listened, he paid keen attention to the lyrics. He heard the same messages he had heard the night before: Lazer-fine observations of people who cared about society and its workings. They operated from a perspective that was not about blind rebellion for the sake of being cool, but from a place that was intimately concerned about the world in way that was scientifically sound a! nd accurate.

As the weeks unfolded, he purchased every Devo album he could get his hands on. He also purchased books. Big books. University-level texts, poetry, books on law and electronics and every subject imaginable. His grades began to get better. He began to speak more eloquently. He began painting with a new passion, creating interesting and controversial pieces that would ultimately result in his expulsion from the art program at school (an achievement he still holds as one of his highest). Devo taught him that he could create for himself any life he wished. Growing up in poverty and a neighborhood full of drugs, he needed to hear their message. The problems in his life seemed to become less significant in relation to those of the world. Devo even helped him deal with confusing interpersonal problems, and helped him talk to girls.

The kid was evolving.

Evolving beyond his friends.

They couldn't understand why the shy boy was now walking confident and tall and spending so much time at the library. Where did he go at night when they were all getting drunk and passing out? Who IS that hot girl he's dating? I hear she's a cheerleader...

Now the kid is all grown up (sort of). His life is exactly what he wants it to be. He has experienced success beyond his wildest dreams. He travels the world, makes lots of money and is even famous in certain places.

Is it all because he listened to Devo? No, of course not.

Did they help him decide to be a more flexible person in a world gone completely insane? Yes, they did. The lessons he learned from Devo are a significant portion of the bedrock of his life. They gave him something that motivated him to reach beyond his potential into unthinkably surreal places, to take from life what anybody can have but so few believe they can get. And as he sits here writing this, he wonders who he would have become had Devo not shown him "The Complete Truth about De-Evolution."

He knows, with 100% certainty, he wouldn't be as smart, open, creative and serene in the face of insanity.

As booji boy once said "...we're ALL De-Evolved!"

It isn't just a joke. Those are words you can live by.

-- L.C.

PS: Back when the kid first heard Devo, he would tell himself, "Man! I've got to meet these guys someday!" and eventually he did. Devo, I hope you liked the CD...and you were right: SARS was all just hype.

mailed 4/2/2004 :
Subject: Me, Mark, and the Bunny

I'm a DEVO fan who grew up in Akron, OH sent us this photo of him when he was only 2 years old...taken on the same day as the photo of Mark Mothersbaugh...both at the same shopping mall with the same bunny! The photo of Mark with the bunny was featured in the CD booklet for DEVO's "Recombo DNA" CD set.

-Neal

at left:

Mark Mothersbaugh
w/ Akron Bunny.

at right:

Neal
w/ Akron Bunny.

(even the plant on the floor is exactly the same!)

mailed 3/24/2004 - from Tony Petrecca:
Subject: Devo in the Hall of Fame

Devo belongs in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame!Fellow Spuds and Beautiful Mutants, I join you on a mission of the utmost importance for all Planet Earth. Now is the time for all good mutants to come to the aid of their hero's! The finger is pointed at US, now we must sacrifice a stamp, that many others may know the Truth about De-evolution! We must contact the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame en-masse and secure Devo's place in rock and roll history for all time. (or at least for as long as tall bald apes rule the planet...)

This will not be an easy mission. Our first obstacle is made clear by this FAQ:
http://www.rockhall.com/museum/visitor.asp?id=654. As you can see in the FAQ, an entity known as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has totalitarian control over the induction process. The Foundation is no doubt an extension of the music industry's evil hegemony. They are a secretive foundation with only one public contact point... SNAIL MAIL. This will not stop us! We shall not fail! Type a letter with the best reasons you know of why Devo deserves a place alongside other music legends like Elvis, James Brown, The Beatles, The Talking Heads, The Ramones, The Clash and Parliament-Funkadelic. Mail that letter to:

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
1290 Avenue of the Americas,
New York, NY 10104

For those spuds who prefer to use their freedom from choice, here is a letter you may cut, paste, print and call your own to mail in.

Copy this letter or not:

Honorable Foundation representatives,I write to you to request the nomination of Devo to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hailed by David Bowie as "The future of rock," Devo has been touted by RollingStone.com as "the forerunners of new wave music," though their contributions and influences go far beyond merely defining a genre.

Decades ahead of their time, the rest of the music world has mutated to play catch up with Devo's unique sounds. Devo's trail blazing cleared the way for Techno acts like Prodigy and Moby, and Performance artists like Blue Men Group. Furthermore, their hypnotic and mechanical rhythms and still unique use of synthesizers predated and predicted the industrial future of bands like Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and Marilyn Manson by 20 years.

Their pioneering sound is merely one facet of Devo's genius. Devo's first musical film, "The Truth About De-Evolution," premiered years before the birth of MTV, and in MTV's infancy Devo video's were a large percentage of the networks daily rotation. To this day no band has topped the ironic brilliance of the greatest music video of all time, Devo's "Beautiful World".

While Devo had but one million selling single with "Whip It", it seems clear that with the induction of The Ramones the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame respects more than just chart success. Neil Young, David Bowie, Brian Eno and many more were fans at Devo's birth, and Henry Rollins, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden, Nirvana and more have acknowledged Devo's influences on them. Devo's pioneering genius should no longer be ignored. Induct Devo in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005!

Sincerely,

"insert your name here and sign!"

Post your letter for others to share.

I admit no great genius in my writing ability. Write your own letter and share it with the rest of us, so that we may bombard The Foundation with as many reasons as there are mutations. Spuds, if the likes of Bob Segar are represented, Devo clearly belongs! Accept your Duty Now and start writing!

We are not alone!

Someone out there knows how to contact the likes of Henry Rollins, Neil Young, Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson, Sonic Youth, and all others in the industry who recognize Devo's contributions. Do so! Get them in on this campaign!

Get to work Spuds! Duty Now!

-- Tony Petrecca

mailed 3/14/2004 - from Rocky DiCarlo:
Subject: New Devo DVD's and a "Thank you!"

I bought the "live" and "The Truth About..." dvd's on Friday (March 12th). Fantastic! The live performance had a great set list which was performed with precision, power, and sarcastic hilarity! It's also nice to have those classic DEVO films and "history lessons" on one dvd! I pretty much spit up my glass of water laughing during the "word about laserdisc" segments, not to mention countless other moments on the compilation.
Thanks for putting those out!

I became a DEVO fan in 1979. I was 11 years old and listening to Kiss, Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent and such, when a neighbor brought over a copy of the "Q: Are we not men?..." record. I had just started playing drums at the time and he told me that the rhythms were interesting and the songs were good. I remember finding the cover art kind of unsettling in a way, but I was hooked after hearing the record. It was different, yet in a very cool way. Uncontrollable Urge and Mongoloid are classics. I went out and got the "Duty Now" record and I liked that even more. I didn't quite get the bands message at that age, but I loved the songs, the outfits, the merchandise and the imagery. For me DEVO seemed like part rock and roll, part science fiction, and part late-night B-movie all rolled into one completely appealing entertainment package. Devo remains all of those things to me, but as I got older I came to understand (relate to?) the bands frequently funny, yet often nightmarish visions of a society going to hell in a hand basket. Speaking as a social worker and the son of a teacher, I must say I believe you guys were amazingly accurate in your assessment! I have the book "In Cold Sweat" and Jerry's interviews in it are a great read. His summary as to "how" and "why" socio-economic and enviornmental conditions in our society have gone so quickly downhill over the last 15 to 20 years is brilliant. Jerry, you could have been a politician...oops, my bad. You're too honest. Sorry!

In closing, I just wanted to say "Thanks" to all of you (Brothers Mothersbaugh, Brothers Casale, and Alan and David) for the great music and entertainment you have provided us "Spuds" over the years. The music has always been there to turn to when I am feeling down and out, and I honestly appreciate the hard work that went into creating it. "The masses" might underrate DEVO musically, but musicians know you guys really had, and still have your stuff together. The world needs you guys to keep on playing because there is no other band in the world quite like DEVO!

Take Care, -- Rocky DiCarlo / North Royalton, Ohio

.P.S. How about marketing the yellow "radiation" suits again so I don't have to keep kicking myself for the rest of my life because I traded away the one I had 15 years ago! Then again, that was foolish. I deserve the kicking!