Pure Punk Picks
Uncontrollable Urge – Devo
Punk rock at the beginning, and especially in Boston, was heavily aligned with art and more specifically, art schools and students.
In 1977 almost all the punk bands I knew in Boston had students in Mass Art or the Boston Museum School. Lotsa punk shows went on at Mass Art.
It was so much so, that though I had a hunch that punk wasn’t destined to be popular. Yes, I was brilliant!
I thought that perhaps, it would become music for visual artists, made and enjoyed by the art world.
Maybe I thought this because, as a teenager my main interests were music and art. Hey, I’m leaving out sex and drugs as this is considered a Christian website endorsed by Mike Pence.
I had talent with guitar but no talent in drawing or art, and music was just a more exciting and social environment to be in, instead of sitting in my room with a small canvas and paints.
So, I chose music- a very, costly and bad mistake.
Years later, I then chose poetry and writing- another tragic wrong turn.
That, I’m sure, is more than evident to all reading this.
And to no surprise Devo was formed by two art students.
There was a small record company in New York in the very early days called Roir that sold cassette tapes of all the emerging bands on the New York Scene. So you could buy live recordings of almost all the early New York punk/new wave bands such as The Dead Boys, Ramones or Talking Heads.
I bought a compilation/sampler tape from them and there was this song called “Blockhead” by Devo on it that I liked the best, and it ended up on Devo’s second album. So I ordered a live tape from a band I knew nothing about but that I really enjoyed.
I loved the tape, even though I had no idea of Devo’s extensive, theatrical stage show. That is until they got a major label
record contract.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah”- yeah, I counted, it’s yelled ten times.
“Got an urge, got a surge and it’s out of control. Gotta urge I want to purge ’cause I’m losing control. Uncontrollable urge I want to tell you all about it…makes me want to scream and shout it!”
But instead of a song about a mass murderer having a psychotic break, what this song more readily suggests is someone overwhelmed with excitement and energy and joy. Or maybe just, some teenager with a raging boner!
This song, and actually, all of the music of Devo, is an amalgam of sixties garage rock, art rock (and no, I don’t mean the pompous, prog rock of Yes or ELP!)- think more of Bowie and Roxy Music- along with the robotic, synthesizer music of Kraftwerk. Oh, and they really liked Captain Beefheart, who though I do, too- I don’t think his music had that much effect on them.
This is intelligent, conceptual, artistic music that also kicks major ass in a punk/garage, rock’n’roll way.
This song is a tidal wave of energy, passion, artistic curves and swerves with a solid, supersized kick in the butt.
I guess Devo is considered a new wave band more than a punk band. But the best of the new wave bands were equal to the best of the early punk bands, to me.
The best new wave bands were also rejecting the established rock hierarchy as much as the punk bands, questioning a music establishment that rejected fifties rock’n’roll, sixties girl group music, garage rock and glam/glitter rock and wanted us all to groove, and fall in line-passively, with placid stoned grins on our faces while the tranquil, melodic lullabies of Cat Stevens and James Taylor glided seemingly, over our blissed out, stoned heads.
Or while the meandering, noodling of the Greatful Dead lulled us into inactive somnolence as we floated in an existence without any passion, any desire with no uncontrollable urge.
“Here I come to save the day!” No, it’s not Mighty Mouse but Devo!
And by the way David Bowie and Iggy Pop were instrumental in getting Devo their first record contract. How great is that?
Art and punk was initially intrinsically entwined and I believe, they’re still that way, today. So many punk musicians and fans I know, currently, in our local scene are involved in the visual arts in some way.
Music is sound sculptures, artists create visual art and writers, like myself, stand ineffectually on the sidelines jotting down notes and observations. I feel while writers fail drastically to capture the beauty and greatness we encounter and perceive.
But I love my role. My pen is as important to me, as a musician is, his stick or pick or an artist his canvas or brush, or a photographer his camera.
And the arts?
Well, I guess they seem pretty insignificant to a lot of people- especially, those in the government.
But the arts have and will always be the most important thing to me. I feel they are greatly undervalued towards people’s well-being. And not even given proper credit, economically, about how much money American films and music produce.
Devo’s name was short for de-evolution, they felt we were devolving not evolving as a species. Sounds like if they were starting out right now, they’d be right on the money! (That means correct).
But I believe the young people are about to set us right. And I believe people choose to live their lives through the culture they believe in, not so much in political beliefs.
And I’d like to take a second, to reflect how much I like Devo and this song. Take a breath, and a pause, to take it all in- reflect on how much time has affected our view of things- but then again.
I’ve got an uncontrollable urge. I want to scream and shout it!
(Slimedog)
