I'm Gerald Casale, founding member of DEVO. Ask me anything!

DEVO are my favourite band of all time.

I caught your yellow suit jacket at one of your UK shows last time round, and have kept it ever since.

If I took the lingering Casale DNA on the jacket and spliced it with my cat to make a Casale/feline hybrid, which I would then force to perform private DEVO shows for me 24/7 in my festering, dank, mold-ridden basement apartment - what would be the legal status of the resulting life? Would he be classed as my sickening bastard monster son or would he rightfully 'belong' to you, as an abominable yet somewhat-loveable Casale mutant sibling?

If it helps you out any, I have drawn a picture of what one can only imagine the resultant lifeform would look like:

http://i.imgur.com/BtgsboB.jpg

Thanks!

The law concerning hybrid lifeforms is still fuzzy at best. It would be a long legal battle ending in the Supreme Court.

Mark Mothersbaugh once said he hated "Weird Al" Yankovic because his song "Dare to Be Stupid" captured a sound that was "the most beautiful thing [Mothersbaugh] had ever heard." I like to believe he used the word "hate" jokingly, but what are your thoughts on "Dare to Be Stupid"?

Mark never says what he means. he's inscrutible

Musically, what's your favorite guilty pleasure?

LMFAO

You know they broke up!

Oh, I thought Gerry was just laughing his fucking ass off.

Exactly. The left an indelible body of work. I'm in LA bitch!!

Hi Jerry! First of all, you're my hero. Secondly - and along those lines - I have a request. I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase 'Bucket List'. Well, at the top of mine is this: an opportunity to have a meal with you at your home. Everything - the food, airfare (I live in Chicago), hotel expenses - is on me. Does this sound like something that's possible in the near-future? Thanks, and Duty Now!

Vince

Let's talk!

Hey just thought I would thank you for signing my dad's records a few weeks ago in Tucson, AZ it's really changed him for the better. He's a huge fan and after meeting you guys back stage he had a much happier outlook on life so thanks for treating the fans right.

No problem! Glad to do it.

Henry Rollins and other punk rock luminaries have discussed "Devo!" being thrown at them as an insult in the 80s. What do you think about the use of your band's name as a pejorative term?

We did something right!

What is Mark's all-time record in terms of mid-Satisfaction "Baby"s?

1977 "32"

Devo's SNL performance was legendary. Would you play again if I convinced Lorne to have you on next season?

Lorne refused to let us back on SNL

Q: Are we not men?

Unfortunately, yes

I hate the band The Cars because they got so much new wave love in the 70s and 80s, when Devo was the far superior band. Would you do anything differently, like try to be more commercial, if you had to do it all over again? And "Be Stiff" is my favorite song. Like, ever.

The Cars were radio safe. Candified new wave and insipid lyrics drooling over the Yoni. We had content and that's why we were the pionners who got scalped. But we remained relevant, the Cars did not.

What was your inspiration?

Horror and disgust at the prevailing culture we experienced in Ohio.

What advice would you have for a band with a less radio-friendly/pop approach to succeed in the music industry? Basically, what advice do you have for people that are trying to fight against the current and be a modern Devo?

My god. You must have balls of steel and more nerve thast a serial killer. Refuse to die and stay in their faces.

Thanks for doing this Jerry; you and the rest of Devo are heroes of mine and a few of my friends. How do you think the visual aspect of Devo, especially in the early days when you were just getting started, would have been different if you had access to the relatively cheap/easy to use consumer video technology we've had in the last 15 or so years?

I can only dream. I would have integrated our visuals into the fabric of the stage stage show for sure

Alright, this is something I've been wondering for a while: just what the heck is "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" about, besides the obvious Devo themes?

It is about the triumph of the altruistic gene over petty self interest.

Oh my god! I can't believe you're on Reddit right now!

When you were writing music, were you as a band trying to sound so different than the norm? Or just trying to have fun?

What musicians of the same era were some of the most influential? What about musicians today?

Being so prominent in the New Wave / Punk era what are some of your favoriate memories of playing with other artists, parties etc?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR AMA!!!!

Many questions!!! in order. We were different for real. We couldn't sound like other bands. we were having miserable fun. We liked Captain Beefheart, Roxie Music, David Bowie, Harry Partch, Morton Subotnik, etc. Because we showed 25 minutes of devo videos before we played and billed it as "an evening with Devo we never really had the opportunity to play with our favorite bands (The Clash, Heaven 17, The B-52's, Gary Numan.

Oh oh! One more! Where did the inspiration come from with your choice of outfits? What's with the funny energy dome hats?

Nothing funny about energy domes. They collect the power that escapes from the crown of the head and re-cycle it for more creativity.

What do you think about The Residents?

Gentle souls caught in a vicious world. Their cover of It's a Man's World is genius

What's your favourite Devo song and album?

Favorite album - Feedom of Choice. Favorite song - Beautiful World

I am one excited spud! What's an average day like in Mutato Muzika? I am studying Visual Communication Design and I am an over all artist at Herron School of Art and Design. What would be the chances of applying for an internship or job at Mutato Muzika? To say I am a fan of DEVO is an understatement. I want to say so much to you, but I'll hold back. Working with DEVO has always been sort of a dream job for me, even if it just means doing coffee runs or serving as a table for the afternoon. The first album I ever bought was The Greatest Hits in the 6th grade. I Got my parents to play it on car trips, and I got to bring it in on my birthday freshman year in High School ceramics, I don't think everyone loved it as much as I did. I wanted to hear you guys play in Carmel IN, but I found out too late and I'm a poor college student who couldn't afford the already sold out tickets. I had the article that the local arts paper NUVO did with Mark Mothersbaugh for the upcoming concert taped to my dorm wall for the rest of the year though.

call Mutato. 310-360-0561

How has the shift in the distribution model changed the way DEVO creates music?

Not one bit.

What was it like working with Brian Eno on your first album?

Very strange and unforgettable.

Do you have any plans to come to the UK in the near future, I've always wanted to see you live but I was never old enough?

We are trying to arrange that co-ordinated to the release of a definitive DEVO book set next year

Is there animosity between DEVO and 15 60 75 (the Numbers Band)? I know you were part of the band before DEVO and they kicked you out for being goofy. I thoroughly enjoy both bands, but wasn't sure if there was resentment from them that you guys became much more popular.

Also, considering the artists from NE OH the time like DEVO, Pere Ubu, 15 60 75, Electric Eels, etc... do you think that kind of nihilistic creativity could have occurred anywhere else, or was it particular to rust belt Cleveland/KSU shootings, general madness in that area?

I'm not aware of animosity. I like Bob and spoke to him in 2008 for a while. We were all victims of a negative energy vortex swallowing artists whole in Ohio

What was the inspiration for such heartfelt, love-drenched ballads as 'Whip It'?

Devo was bursting with love at that time.

Great to see you here GVC!

I noticed on most of the live recordings of "Jocko Homo" from roughly 1978 through the early 80's, you used a pre-recorded segment for the transition to 4/4 in the middle. Was this just a logistics thing for getting out of those suits faster?

exactly. It was the Tibetian Monks "monkey Chant"

Hi Gerry!

Can we truly be surprised by the recent NSA scandal when Devo has been warning us for the past 30 years? What do you think of the band 'The Locust'? I think they carry the torch of Devolution high and proud. Perhaps in the future there can be a Devo/Locust tour?

Thanks!

I like the idea. A plague of Locusts tour. Only a niave spud would be surprised that our constitution is violated systematically by self appointed cops.

I bought Q:?A:! and Duty Now for the Future with no real idea what I was getting, at the ripe old age of about 8 years old. I found them in a weird little record store in a tiny mall in Liberal, Kansas. I think that was the best accident I ever had, and I want to thank you sincerely for influencing my mutations from an early age.

I seem to believe that I have read in a few of your recent-ish interviews that current and future DEVO projects tend to get cock-blocked by Mark Mothersbaugh. Would you mind elaborating on that?

Finally, I would like to know if my interpretation of "The Super Thing" is correct: I believe it has to do with Pressing The Button, or otherwise making the definitive decision that launches all-out nuclear war and destroys civilization. "Magnetic trumpets" and "synthetic saxophones" are the klaxon alarms signaling RED ALERT. "Hidden motivations buried in the past" alludes to the huboon urge to KILL EAT FUCK KILLEATFUCK etc. "The Super Thing that makes you bigger than life" is the act itself. Some guy has to actually use his finger to press the button. One guy pulls the trigger. I always thought of the stresses (or scary lack thereof) such a person would be under; one of those lonely guys who sit in the silos all day and do nothing but wait for the order to end the world.

My God you are smart. You nailed it. It's depressing to elaborate because it seems perverse btw

At what point in your life did you realize that playing in a band was going to be your career and not just something that you do until something better comes along?

When the beer cans started flying at the stage during our WHK Halloween performance in Cleveland Ohio in 1975

You guys mention the "New World Order" in "Something For Everybody," does that mean you guys into conspiracy theories?

We skip the theories. The facts are damning enough. In a way the world is just High School played for keeps. The same cliques, the same bullies, the same money running the town. Very few players control the whole ball of wax.

The Devo live performance has remained that same since the release of Something For Everybody (with a few small exceptions). Will future tours give us a new setlist?

Certainly. How about a Hard Core Devo tour?

Huge fan of yours, thanks for doing this.

I've heard you criticize 90's music for being too gloomy. Which bands in particular does this apply to? I ask because you guys covered NIN's "Head Like a Hole" and while that particular song came out in 1989, they really came into their own during the 1990s and "gloomy" would be a good way to describe his music during that time.

Am I off base?

NIN is actually beyond gloomy. Trent dips into 7 levels of hell with passion and gusto that is liberatory in the end. I'm thinking, Puddle of Mud, Stain'd etc

How was Punk Rock Bowling?! That was quite an epic lineup this year, how do you feel about the modern punk-scene? Is it better or worse than it was back when you recorded Q: AWNM? A: We are DEVO?

The difference between original punk and neo-punk is the difference between Apollo 13 and a Trekkie convention. We love the Damned!

What is your favorite current "subversive" band/tv show/comedian whatever?

Mr. Reilly as Dr. Steven Bruell doing his show "Check It Out"

Hi, Jerry. Been a fan since 2007 when I discovered DEVO through YouTube. My question to you is (and i REALLY hope you answer mine), if and when you guys decide to call it quits, will that be the end of DEVO? Or will it be taken over by a younger generation of musicians (if yes, i'm available XD)? Thanks -jbondDB5

I would like to see the Devo spirit carried on by those who understand

What do you think of Oh No It's Devo? It gets put down a lot for some reason, but it's in the running with Are We Not Men? for my favorite.

I like it a lot!

Bass player here: What's your favorite bass to play? Do you prefer to play a stringed bass or a synth?

Also, I see that you created the Energy Dome. Did you expect it to be such an iconic and well recognized image?

My favorite bass is the one my fingers can handle the best - the original Steinberger. Bass synth versus string bass is an apples to oranges comparison. like booty and camel toe, you need both. I am glad the energy dome has endured as well as the Rolling Stones lips.

Hi Jerry!

What ever happened to your 2006-ish-era solo project, Jihad Jerry? I loved that! Also met you at DEVOtional in Akron when you performed as JJ. I pissed myself.

Jihad Jerry didn't get the love. Irony and satire is are lost arts in subhuman, Kim Kardashian America. I'm glad you pissed yourself

Is that really you doing lead vocals on "Cameo?" It really sounds like Bob 1.

It's me.

Hi, Gerry! Big, BIG fan.

Where did the idea for "Clockout" (my favorite Devo song) come from?

I saw some black and white English movie from the early 60's, "Expresso Bongo" or something like that. There was a beatik band in a club playing and it made me write Clock Out.

Hi Jerry, I met you about 10 years ago, we went out to dinner and you forever changed the way I treat and respect "celebrities". I just wanted to say thank you for being such a cool, down to earth, friendly guy. That might not seem like much, but to me it was the world.

As for a question, with a giant catalog of DEVO demos and alternates and B sides, were there ever any songs that ended up on the cutting room floor that really upset you? Ones that were close to your heart but weren't deemed "marketable" or anything?

Of course. That's the Devo story, lost potential and thwarted opportunities.

How would you say the writing process has changed for Devo (if it even has)? Sonically Devo has evolved so much throughout the years (compare the odd-meter and punk-guitar laden Duty Now For the Future to the ultra-polished synthesizer heavy Something For Everybody) and I'm wondering if the writing process and songwriting goals have changed along with that.

Devolution in action. The body and mind mutate and with that the ideas that gave birth begin to die.

Jerry, how about doing a spoken word tour?

I might have to resort to that.

Hello Gerry,

When it comes to bass syths, is there any "workhorse" that you've used more than any other over the years? Devo seems to have avoided the trap of jumping on the next stage of tech just because its newer and kept that patented Devo whoomp sound from one disc to the next...

TT

2 mini moogs slaved together so i had 6 oscillators to shape a big bass sound

What song will be DEVO's next video?

Long-time fan, since the Q/A days.

In Heaven

It seems like you've moved away from having a drummer as an official member of the band ever since Josh Freese moved on to his next gig with Weezer and Sublime With Rome. Is that the future of Devo, just 2 sets of brothers and a nameless drummer?

Josh will drum again when Devo is summoned to play. He's a big name and Jeff Freidl is gaining fast in the world of fame.

What do you think of The Black Keys? Are you proud to see another Akron / Kent area band achieve such success?

It's amazing. The recycled the White Stripes right down to no bass for 3 albums and did it only 10 years after the fact making 10 times the loot off hit singles. I'm stunned.

When will the Devo documentary actually release for screening? Any projection on DVD release?

Only Tony Pemberton and the Big Media censors know the answer.

Your live set at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas this year blew my friggin' mind! The lights, the wardrobe changes, the big video screen behind the band... What is your creative process for all of this? Is it completely conceived by the band members or do you outsource (for lack of a better term) these things?

It's always been DIY and mostly DIMS

I'd read there was some bad blood between Alan and the band, but have there been any attempts to reconcile, or any contact at all since he left the band?

I was never privy to whatever it was. I begged him not to quit. I think the Fairlight as the last straw when Mark programmed all the beats.

What an awesome drummer he was. JF and JF can't compare to him.

He was the best!

1. Are you still in touch with Chrissie Hynde?

2. A lot of the DEVO experience ran off from music into other realms - film, visual art, political manifesto. What's your current favorite creative outlet? Is it de-evolutionary, or are there other concepts you're examining now?

I have no creative outlet. Mark has canned live shows, my film did not get funded, there's no investor for a musical, and commercials are no longer a creative outlet. Help.

Are there any plans for DEVO to preform more concerts where you play your albums in their entirety?

Not at this time unfortunately

I saw you guys in Tucson, one of the best shows I've ever seen. I really love Somethin for Everybody. I think it's some of your guys best work. I can't wait to pick up the demos that just released! I guess I don't really have a question except for .. um, what did you eat last?

I think you know the answer. That which can be eaten yet not consumed.

What is the law?

Not to walk on all 4's, that is the law.

Could you care to talk a bit about your bass playing? When did you start playing, was your old Gibson EB your first bass, and how did you eventually happen upon your trusted Steinberger L2? You play the bass in the rather unusual leftie style of simply flipping over a right-handed bass, did you develop this style simply because of a lack of left-handed bass guitars?

Yes, there were no left handed guitars to be found in Ohio. I played the Steinberger because the strings are so close to the frets the action was faster for me.

I can't resist asking another question. Gates of Steel is a contender for my all-time favorite song. Can you share anything about how the song came about?

I was working a horrible job at a Methadone clinic and I needed a release.

What do you think of the condition of Pop music today, and the music industry in general?

I know on your last album, you released demos and alt edits to the fans to aggregate responses. Do you see this as a viable way to produce music, or was this just another in the long list of experiments?

It was a tongue in cheek experiment. The purpose of music in this culture has been trivialized as with all creative content.

Hi Mr. Casale! Akron, Ohio redditor here. Needless to say, you bunch are quite the band of local heroes around here. How often do you make it back home?

Once every couple years

Jerry, I'm a huge DEVOtee and the moderator of /r/DEVO, as well as assisting with Booji Boy's Basement. Thanks so much for doing this.

Two questions, if that's okay:

1. Will DEVO ever perform songs from Shout, Total DEVO, and Smooth Noodle Maps in concert again?

2. What's the status of the DEVO Musical?

Duty now for the future!

1. slime to none except for "The Somewhere Suite"
2. We need money.

If I ever get to see "Somewhere" played live, I will cream my shorts. I'll start saving my pennies for the next NYC show, if/when it happens. Thanks, Jerry!

The last time we played that suite live was 1990 at the Palace in Hollywood.

If there's one thing DEVO advocates philosophically, it's "Think for yourself." Yet, as an iconic band revered by your fans, you must often come across lemming-like, unthinking DEVOtion. While pragmatically that's in your best interest, what do you make of it? A little meta-commentary on devolution?

The ultimate human impulse is for hive activity and harmonious conformity. Jeans and ballcaps.

How far will we devolve before we reach primitive man and start again? What's the most glaring sign of de-evolution you see today?

Kim Kardashian

Which songs do you like performing live the most? And are they the ones that are asked for the most?

What We Do, Beautiful World, Gut Feeling, Come Back Jonny, Peek-a-Boo, Freedom of Choice, Gates of Steel

What was the impetus for recording another album after 20 years "off"? Did everything immediately click back into place after getting back in the studio, or was there a period of shaking the rust off? (By the way, Something for Everybody is an awesome way to return after two decades...)

It was a "now or never" moment that I was the field marshal for. I like what we did. I like what Mother did for us. I have never seen a label make so little of so much content in my entire career however.

I recall watching an interview where you detailed the history of Devo, and said that part of the bands inception was the question "What would Devolution music sound like?".

But the thing is... I LOVE Devo's music. So, do I secretly love devolution?

We are all Devo whether we want to be or not

I've heard you speak in interviews about how the Kent State shooting was a watershed moment for you in shaping your art and thought. As generally fucked up as things have been since then, does anything ever really surprise you?

Not at all. Those times were innocent compared to the corporate clamp down in progress.

Hey, Jerry. Long time listener, first time caller. First of all, devolution is real! That said, do you think it's fair to say even Devo itself has devolved? The music's still great, but while you guys hype up the irony of projects like Dev2.0 and the ultimate crowdsourced/focus group/art-by-committee album Something For Everybody, at the same time you are profiting from it at the expense of people not "in" on the joke, so to speak. Or is there even a distinction to be made when it comes to art?

Also, why don't you guys tour the East Coast more? We need some spud love in New York!

We did not in fact profit. Devo 2.0 got the cold shoulder from Disney and Something For Everybody was tossed aside by WB. So , justice I guess is what you would call it.

Hi, first, thanks so much for your music. Devo is a band that'll always be important to me. My question might be a bit broad, but has your outlook changed at all over the years and impacted your conception of de-evolution? Either perhaps softening your stance or hardening it?

P.S. Do you think Jihad Jerry's The Time is Now could get released on a Devo album? I love that song.

It should have been on a devo album. There are so many things that should have been.

How do you feel about the culturalfication, commercialization and (imo) gentrification of "independent" music through this current trend of hipsters? (and the subsequent hating on hipsters for being hipsters).

Everything is "in the mode" like recycled neo-classical architecture styles. It's all disposable and forgettable

Gear nerd question: In the early days of recording to a multitrack (the three or so years of early Devo development), what kind of gear did you guys use? I watched interviews where you mentioned brands (MuTron, Electroharmonix) but what were some essential pieces to the Hardcore Devo sound?

Teac 4 track, Stratocastors, Mini Moog, Arp Oddessy, Gibson EB3, Clavinet.

The power kept going out at your show in Atlanta in 1980. It had to have been something of an unusual event - do you remember it? Love, love Devo.

Yes. Conspiracy or random chance?

Is there any musicians past or present that you would have loved to work with?

Probably too many to list. David Bowie, James Brown, Rammstein, NIN, Andre 3000, on and on

Hi Jerry, I'm a huge Devo fan and I've been spreading the truth about devolution to everyone I can for decades! My question to you is this:

Over the years, Devo has had some amazing tours with revolutionary stage sets, my favorite being the 1981 tour where you guys utilized treadmills on stage. Which tour/stage set has been your favorite?

That one and the O NO tour were my favorites.

Been a fan ever since watching the Are We Not men video in a record store every 15 min for 4 hours strait. I was electrified--it was a bit of an awakening moment in my young days.

State of Devolution questions:

First: it seems that we live in a time of ridiculously vast potential, for good and ill. Every day I tune in to my data sources, I get hit with new signs of immanent disaster, and new hints of possible reprieves, or even revolutions in how we monkeys do our lives. TED is fun to tour for the fear-elation roller-coaster, as just one glaring example. What do you make of this 'bees will all die and the land will be ravaged by megaweather, as we can print cancer-curing viruses and food using fusion powered molecular printers' moment we seem to be living in?

Secondly: Behavioral Economics, as described by Dan Ariely and others, seems to be pulling open the hood on how we make our stunningly terrible decisions as a species, over and over. Other cognitive science is also illuminating how we go so very wrong. Are you very aware of this work, and do you see any hope, or interesting consequences, of learning in detail how the human mind (or lack of it) really distorts and deludes itself? Is there an anti-devolutionary force building up in the wings?

Thank you for all you've done.

The warring forces you describe have been in play since the dawn of the species. It's a long slow, almost predetermined decline, not an apocalypse. Like dark matter outnumbering light, dark forces will "schmoosh" out what is good.

When I was younger, the only thing I knew of DEVO was "Whip It" and "Girl U Want". Then around 2008 a friend introduced me to your larger catalog and I fell in love. I absolutely FREAKED when I heard "Something For Everybody" was coming out. I had wrongly assumed that the band broke up and wouldn't be making any more music. So, thanks for continuing being awesome.

Can you talk about the band's involvement in the Church of the SubGenius? How did the various members hear of it and become involved? What specifically attracted you to it? Do you still play at devivals?

Also, any plans to play anywhere in or near Washington, DC?

Any church that debunks the illegitimate authority of "churches" is our kind of church

On the subject of HARDCORE DEVO, is "Fountain Of Filth" reeeally from 1977? And what made you decide to leave it off the first three albums?

It was voted out. Majority ruled back then.

What was the inspiration for the SFE silver suits and masks?

Age appropriate attire and everybody masks to bring us back together.

Okay. Art school. What is it about visually oriented art school students that leads to them to create groundbreaking music?

Zappa, Beatles, Keith Richards, Clapton, Pink Floyd, Bryan Ferry, Eno, Talking Heads, Bowie, Michael Stipe, Pete Townshend, you guys . . .

The music is a paintbrush rather than a craft.

Will you ever tour with SUN RA again?

lol

There was a YouTube vid someone made for 'No Place Like Home' featuring news footage from the BP oil spill. I thought it captured the song really well, and apparently others did too because there were links to it all over for a while. And then, abruptly, it was gone. I don't know, perhaps a copyright issue. Did you see that video? If so, what did you think of it?

I beleive the label put the kibosh on it. We liked it. Artists don't count.

Could you shine some light on the song "Nutty Buddy", its creation, subject matter and eventual drop from setlist and omission from official releases? For years I've been trying to decipher the lyrics, but the few recordings that exists of it don't really deliver in the vocal clarity department!

I really can't. It was my music and Mark's lyrics and I never understood them when I sang them

Gerald thank you for doing this. I saw you for the first time in Vegas last month, it was the best part of Punk Rock Bowling.

It is not surprise that DEVO has been an inspiration to a lot of bands. So what band or person completely blew you away that liked DEVO when you found out?

David Bowie

Why did you guys omit some of the best-received tracks, such as Watch Us Work It, from Something For Everybody?? Was it a business decision, an artistic decision, or something else?

They were included in some configurations. It had to do with royalties being reduced if there were more than 12 songs on the CD - by the label of course

A friend of mine described some of your earlier work as "sneaking free jazz" into pop music. It was mostly in reference to the time signatures and interesting scales/voicings. Did the odd time signatures develop in jam sessions? or were they part of the songs by design?

Both, we always had a soft spot for timing tricks but not to the point of "progresso" masturbation.

Hey Gerry, long time fan here from the Spud State. Loved, loved, loved the show in Washington with Blondie, thank you. (Play Boise, hint, hint) Who do you think today's Rod Rooter is and what would he say about Devo and music today?

He's say "I'm not feelin' Devo! Get me Drake!

Any chance of even more Hardcore Era demos being released? I heard some great tracks on bootlegs. One of my favorites is a song called Toil is Stupid http://youtu.be/jc7JLI--ldA Can you tell us anymore about this track and some of your favorite songs that never were released?

There are many more but in such a decepit state thay may be unsalvagable

Do you think of Devo more as an art project or a band? Or is it even worth trying to differentiate?

I liked the balance. One or the other is not interesting

Hello!

A friend of mine introduced me to DEVO back in the Stiff Records days. The songs that later made it onto "Are We Not Men" sounded different. Were they rerecorded or remixed for the big label debut?

And if so, are the original versions what I have on "Pioneers Who Got Scalped"? I think they are...

Yes to all questions

It's obvious you have strong opinions on politics/economics, and while songs like "Freedom of Choice" have undertones of that, you don't comment explicitly very often in your music on those subjects. Was that a deliberate decision?

Yes.

I'm in Australia and it's almost 4am, my parents are sleeping but have been blasting your vinyl records since I was born (and long before, I'm sure) thankyou for contributing to how awesome my parents are, and for giving me something great to listen to for all my years!

Duty now Spud! GVC

I want to thank you for all the great memories and I can't wait to make more. Speaking of memories and things that last a long time. Where is the weirdest place a fan put a DEVO tattoo?

Ass crack