Although I have walked into the mitochondrion of Shore Fire that is Marilyn Laverty’s office many times, there remain pleasures untold; pieces of history that I have yet to inquire about. Marilyn’s office is the hub of creativity where we all gather to discuss our projects, our favorite music biz trends, upcoming shows and sometimes the importance of the word “bacon” on one’s nascent Facebook profile. There’s so much going on that it’s easy to quickly glance at the photos of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson and dozens more (all of which include Marilyn Laverty standing by coolly in her iconic fashion) and not think twice. I can’t speak for everyone at Shore Fire, but I know there have certainly been times when I wanted to interject politely during a meeting and ask, “Excuse me, Marilyn. Can you please tell me the story of how you met Mick Jagger for the first time?”
Curiously, the piece of memorabilia in Marilyn’s office that has piqued my interest consistently is not a photo. It’s a piece of journalism and the headline reads thusly:
Devo. Threat or Menace? Will Devo take over the world? Are we ready to be run by robots? Is it the right time for Devolution? David Bowie and Iggy Pop think so. Marilyn Laverty talks to the machines that are Devo.
I have read and reread that headline dozens of times but I never ventured over to the framed, ecru piece of paper to delve into its content until today. My only question now is: WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS AMAZING PIECE OF AWESOMENESS?
This article on Devo can only be described as a coup. It was clearly written when Devo was not the household name (or at least record collection staple) that it is today. It takes place at Max’s Kansas City were Marilyn interviews the band. Here’s a sampling of some of the gems from Marilyn’s interview feature:
“This testimony as extracted from Jerry Casale (alias Jerry Devo) when he was backstage at Max’s Kansas City following a gig there. Casale had just finished conspiring with Brian Eno, who, as everyone knows, is a subversive alien…Casale was nestled in the corner of Max’s owner Tommy Dean’s office, seated across from Devo comrade Mark Mothersbaugh”
(For me, this describes the golden era of music. Today we are so used to hearing folks pooh-poohing the music biz. “It’s dead,” they say. It’s not. These types of scenarios, smart musicians and music lovers coming together to discuss music that they love, are the reason why my love of music and music itself will never die.)
“The human condition is sometimes so pathetic and obnoxious that the only shock reaction is laughter. That’s what the punk-rock movement is based on.”
(WORD)
“Mark pipes up from across the room: ‘A merger between man and machines is not only acceptable, but unavoidable. Man without technology is like a human being without a skeleton. It’s human systems you should be afraid of. It’s people who use other people for their own ends.’”
(I heart you much Mark Mothersbaugh. Thanks for articulating my thoughts so well. Also, thank you computer.)
“In our music, we’re looking for the big enema, for the big catharsis…We want to infiltrate our audiences with liquid rhythm, to inject it into their bodies”
(That’s Jerry Devo talking. And I have an uncontrollable urge to listen to some Devo right now.)
That last quote definitely puts the headline into context. It’s an amazing piece organized by the following curious subheads: STRANGLEHOLD – ALIEN – SLICK – ARTIFICIAL – BEWARE – SCRAMBLE
The feature includes enough “namedropping” to make my head spin/mouth water. (Was it even called “namedropping” then? Everyone just knew each other because they were all on the same team, on the cusp of something big about to happen, at the vanguard of a movement.) Brian Eno, David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Marilyn Laverty were all on board with Devo before they hit it big; a feat the band claims in the article was made possible by The Tubes (note to self: listen to more Tubes records.)
I’m so glad I took the time to read Marilyn’s Devo piece, aside from being extremely well written, it also provides a glimpse into an era of music I love to romanticize. I now have yet another reason to do so.
I leave you with 1980 footage of Devo performing one of my personal favorites:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Owtc4bJuaY]
About Lauretta
