Comments on: The de-evolution of DEVO http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/ a "b" blog Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:02:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: jimgroom http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33488 jimgroom Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:43:47 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33488 Brilliant, Luke. I had a feeling all this talk about film, television, and music would lead back to Ed Tech stuff, I just didn't know how! BlackBoard seems so much clearer to me now that I have given up on principles. And these digressions were actually all leading towards the announcement that Bb now has a garage for me to play in, technically an <a href="http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=42150" rel="nofollow">EduGarage</a>. Brilliant, Luke.

I had a feeling all this talk about film, television, and music would lead back to Ed Tech stuff, I just didn’t know how!

BlackBoard seems so much clearer to me now that I have given up on principles. And these digressions were actually all leading towards the announcement that Bb now has a garage for me to play in, technically an EduGarage.

]]> By: Mikhail http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33483 Mikhail Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:48:40 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33483 Blackboard now? Next post. Blackboard now? Next post.
]]> By: Luke http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33475 Luke Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:07:36 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33475 And why shouldn't we conclude that this is Mikhail's first step towards embracing Blackboard? It's not selling out, it's buying in! (Of course, I'm kidding) By the way... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36OwSXbrUeI" rel="nofollow">not serious?</a> And why shouldn’t we conclude that this is Mikhail’s first step towards embracing Blackboard? It’s not selling out, it’s buying in! (Of course, I’m kidding)

By the way… not serious?

]]> By: jimgroom http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33474 jimgroom Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:48:38 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33474 Mikhail, I think you;re right, I'm trying to walk a thin line here, and I am becoming a dirty moralizer as a result. Damn it! Thanks for keeping me honest. Mikhail,

I think you;re right, I’m trying to walk a thin line here, and I am becoming a dirty moralizer as a result. Damn it! Thanks for keeping me honest.

]]> By: Mikhail http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33465 Mikhail Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:05:40 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33465 This is not to say that Dr. Dre and Ice Cube are serious artists. For da record. This is not to say that Dr. Dre and Ice Cube are serious artists. For da record.
]]> By: Mikhail http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33464 Mikhail Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:03:47 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33464 I'm not excusing Devo, Jim, just saying that I am not all that surprised. Maybe I'm even less surprised because, on one hand, we have Devo 2.0 while, on the other, there's the soundtrack to Rushmore. I've stopped expecting dignity as default mode of the serious artist. There's nothing here to excuse, just something to lament. Dr. Dre did Coors Light commercials. Ice Cube did everything he's done in the last 5 or so years. It's a fact of popular culture I've come to accept. I’m not excusing Devo, Jim, just saying that I am not all that surprised. Maybe I’m even less surprised because, on one hand, we have Devo 2.0 while, on the other, there’s the soundtrack to Rushmore.

I’ve stopped expecting dignity as default mode of the serious artist. There’s nothing here to excuse, just something to lament. Dr. Dre did Coors Light commercials. Ice Cube did everything he’s done in the last 5 or so years. It’s a fact of popular culture I’ve come to accept.

]]> By: jimgroom http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33454 jimgroom Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:57:18 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33454 And so, Mikhail, can you really excuse Devo after all these folks (most of whom were never as forthright about condemning consumer culture as as the De-evolution boys -they made a career on it!) kept their dignity in tact? I am not a moralist per se, but I want to believe some things are worth keeping track of, namely one;s dignity and beliefs, which may very well change, but so should your approach to your art and your world, in my mind you can't have it both ways. And so, Mikhail, can you really excuse Devo after all these folks (most of whom were never as forthright about condemning consumer culture as as the De-evolution boys -they made a career on it!) kept their dignity in tact?

I am not a moralist per se, but I want to believe some things are worth keeping track of, namely one;s dignity and beliefs, which may very well change, but so should your approach to your art and your world, in my mind you can’t have it both ways.

]]> By: Mikhail http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33453 Mikhail Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:35:01 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33453 David Bowie Tom Petty Werner Herzog Terrance Malick Tom Waits etc. etc. David Bowie
Tom Petty
Werner Herzog
Terrance Malick
Tom Waits
etc.
etc.
]]> By: jimgroom http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33386 jimgroom Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:42:53 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33386 Taking the high road, heh Mikhail. Maybe you're right, I mean things could be worse I guess, we could live in Rapture constantly in need of Adam. Actually, Devo selling Uncontrollable Urge to Disney is pretty close to a culture rapture of sorts, n ow that I think of it. And I find it hard to sustain a discussion of the genius of the Devo of the 70s and 80s with our current knowledge of where the New Traditionalist would end up. It almost makes it hard to argue for them, but let me ask you this. Are there any bands, writers, filmmakers, etc. who kinda navigated this road of stardom and maintaining basic human principles that you respect? For this way of the world bullshit dries me crazy as a philosophy, we have no expectations for "greatness" anymore. It ultimatley ends up being synonymous with a paycheck. Here is a brainstorming list of artists who navigated success and their art with dignity (the operative word in relationship to Devo's sell-out is definitely dignity!): Joan Jett (I am on a huge Joan Jett kick right now, so this may be surprising at first glance coming from me, but more to come soon) Dave Chappelle Stanley Kubrick John Carpenter Klaus Kinski ;) Sean Penn Gena Rowlands The Roots Andy Warhol (Following a class on UMW Blogs about Warhol and I have an argument for this one) Laurie Anderson Neil Young (He may be the great example on this list!) The Coen Brothers Quentin Tarantino (you have followed this argument, I'm sure) In fact it's really not that hard to please me in the musical realm for successful bands. Just don;t sell your hit songs to the highest bidding advertiser, guilty bands I can think of: The Who Rolling Stone (again and again and again) The Steve Miller Band (never a great band, but the fly like to USPS represented a new low. And I'm sure it goes on and on... Taking the high road, heh Mikhail. Maybe you’re right, I mean things could be worse I guess, we could live in Rapture constantly in need of Adam.

Actually, Devo selling Uncontrollable Urge to Disney is pretty close to a culture rapture of sorts, n ow that I think of it. And I find it hard to sustain a discussion of the genius of the Devo of the 70s and 80s with our current knowledge of where the New Traditionalist would end up.

It almost makes it hard to argue for them, but let me ask you this. Are there any bands, writers, filmmakers, etc. who kinda navigated this road of stardom and maintaining basic human principles that you respect? For this way of the world bullshit dries me crazy as a philosophy, we have no expectations for “greatness” anymore. It ultimatley ends up being synonymous with a paycheck.

Here is a brainstorming list of artists who navigated success and their art with dignity (the operative word in relationship to Devo’s sell-out is definitely dignity!):

Joan Jett (I am on a huge Joan Jett kick right now, so this may be surprising at first glance coming from me, but more to come soon)

Dave Chappelle

Stanley Kubrick

John Carpenter

Klaus Kinski ;)
Sean Penn

Gena Rowlands

The Roots

Andy Warhol (Following a class on UMW Blogs about Warhol and I have an argument for this one)

Laurie Anderson

Neil Young (He may be the great example on this list!)

The Coen Brothers

Quentin Tarantino (you have followed this argument, I’m sure)

In fact it’s really not that hard to please me in the musical realm for successful bands. Just don;t sell your hit songs to the highest bidding advertiser, guilty bands I can think of:

The Who

Rolling Stone (again and again and again)

The Steve Miller Band (never a great band, but the fly like to USPS represented a new low.

And I’m sure it goes on and on…

]]> By: Mikhail http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/comment-page-1/#comment-33366 Mikhail Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:49:45 +0000 http://bavatuesdays.com/the-de-evolution-of-devo/#comment-33366 Maybe I have become jaded and cynical, but I have stopped expecting consistency, steadfastness and adherence to principle from my idols. This is sad but I don't think it's unexpected -- ok, sure, maybe the degree to which Devo has moved off the course they charted in the 70s and 80s is somewhat surprising but the fact that they have seems to be the way things go. What gets me is not so much that they have devolved, as you say, but that virtually nothing remains in the cultural memory of the genius that was Devo. Viva la bava. Maybe I have become jaded and cynical, but I have stopped expecting consistency, steadfastness and adherence to principle from my idols. This is sad but I don’t think it’s unexpected — ok, sure, maybe the degree to which Devo has moved off the course they charted in the 70s and 80s is somewhat surprising but the fact that they have seems to be the way things go. What gets me is not so much that they have devolved, as you say, but that virtually nothing remains in the cultural memory of the genius that was Devo. Viva la bava.
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