History Trivia / Devo

** ''Oh No! It's Devo'' has a song called "I Desire" that immediately drew controversy for incorporating words from a love poem written by would-be UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan assassin, John Hinckley Jr., that was meant for Creator/JodieFoster. The band immediately regretted this decision, as according to Mark Mothersbaugh, the FBI started calling them over it. After Hinckley's release from prison in 2022, he asked publicly why he never saw any royalties from "I Desire," leading Jerry Casale to bemoan on social media about how this song ''still'' haunts the band.

** Two of the group's songs "Huboon Stomp" and "The Words Get Stuck In My Throat" were performed live regularly in the late 70s but were not studio recorded until 1998 (Chef Aid Soundtrack) and 2000 (Pioneers Who Got Scalped) respectively. They sound surprisingly similar to the originals.
* DivergentCharacterEvolution: A musical version from the "Oh No It's Devo" sessions - the instrumental of "Faster And Faster" originally had the lyrics of "Luv Luv" (as heard on leaked demos). Later on in these sessions they wrote the "Faster And Faster" lyrics, and when it came to producing an additional track for the Dr Detroit soundtrack, took an unused instrumental from the "Oh No" sessions and put the "Luv Luv" lyrics on it. It took them until the late 90s to put out "Faster And Faster", as part of the videogame "Interstate '82" and later the "Recombo Dna" compilation.

* FanCommunityNickname: Spuds, Devo-tees, and occasionally Beautiful Mutants.

** Their neurotic cover of [[Music/TheRollingStonesBand "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"]] was originally supposed to have been a neurotic cover of "Paint It Black". They switched to "Satisfaction" because the lyrics fit the new music better

* {{Retraux}}: Whilst the instrumentals are all vintage early 80s Devo, the lyrics and vocals on the tracks "Faster And Faster", "One Dumb Thing" and "Modern Life" were all done in the 90s for the game "Interstate '82", which is fittingly set in 1982.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: These days, thanks to the Internet, Cowboy Kim probably would actually have a radio show... Or maybe more accurately a {{podcast}}.

* TropeNamers: For WhipItGood.

** In January 1978, Virgin Records founder Richard Branson tried to suggest Devo install Music/SexPistols singer Music/JohnLydon as their lead singer. Lydon had just quit the Pistols at the end of their American tour, and Branson had arranged his flight back home on the condition he meet him and Devo in Jamaica first. The members of Devo briefly considered answering in the affirmative, more out of amusement than anything, but ultimately decided against it. Lydon, too, was [[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/10-things-we-learned-from-johnny-rottens-uncensored-new-memoir-96522/ against the idea]] because he didn't want to impose himself on an already established band. For what it's worth, this suggestion may not have been so far out, especially since Lydon formed avant-garde PostPunk legends Music/PublicImageLtd shortly afterwards.

** Devo were almost snuffed out in their prime. Warner Brothers were fully prepared to drop Devo after being disappointed by the public reception to ''Duty Now For The Future,'' even despite their five-album deal, unless their next record had a hit on it. The label even sent an A&R man to tell them as such right before their show at the Palladium in New York City (and as Gerald Casale notes, the band played with "more intensity than ever" that night). In true Devo fashion, they had no intention of playing along and just made the record they wanted to make anyway, which was ''Freedom Of Choice.'' The first single, "Girl U Want," wasn't catching on, but as luck would have it, a Florida DJ latched onto "Whip It" and gave it plenty of airplay. Its resulting popularity spread around the country until the band had a fluke hit on their hands. And the rest is history.

* HeAlsoDid: It's hard to name a well known band that Josh Freese ''hasn't'' drummed for in his career.