There was a brief flurry in the blogosphere yesterday about the existence (and perfect sense) of DEVO action figures. Sadly, music fans never got to enjoy what looked to be DEVO’s most conservative moment. In the wake of being dropped from Warner Bros, the fading new-wavers announced a film project to be called DEVO Goes to Hell (or something like that). The accompanying publicity photo showed the band in black wigs, looking very much like a ’60s garage band—except for their matching military outfits with an armband sporting a peace symbol. The image suggested that the band knew a lot about liberal fascism.

Nothing ever really came of that announcement. Still, it’s always seemed that one song survived the aborted project. Here’s the YouTube link to “It Doesn’t Matter to Me,” which ended up on the live album Now It Can Be Told. The show is from December of 1988. These are the opening lyrics:

         Listen, comrade, I don’t care
         How long you want to grow your hair
         It doesn’t matter to me

         Hey, lady, have you heard the news?
         You can burn your wig and burn your shoes
         It doesn’t matter to me…

The whole song goes on about how utterly unimpressed our narrator is about flashy shows of rebellion. DEVO sounds serious, too. Sadly, the band spent a lot of time last year campaigning for Obama. That probably just means DEVO was right about de-evolution being real.

Also, here’s a swell fan-made video for DEVO’s take on the hippie anthem “Morning Dew.” That cover always seemed like another song that would’ve fit into their old plans.

 

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