Devo Recall Being Schooled and Scolded by Neil Young

Posted on Jun 18th 2009 5:00PM by Steve Baltin
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When Devo first came upon the scene in the late '70s, the band had a decidedly businesslike sensibility, going so far as to sell replicas of its yellow jumpsuit stagewear via order forms in its albums. It was a policy that didn't sit well with the group's peers. "When it came to marketing and packaging, that was supposedly anti-rock 'n' roll. And they would say as much: 'That's not rock 'n' roll,'" Devo's Gerald Casale tells Spinner.

Devo found themselves chastised by the best of them, including one particular rock icon. "I remember people like Neil Young scolding us: 'Why did you have a merchandise catalog inside your record sleeve?'" Mark Mothersbaugh recalls him asking. "'Well, it's kind of like the back page of a comic book.' I was really trying to explain it to him."

Being scolded by the likes of Neil Young could do a number on an up-and-coming band. But Devo received just as much support from other rock heroes. "Certainly, the fact that David Bowie and Brian Eno really liked our music gave you a boost of confidence that you're doing the right thing," Casale says. "It's huge to an artist -- somebody you respect says, 'This is great; you should keep doing that.'"

Mothersbaugh adds, "They were very supportive, they liked what we did, they saw what we did and they got it."

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