Devo, The B-52's, Talking Heads and the Nerd Rock of My Childhood
Devo, The B-52’s and Talking Heads were the Big Three for me. By not being cool they were the coolEST. And as an insecure but pretty bright kid (I know right?), I wanted to fit in and these bands made me feel like I was in on something cool. I was fascinated with the concepts and quirkiness, not knowing that this was NOT actually the pathway to cool among other 10 year olds - at least not with the girls lol. Yes I had a few friends who were totally into these bands as well - it’s not like I was alone or had a problem accumulating friends. And I had “girlfriends” between 2nd and 9th grade too - ya know, girls I was “going with.”
And KISS was my favorite group above all others - that never changed from 1975-2004. A solid 30 year run.
But, Greg Harden once told me my superpower was that I was a chameleon. He told me that it was clear I was comfortable hanging in many different circles - different interests, races, cultures - with jocks, nerds, neo-maxi-zoom-dweebies…. didn’t matter. And I definitely had an inner nerd in the mix. I still do. So I’ve always gravitated to bands like this in addition to rock, hip-hop, R&B, alternative, thrash metal, jam bands, jazz - whatever… So for this post it’s time to geek out!
*Side note: If you are inclined to purchase the music of these bands you can use my affiliate link to Amazon and I may get a small commission. Thanks!
Devo
Public Domain
Is it very rock and roll to wear energy domes on your head and talk about strange themes of de-evolution? To wear uniforms with “Devo” on them when you perform? If you were going to start a rock band would that be the route you take? Would you think that would sell records in the 70’s and “get the chicks?” Would you kick off your first LP with a song (allegedy) about how you need to pleasure yourself?
No. You wouldn’t.
But Devo did.
And by the way I had no idea that’s what Uncontrollable Urge might have been about when I was a kid and the band has said it’s actually not, but it’s largely been interpreted that way. Either way, by being the anti-cool they became one of the coolest bands of all time - at least for like, 4 years. I never stopped thinking Devo was cool but they definitely lost their edge creatively in the studio after that and put out a lot of material that was devolved indeed - into self-parody. But I’ll tell you what, when I saw them at Lollapalooza in 1997 they still KICKED ASS. And this was really weird - stay with me for a sec: By this point they had stopped making records. And while I always clarify this by saying critics don’t really matter per se, I do enjoy AllMusic.com and find that their reviews collectively have some merit. Just to compare, the first 5 Devo albums released between 1978-1982 are rated on a scale from 1 to 5 stars with 5 being best: 4.5, 3.5, 4.5, 3 and 2.5. I generally agree. The next 3 albums released between 1984-1990 are 1.5, 1.5 and 2. 5 mostly good to great albums in 5 years, followed by 3 horrible albums in 7 years. And this concert was 7 years after that which included a complete 5 year hiatus. That alone isn’t what’s weird. What’s weird is that Devo was the final act at this Lolla show after Snoop Dogg and Tool. Like, huh? Devo was in no position to be a headliner of any sort. They played their biggest most iconic song Whip It third in the set, and the place emptied out at the end of that song. At least half of the crowd just left. Devo paid no mind to that and just killed, playing ONLY their old stuff and being as quirky as ever. One of my favorite sets by anyone I’ve ever seen. Those who stayed were indeed Devo fans. We weren’t just there to hear Whip It and we collectively nerded out together. It was glorious.
And if you still don’t get it, Devo has been covered by some of the coolest groups you’ll find, like Soundgarden (Girl U Want), Fu Manchu (Freedom of Choice), Rage Against The Machine (Beautiful World), Flaming Lips (Gates Of Steel) and…..here’s the kicker - Nirvana! I had no idea until right now that Turnaround was a Devo cover. I’m officially blown away and ashamed of myself that I didn’t know this. At least I admit it. In my defense it was a Devo B-Side which is how I missed it. Please don’t take my music snob card away, but I’ll understand if you must. Holy crap.
The B-52’s
By Lynn Goldsmith; Distributed by Warner Bros. Records
I was obsessed with this band. I signed up for their newsletter which I used to get in the mail, and I remembered how it used to sound on my brother Dan’s Mitsubishi stereo that was like his most prized possession. I remember the blue walkie talkie on one side of the yellow lyric record sleeve that came with the debut and the guitar on the other. Kate and Cindy’s hair fascinated me (I didn’t know they were wigs lol). I didn’t understand the campy stylings when I was 9 - I just thought they were incredibly cool, especially Fred Schneider - such a wonderfully wacky frontman! I saw them at Pine Knob on the Whammy! tour on 7/16/1983 with Figures On A Beach opening lol. I remember when Fred changed up the lyrics on Strobelight to “Baby when I kiss your wig, I feel really big!” I was only 12 and I remember that level of detail… I also remember at Jason Panitch’s bar mitzvah when the Joe Cornell DJ Kenny Harris played a “name that tune” game for a prize and he pulled out what he figured was an obscure tune that no one would get. It was Throw That Beat In The Garbage Can from the Mesopotamia EP (produced by the frontman of the third of the 3 bands in this piece - David Byrne). I of course knew it, but botched my answer saying “Throw That TUNE In The Garbage Can.” My disbelief in not winning the prize spurred other guesses, like from Alex Steinbock’s dad who guessed “Throw That Tune In The TRASH can” and so on…. hehe. I actually don’t remember if anyone got it right.
The B-52’s kicked ass too - they weren’t just the band that did the goofy Love Shack, and the wacky surfer rock classic Rock Lobster. Take a listen to 52 Girls, Lava or Strobelight - those songs rock. But they didn’t follow a typical rock band formula by any stretch. The point-counterpoint of Fred’s kitchy spoken / shouted vocals to the girls vocal acrobatics with plenty of shrieking insanity and songs about poodles, planets and butterbeans? Would that be your plan to conquer the world as a rock band? Probably not….
Talking Heads
1980 Sire publicity photo
Then there’s the Talking Heads. Somehow they are the only band of these three that are in the “Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.” They weren’t my favorite of these three per se, but I suppose they are the most respected of the three. Another band that didn’t have long hair or rock stylings of any sort. Their front man was also……..really weird and embodiment of complete nerd-dom. Exhibit A is the Once In A Lifetime video. Actually this was a band that was made for MTV with some of the most amazingly odd videos ever produced. Once In A Lifetime and Burning Down The House were the greatest. Who does that? Was David Byrne “cool?” My answer is absolutely - the coolest.
All of these bands were at their peak around the same time although certainly the Talking Heads had a better run of excellence and relevance than the others with 9 mostly great albums in 12 years and oh - drummer Chris Frantz and his wife, bassist Tina Weymouth turned in their own masterpiece during that run with their first Tom Tom Club album and the massively influential Genius of Love and Wordy Rappinghood. I actually love all the Tom Tom Club albums. I also saw the Talking Heads at, you guessed it, Pine Knob in either 1982 or 1983 - I’ll have to find my ticket stub to confirm… I’ll never forget David Byrne jogging a whole bunch of full laps around the stage at one point in this very exaggerated stride… Another early concert for me that had a big and lasting impact.
So yeah, these bands made my world so much more interesting growing up!
What about you? Who are your favorite nerd rock / geek rock artists? There are plenty more than these three - these were just my three faves growing up. Let me know in the comments!
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