Raising Helen is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler . It stars Kate Hudson , John Corbett , Joan Cusack , Hayden Panettiere , siblings Spencer and Abigail Breslin , and Helen Mirren . It grossed $ 37,486,512 at the U.S. box office.
108-552: Helen, Jenny, and Lindsay Harris are close sisters living in New York; the eldest Jenny raised the other two after their mother died when they were young. Jenny and Lindsay are responsible stay-at-home mothers while Helen, an executive assistant to the CEO of one of Manhattan's most prestigious modeling agencies, enjoys a lavish, carefree lifestyle. One morning, Helen receives a call from Jenny who tells her Lindsay and her husband Paul have died in
216-412: A "New Traditionalist Pomp"—a plastic half-wig modeled on the hairstyle of John F. Kennedy . Among the singles from the album was " Through Being Cool ", written as a reaction to their new-found fame from "Whip It" and seen as a response to new fans who had misinterpreted the message behind the hit song. The album's accompanying tour featured the band performing an intensely physical show with treadmills and
324-488: A 12-inch single of "Fresh"/"What We Do" on June 10. Devo was awarded the first Moog Innovator Award on October 29, during Moogfest 2010 in Asheville, North Carolina . The Moog Innovator Award has been said to celebrate "pioneering artists whose genre-defying work exemplifies the bold, innovative spirit of Bob Moog". Devo was scheduled to perform at Moogfest, but Bob Mothersbaugh severely injured his hand three days prior, and
432-420: A 1973 novel that contains satirical limericks about capitalist can-do clichés. Casale incorporated lyrics that would sound like motivational clichés if taken out of context. Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson interpreted the lyrics as being "an observation...on the struggles of the common man, woman and mutant." Mothersbaugh offered a different interpretation of the lyrics, saying they were written in
540-447: A 7-inch single of live recordings from the band, which were also released on SoundCloud prior to the book's release. The recordings were dated 1977, but the performances are identical to those found on an audience bootleg recorded on October 10, 1978. Devo were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, 2021 and 2022. On May 14 and 15, 2022, Devo performed at
648-661: A Devo fan convention held annually in Cleveland, Ohio. The festival was most recently held in September 2022. In 2005, Devo recorded a new version of " Whip It " to be used in Swiffer television commercials, a decision they have said they regretted. During an interview with the Dallas Observer , Gerald Casale said, "It's just aesthetically offensive. It's got everything a commercial that turns people off has." The song " Beautiful World "
756-576: A Hole " for the 1996 North American version of the film Supercop . In January 1996, Devo performed a reunion concert at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah . The band performed on part of the 1996 Lollapalooza tour in the rotating Mystery Spot. On these tours and most subsequent tours, Devo performed a set-list mostly composed of material from between 1978 and 1982, ignoring their Enigma Records-era material. Also in 1996, Devo released
864-410: A Holy War , was released on September 12, 2006, after a several-month delay. It featured mostly new material, plus re-recordings of four obscure Devo songs: "I Need a Chick" and "I Been Refused" (from Hardcore Devo: Volume Two ), "Find Out" (which appeared on the single and EP of " Peek-a-Boo! " in 1982), and "Beehive" (which was recorded by the band in 1974, whereupon it was apparently abandoned, with
972-415: A Loop" and "Post Post-Modern Man", were Devo's worst-selling efforts; all failed to appear on the U.S. charts. Devo launched a concert tour in support of the album, but poor ticket sales and the bankruptcy and dissolution of Enigma Records , which was responsible for organizing and financing the tour, caused it to be cancelled part way through. In 1990, the members of Devo, bar Bob Mothersbaugh, appeared in
1080-441: A No. 14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single " Whip It ", the song that gave the band mainstream popularity. Devo's music and visual presentation (including stage shows and costumes) mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor and mordantly satirical social commentary . The band's namesake, the tongue-in-cheek social theory of "de-evolution", was an integral concept in their early work, which
1188-412: A car accident, leaving behind their three children, 15-year-old Audrey, 10-year-old Henry, and 5-year-old Sarah. At an appointment with Lindsay's attorney, Helen and Jenny are shocked to discover Lindsay has appointed Helen the guardian of the children. Both sisters are given a letter that Lindsay had left for them. Forced to give up her wild lifestyle and move to Queens, Helen initially struggles to raise
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#17329416936611296-457: A commercial music production studio, along with Bob Mothersbaugh and Bob Casale. Mothersbaugh meant to further a career as a composer , and the latter worked as an audio engineer . Mothersbaugh has had considerable success writing and producing music for television programs, including Pee-wee's Playhouse and Rugrats , video games, cartoons, and films, where he worked alongside director Wes Anderson . David Kendrick also worked at Mutato for
1404-614: A common theme revolving around the ability to deal with one's problems by "whipping it". Co-written by bassist Gerald Casale and lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh , Devo recorded "Whip It" with producer Robert Margouleff at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. Although "Whip It" was released as the second single from Freedom of Choice , Warner Bros. Records did not expect it to be a hit, due to its nonstandard tempo and strange lyrics. The disc jockey (DJ) Kal Rudman took an interest in
1512-513: A cover of " Working in the Coal Mine ", recorded during the Freedom of Choice sessions, to the film Heavy Metal . They offered the song to be used in the film when Warner Bros. refused to include it on the album. Warner then included it as an independent bonus single accompanying their 1981 release, New Traditionalists . For this album Devo wore self-described "Utopian Boy Scout uniforms" topped with
1620-513: A cover of the Johnny Rivers hit " Secret Agent Man ". "Secret Agent Man" had been recorded first in 1974 for Devo's first film and performed live as early as 1976. In 1979, Devo traveled to Japan for the first time, and a live show from this tour was partially recorded. Devo appeared on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in 1979, performing "Blockhead", "Secret Agent Man", "Uncontrollable Urge", and "Mongoloid". Also in 1979, Rhino , in conjunction with
1728-634: A fictitious Swedish band called Cube-Squared. Devo followed this up with a world tour, and released the live album Now It Can Be Told: Devo at the Palace in 1989. However, Total Devo was not a commercial success and received poor critical reviews. In 1989, members of Devo were involved in the project Visiting Kids, releasing a self-titled EP on the New Rose label in 1990. The band featured Mark's then-wife Nancye Ferguson, as well as David Kendrick, Bob Mothersbaugh, and Bob's daughter Alex Mothersbaugh. Their record
1836-405: A herky-jerky dance." The accompanying music video is also remembered for its bizarre and controversial content. According to Huey, "the song has remained in the public consciousness thanks in part to MTV's extensive airplay for the video". With the popularity of the video, MTV began pursuing Devo and promised them a new platform to showcase their visual works. Devo, however, eventually developed
1944-515: A large Greek temple set. That same year they served as Toni Basil 's backing band on Word of Mouth , her debut album, which included versions of three Devo songs, recorded with Basil singing lead. Oh, No! It's Devo followed in 1982. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker , the album featured a more synth-pop-oriented sound than its predecessors. According to Gerald Casale, the album's sound was inspired by reviewers alternately describing them as both " fascists " and " clowns ". The album's tour featured
2052-642: A multimedia CD-ROM adventure game , Adventures of the Smart Patrol with Inscape . The game was not a success, but the Lollapalooza tour was received well enough to allow Devo to return in 1997 as a headliner. Devo performed sporadically from 1997 onwards. In 1999, the Oh, No! It's Devo era outtakes "Faster and Faster" and "One Dumb Thing", as well as the Shout era outtake "Modern Life", were restored, completed and used in
2160-425: A number of satirical art pieces in a devolution vein. At this time, Casale had also performed with the local band 15-60-75 ( The Numbers Band ). They met Mark Mothersbaugh around 1970, a talented keyboardist who had been playing with the band Flossy Bobbitt. Mothersbaugh brought a more humorous feel to the band, introducing them to material like the pamphlet "Jocko Homo Heavenbound", which includes an illustration of
2268-465: A period during the early 1990s. Gerald Casale began a career as a director of music videos and commercials, working with bands including Rush , Soundgarden , Silverchair and the Foo Fighters . In the wake of Devo's dissolution, Bob Mothersbaugh attempted to start a solo career with The Bob I Band, recording an album that was never released. The tapes for this are now lost, though a bootleg recording of
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#17329416936612376-419: A poem written by Hinckley that was published in a tabloid newspaper, following his attempt to assassinate then-current president Ronald Reagan . Hinckley had been adequately credited for his contributions through a co-writing credit on all releases. Casale claimed that Devo were not at fault, as it was the publishing company's duty to pay him, not the band's. Devotional 2021, an annual convention for Devo fans,
2484-429: A recording contract with Warner Bros. in 1978. After Bowie backed out of the business deal due to previous commitments, their first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! , was produced by Brian Eno and featured rerecordings of their previous singles "Mongoloid" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". On October 14, 1978, Devo gained national exposure with an appearance on the late-night show Saturday Night Live ,
2592-563: A set of home-made electronic drums . Their first two music videos, " Secret Agent Man " and "Jocko Homo", which both appeared in The Truth About De-Evolution , were filmed in Akron , and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio , the hometown of most members. This lineup of Devo lasted until late 1975 when Jim left the band. Lewis would sometimes play guitar during this period, but mainly stayed in a managerial role. In concert, Devo would often perform in
2700-470: A staple of MTV during the then-fledgling channel's early years? The fact that The Simpsons even paid homage to both the song and the video in an episode demonstrates how much 'Whip It' has transcended pop culture. Several journalists view "Whip It" as a cornerstone of the development of new wave music in the early 1980s. In his book Pop Goes the Decade: The Eighties , Thomas Harrison wrote that
2808-408: A troubled relationship with the channel. Most of the band's subsequent videos were censored for controversial content or were rejected because the song was not a hit single. According to Casale; "As soon as MTV went national, they came up with this new Taliban set of rules ... we were stunned and felt jilted." In the band's forty-year history, "Whip It" remains their only song to chart within
2916-509: A week after the Rolling Stones, performing "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Jocko Homo". The band followed up with Duty Now for the Future in 1979, which moved the band more towards electronic instrumentation. While not as successful as their first album, it did produce some fan favorites with the songs "Blockhead" and "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize" [ sic ], as well as
3024-521: A week, "Whip It" had become so popular that Devo was forced to temporarily stop its tour to book larger venues because the concerts were selling out too quickly. When Devo returned home, they played a series of large concerts at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in late August 1980, attended by Hollywood celebrities and other L.A. musicians. Casale later said that the rising popularity of "Whip It" helped to fill such large venues, along with
3132-484: A winged devil labelled "D-EVOLUTION" and would later inspire the song " Jocko Homo ". The "joke" about de-evolution became serious following the Kent State massacre of May 4, 1970. This event would be cited multiple times as the impetus for forming the band Devo. Throughout the band's career, they have often been considered a "joke band" by the music press. The first form of Devo was the "Sextet Devo" which performed at
3240-413: A woman on a dude ranch . Despite some claims of misogynistic undertones, the video became popular on the fledgling television channel MTV . Devo's previous studio album Duty Now for the Future (1979) was considered a disappointment by critics and band members; critics regarded it as a formulaic repeat of the band's 1978 debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and the band members primarily blamed
3348-477: Is "kind of like white boys rapping". The lyrics of "Whip It" are disjointed and nonsensical. For example, its central theme revolves around the ability to solve one's problems by "whipping it"; other lines include motivational statements like "go forward, move ahead" and "it's not too late". Casale wrote the lyrics, which were intended to satirize American optimism. He took inspiration from communist propaganda posters and Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon ,
Raising Helen - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-425: Is an anagram of "Devo". They appeared as Dove in the 1980 televangelism spoof film Pray TV . Devo gained a new level of visibility with 1980's Freedom of Choice . This album included their best-known hit, " Whip It ", which quickly became a Top 40 hit. The album moved to an almost completely electronic sound, with the exception of acoustic drums and Bob Mothersbaugh's guitar. The tour for Freedom of Choice
3564-422: Is not happy. She goes to Jenny's to take the children back, adamant she is ready to put her foot down and be a mother, but Jenny asks her to leave and think about it some more. Later that night, as Helen sits alone in the nearby park, Jenny appears and allows Helen to read her letter from Lindsay; in it, Lindsay explains she chose Helen to care for her children because their personalities are so similar and she wanted
3672-404: Is set on a dude ranch where cowboys and cowgirls are watching Mothersbaugh whip the clothing from a cigarette-smoking woman. A cross-eyed woman and a middle-aged woman making whipped cream watch from a ranch house while the other members of Devo perform the song in a cattle pen. The band members are wearing sleeveless black turtlenecks and red flowerpot-shaped hats called energy domes . Devo
3780-464: The Akron Beacon Journal stated, "Devo recently finished a new project in cahoots with Disney called Devo 2.0, which features the band playing old songs and two new ones with vocals provided by children. Their debut album, a two disc CD/DVD combo entitled DEV2.0 , was released on March 14, 2006. The lyrics of some of the songs were changed for family-friendly airplay, which has been claimed by
3888-803: The Billboard Year-End singles chart for 1981. In the U.S., the song also reached number thirteen on the Cash Box Top 100 , number eight on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, and number seventeen on the Record World Singles chart. "Whip It" found international success, peaking at number seventy-seven on the Australian Kent Music Report , number eleven on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, number eleven on
3996-664: The Cruel World Festival at the Rose Bowl's Brookside golf course in Pasadena, California , followed three days later by their performance at The Rooftop at Pier 17. Whip It (Devo song) " Whip It " is a song by American new wave band Devo from their third studio album Freedom of Choice (1980). It is a new wave and synth-pop song that features a synthesizer , electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums in its instrumentation. The apparently nonsensical lyrics have
4104-535: The Official New Zealand Music Chart , and number fifty-one on the UK Singles Chart . The song was certified Gold in the U.S. and Canada, denoting shipments of 1,000,000 and 75,000 copies respectively. In a contemporary review, Record World called it "Devo's strongest pop outing to date." In a retrospective review, Huey said the song has "an irresistibly odd novelty appeal" and that it
4212-443: The key of E major . "Whip It" 's main riff alternates between a five-note ascension and a three-note descension, and is played with a synthesizer, electric guitar, and bass guitar. The chorus features two synthesizer notes that are a half step apart, which creates what AllMusic 's Steve Huey describes as "a disorienting aural effect". As the song progresses, a guitar lick in the main riff becomes more prominent. During
4320-410: The 1973 Kent State performing arts festival. It included Casale, Lewis and Mothersbaugh, as well as Gerald's brother Bob Casale on guitar, and friends Rod Reisman and Fred Weber on drums and vocals, respectively. This performance was filmed and an excerpt was later included on the home video release The Complete Truth About De-Evolution . This lineup performed only once. Devo returned to perform in
4428-416: The 1980s. When "Whip It" was released, some listeners assumed the lyrics were double entendres for masturbation or sadomasochism . Devo's previous material often included sexual innuendos or blatant references to sex in the lyrics, which made "Whip It" appear consistent with this style of songwriting. Mothersbaugh said many disc jockeys would make masturbation jokes to him before interviews. At first,
Raising Helen - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-415: The 1982 tour), new costumes, and three new songs: "Don't Shoot, I'm a Man!", "What We Do", and "Fresh". On September 16, Warner Bros. and Devo announced rereleases of Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Freedom of Choice , as well as a subsequent tour, where they would perform both albums in their entirety. A new album, Something for Everybody , was eventually released on June 15, 2010, preceded by
4644-581: The Knack . "Girl U Want" did not chart and was considered a failure. Despite this disappointment, Devo decided to tour in support of the album without a hit single. Shortly into the tour, disc jockey (DJ) Kal Rudman programmed "Whip It" to be played on several radio stations in the Southeastern U.S., which led urban music programmer Frankie Crocker to push the song at powerhouse WBLS in New York City. Within
4752-553: The Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM , released Devotees , a tribute album. It contained a set of covers of Devo songs interspersed with renditions of popular songs in Devo's style. Devo actively embraced the parody religion Church of the SubGenius . In concert, Devo sometimes performed as their own opening act, pretending to be a Christian soft rock band called "Dove (the Band of Love)", which
4860-455: The Smart Patrol , he explained, "Around '88, '89, '90 maybe, we did our last tour in Europe, and it was kind of at that point, We were watching This Is Spinal Tap on the bus and said, 'Oh my God, that's our life.' And we just said, 'Things have to change.' So we kind of agreed from there that we wouldn't do live shows anymore." Following the split, Mark Mothersbaugh established Mutato Muzika ,
4968-534: The Student Governance Center (featured prominently in the film) at the 1974 Creative Arts Festival with a lineup including the Casale brothers, Bob Lewis, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Jim Mothersbaugh on drums. The band continued to perform, generally as a quartet, but with a fluid lineup including Mark's brothers Bob Mothersbaugh and Jim Mothersbaugh. Bob played electric guitar, and Jim provided percussion using
5076-613: The TV show Fridays in 1980 and 1981, as well as on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert , American Bandstand , and other shows. The band members often wore red, terraced energy dome hats as part of its stage outfit. The dome was first worn during the band's Freedom of Choice campaign of 1980. It reappeared in the 1981, 1982, and 1988 tours, as well as in most of their performances since 1997. Devo also recorded two albums of their own songs as elevator music for their fan club, Club Devo, released on cassette in 1981 and 1984. These were later re-released on
5184-555: The album E-Z Listening Disc (1987), with all but two of the original Club Devo songs. These songs were often played as house music before Devo concerts. In August 1981, the band's DEV-O Live EP spent three weeks at the top of the Australian charts . In 1982, they toured Australia and appeared on the TV show Countdown . Devo enjoyed continued popularity in Australia, where the nationally broadcast 1970s–1980s pop TV show Countdown
5292-465: The band in concert exists and can be obtained through the bootleg aggregator Booji Boy's Basement. While they did not release any studio albums during this period, Devo sporadically reconvened to record a number of songs for various films and compilations, including a new recording of " Girl U Want " on the soundtrack to the 1995 film Tank Girl and a cover of the Nine Inch Nails hit " Head Like
5400-413: The band members attempted to dissuade them of this assumption but they eventually gave in and helped reinforce these misinterpretations. Mothersbaugh believed a song about taboo subjects would receive more radio airplay and sell more copies. Although "Whip It" was not about masturbation or sadomasochism as some listeners believed, Devo used these sexual themes for an accompanying music video . The video
5508-416: The band members intended the video to appear tasteless and demeaning but also funny. The claims of misogyny increased when Devo was cut from a live performance on an episode of The Midnight Special hosted by Lily Tomlin . After watching the video, Tomlin refused to host the show unless Devo was cut. There were also claims that MTV banned the video but these claims were ultimately proven false. If there
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#17329416936615616-404: The band performing seven songs in front of a 12-foot high rear-projection screen with synchronized video, an image recreated using blue screen effects in the album's accompanying music videos. Devo also contributed two songs, " Theme from Doctor Detroit " and "Luv-Luv", to the 1983 Dan Aykroyd film Doctor Detroit , and produced a music video for "Theme from Doctor Detroit" featuring clips from
5724-548: The band released a single called "Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro (Seamus Unleashed)", dedicated to the Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney 's former pet dog Seamus. The title refers to the Mitt Romney dog incident of 1983, when Romney travelled twelve hours with the dog in a crate on his car's roof rack. On June 24, 2013, the group's former drummer Alan Myers died of stomach cancer in Los Angeles, California. He
5832-515: The band starred in Devolution: A Devo Theory , a television documentary based entirely on their theory of devolution, which had been completed in 2020. In September, Devo performed a short three-date tour of the USA, including a show at Riot Fest . These performances marked the return of Josh Freese on drums, who had not played live with Devo in over five years. Shortly afterwards, Gerald Casale announced
5940-576: The band to be a play on irony of the messages of their classic hits." In an April 2007 interview, Gerald Casale mentioned a tentative project for a biographical film about Devo's early days. According to Casale, a script was supposedly in development, called The Beginning Was the End . Devo played their first European tour since 1990 in the summer of 2007, including a performance at Festival Internacional de Benicàssim . In December 2007, Devo released their first new single since 1990, " Watch Us Work It ", which
6048-483: The band to produce a video for "Whip It" with a $ 15,000 budget. The idea for the video came from an article in a 1962 issue of The Dude magazine, which revolved around a former stuntman who marries a stripper and moves to a dude ranch in Arizona . For entertainment, the man would use a whip to remove the clothes from his wife, who would remain unhurt. Mothersbaugh stated; "That's the kind of stuff that fed us creatively. It
6156-476: The band was forced to cancel. Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale collaborated with Austin -based band the Octopus Project to perform "Girl U Want" and "Beautiful World" at the event instead. The band split from Warner Bros in 2012 and launched a new "post-Warner Brothers" website that would offer "new protective gear" and "unreleased material from the archives in vinyl disc format". In August of that year,
6264-445: The children on her own. As time goes by, her concentration at work begins to slip and she is fired as a result, leading her to become a receptionist at a car dealership. Helen and Jenny get into a fight about how best to raise the children and they stop talking. Things later start to improve for Helen after she begins dating Dan Parker, the children's school principal and pastor, who helps her bond with them. Audrey starts to fall in with
6372-479: The children to have a mother figure who reminds them of her. Finally having accepted Helen can cope, Jenny returns the children to her the following morning, and they happily begin to settle into their new family life. The 1980 Devo song " Whip It " was featured in the film. The film was shown at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival . It was released theatrically in the United States on May 28, 2004. In US theaters,
6480-521: The cigarette holder to knock it out of her mouth. For the first few months after its release, the video was seen by a limited audience, primarily on late-night talk shows. The American television channel MTV , which was launched in 1981, gave the video so much exposure that it temporarily revived the song's popularity, shortly before the release of Devo's next studio album New Traditionalists (1981). The video attracted some controversy, particularly for its perceived misogynistic undertones. Casale said
6588-494: The continued "big booster" promotion of Devo by KROQ radio in Southern California. KROQ's listeners chose "Whip It" as their number 1 favorite song in the year-end list KROQ Top 106.7 of 1980 . "Whip It" debuted at number eighty-five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on August 30, 1980. It spent twenty-five weeks on the chart, peaked at number fourteen on November 15, 1980, and finished the year at number ninety-four on
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#17329416936616696-505: The exception of one appearance at a special show in 2001). Devo continued to tour actively in 2005 and 2006, unveiling a new stage show at appearances in October 2006, with the Jihad Jerry character performing "Beautiful World" as an encore. Also in 2006, Devo worked on a project with Disney known as Devo 2.0 . A band of child performers was assembled and re-recorded Devo songs. A quote from
6804-502: The film The Spirit of '76 . Two albums of demo recordings from 1974 to 1977, namely Hardcore Devo: Volume One (1990) and Hardcore Devo: Volume Two (1991), were released on Rykodisc , as well as an album of early live recordings, Devo Live: The Mongoloid Years (1992). The band played one final show in March 1991 before breaking up. In an interview with Mark Mothersbaugh concerning their 1996 computer game Devo Presents Adventures of
6912-519: The film a box-office bomb . Raising Helen received mostly negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 25% based on 133 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "As shallow and formulaic as a sitcom." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 38 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave
7020-543: The film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. The film was released on DVD and VHS on October 12, 2004. To date, the film has not been released on Blu-ray . Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio , formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob ) and the Casales ( Gerald and Bob ), along with Alan Myers . The band had
7128-542: The film interspersed with live-action segments. The band's sixth studio album, Shout (1984), which featured extensive use of the Fairlight CMI digital sampling synthesizer, was received poorly, and the expensive music video they'd produced for their cover of the Jimi Hendrix Experience 's " Are You Experienced? " was criticized by some as being "disrespectful", all of which caused Warner Bros. to buy out
7236-408: The film was preceded by an animated short film from Walt Disney Feature Animation titled Lorenzo , about a cat who gets his tail jinxed and comes to life. The film opened at number four on opening weekend, making $ 10.9 million. In North America, the film made $ 37,486,512 overall. In foreign countries, it made $ 12,232,099. The film made $ 49,718,611 in its entire run, on a $ 50 million budget, making
7344-473: The form of a subtle pep talk for United States President Jimmy Carter during the 1980 presidential election . The members of Devo supported Carter and feared the Republican candidate Ronald Reagan would win the election. Mothersbaugh jokingly once said in an interview: "Come on Jimmy, get your shit together". Huey notes that despite the song's novelty, there are violent undertones in the lyrics. He describes
7452-429: The formulaic sound on the album's producer Ken Scott . Warner Bros. Records was also unhappy with Duty Now for the Future and issued an ultimatum to Devo that they needed to produce a successful follow-up album, or they would be dropped from the label. The band members believed a hit single would bolster the next album's popularity and finally give them radio exposure. In late 1979, audio engineer Robert Margouleff
7560-746: The group performing material written during 1974–1977. The June 28 Oakland show was filmed and later released as the concert film Hardcore Devo Live! , released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Video on Demand on February 10, 2015, accompanied by CD and double-vinyl audio releases. Immediately following from the Hardcore tour, Devo continued to tour a 'greatest hits' style show. Josh Hager joined the band at this time, playing guitar and keyboards. On April 29, 2016, Devo performed at Will Ferrell and Chad Smith 's Red Hot Benefit. On May 22, Robert Mothersbaugh Sr., father of Mark, Bob, and Jim Mothersbaugh, died. Robert portrayed General Boy in various Devo films. In 2017,
7668-475: The group, a quartet for the first time in 38 years, embarked on their Hardcore Devo Tour , a ten-show tour across the US and Canada between June 18 and July 2, 2014. The tour focused on material the group had written before the release of their first album, which was largely written when the group were a quartet. Partial proceeds for the ten shows went to support Bob Casale's family after his sudden death. The show featured
7776-504: The guise of theatrical characters , such as Booji Boy and the Chinaman. A recording of an early Devo performance from 1975 with the quartet lineup appears on Devo Live: The Mongoloid Years (1992), ending with the promoters unplugging Devo's equipment. Following Jim Mothersbaugh's departure, Bob Mothersbaugh found a new drummer, Alan Myers , who played on a conventional, acoustic drum kit . Casale re-recruited his brother Bob Casale, and
7884-627: The hands of the band to decide when/how it's released/distributed." Devo headlined the Burger Boogaloo festival in Oakland, California, on June 30, 2018, with comedian and former Trenchmouth drummer Fred Armisen on drums. On October 12, 2020, Devo performed at the Desert Daze festival, with Jeff Friedl on drums. In January 2021, Funko released two Devo Funko Pops inspired by the group's "Whip It" and "Satisfaction" music videos. One month later,
7992-414: The instrumental break, the riff temporarily reconfigures to a nonstandard 6/4 beat before returning to the original 4/4 beat. Casale and Mothersbaugh sing the vocals of "Whip It" with a vocal range of A4-F#5. The singers take alternate turns on vocals; Mothersbaugh uses a nasal drawl while Casale sings in a more powerful "cartoonish" voice. The use of two vocalists is a call and response that Casale said
8100-468: The lineup of Devo remained the same for nearly ten years. Devo gained some fame in 1976 when their short film The Truth About De-Evolution , directed by Chuck Statler, won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival . This attracted the attention of David Bowie , who began work to get the band a recording contract with Warner Music Group . In 1977, Devo were asked by Neil Young to participate in
8208-459: The main riff in "Whip It" by taking the riff used in Roy Orbison 's song " Oh, Pretty Woman " and changing the ending slightly. "Whip It" is a new wave and synth-pop song, that is built around a consistent 4/4 beat known as a motorik beat . It is constructed in verse–chorus form . With a chord progression of D-A-E7 sus 4 in the verses and C-G-D in the choruses, the song is written in
8316-514: The making of his film Human Highway . Released in 1982, the film featured the band as "nuclear garbagemen". The band members were asked to write their own parts and Mark Mothersbaugh scored and recorded much of the soundtrack, his first of many. In March 1977, Devo released their first single, " Mongoloid " backed with "Jocko Homo", the B-side of which came from the soundtrack to The Truth About De-Evolution , on their independent label Booji Boy. This
8424-474: The official Twitter account for the Are We Not Men? documentary film, which had been in production since 2009, stated that "the film was finished years ago" and that "mm [Mark Mothersbaugh] is blocking its release". Jeff Winner, who was consulting producer for the Devo documentary, went on to state that he and director Tony Pemberton had "delivered the film that was contracted, and on schedule. It's now in
8532-556: The process of whipping it to solve one's problems as "a sardonic portrait of a general, problematic aspect of the American psyche: the predilection for using force and violence to solve problems, vent frustration, and prove oneself to others". "Whip It" is one of four songs from Freedom of Choice to be released as a single. Warner Bros. heavily favored the commercial viability of the first single " Girl U Want " because its music and lyrics were more radio-friendly and akin to " My Sharona " by
8640-599: The release of an official Devo potato-based vodka through the Trust Me Vodka brand. The packaging for the drink was themed around Devo imagery and featured original artwork. It was signed by the group's co-founders Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, as well as Bob Mothersbaugh. On October 24, 2021, John Hinckley Jr posted on Twitter that he had not received any royalties for Devo's song "I Desire" in 35 years. "I Desire" had been written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale for their 1982 album Oh, No! It's Devo , inspired by
8748-455: The remainder of Devo's contract. Shortly thereafter, Myers left the band, citing creative unfulfillment. In the interim, Mark Mothersbaugh began composing music for the TV show Pee-wee's Playhouse and released an elaborately packaged solo cassette , Musik for Insomniaks , which was later expanded and released as two CDs in 1988. In 1987, Devo re-formed with former Sparks drummer David Kendrick to replace Myers. Their first project
8856-586: The song and it was soon being played on several radio stations in the Southeastern United States . Peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 , "Whip It" became a hit single and found chart success in several countries. Mothersbaugh believes the song sold well because some people assumed the lyrics were about masturbation or sadomasochism . An accompanying music video depicts these sexual themes; it features Mothersbaugh whipping clothing from
8964-545: The song introduced heavily synthesized music to a mainstream audience while music critic Evie Nagy called it a "defining anthem of new wave's rise". The majority of new wave music in the early 1980s was produced by British bands. Following the success of "Whip It", Devo joined the B-52's as the face of the emergent American new wave music movement. The song's popularity can be largely attributed to its distinct originality. Gerard noted that "there's been nothing quite like 'Whip It' in
9072-502: The song's break in his bedroom; the break was originally much slower and had a classical sound. On another tape, Mothersbaugh played what became the main riff with a drum machine . One of Captain Beefheart 's drummers created a beat that Mothersbaugh recorded; the last demo was a live recording between Casale and Mothersbaugh. Casale took the four demos and layered them to create a smooth, consistent time signature. Mothersbaugh created
9180-456: The top 40, before or since". Nagy said the song's drum beat, guitar chords, and keyboard lines are distinct and easily recognizable, even when isolated from the song. In his book 99 Red Balloons: And 100 All-time One-hit Wonders , Brent Mann wrote; "It's hard to find anyone between the ages of 30 and 50 who does not have a vivid recollection of 'Whip It' ... the kind of unusual track that made listeners want to bop their heads and break into
9288-585: The top forty on the Billboard Hot 100, and one of two to reach the top 20 in Canada . As a result, some journalists have labeled Devo as a one-hit wonder. Mann noted that the band's strange philosophy on devolution offset its accessibility, and wrote; "Devo's songs were, quite simply, too far out and counter-culture for mainstream radio". Devo's members have never tried to distance themselves from "Whip It" and as of 2018 still play it live. Casale said; "I'm glad it
9396-650: The video game Interstate '82 , developed by Activision and released. Also that year, Mothersbaugh started the Devo side-project The Wipeouters, after their band in junior high, featuring himself (keyboards, organ), Bob Mothersbaugh (guitar), Bob Casale (guitar), and Mutato Muzika composer Josh Mancell (drums). The Wipeouters performed the theme song to the Nickelodeon animated series Rocket Power , and in 2001 they released an album of surf rock material, titled P'Twaaang!!! . Around this same time, Devo's online fandom continued to grow, leading to 'Devotional',
9504-458: The wrong crowd at school and gets an older boyfriend called BZ. When she disappears after prom, Helen is forced to call Jenny for backup, too scared to take control of the situation on her own in fear that Audrey will hate her if confronted. Audrey is found at a motel with BZ, and Helen later turns the children over to Jenny's custody, much to their dismay. Helen goes back to work and slowly returns to her previous way of living, but soon realizes she
9612-425: Was "one of the best arguments that punk ideology didn't necessarily lose its bite when placed in the more pop-oriented musical context of new wave". PopMatters ' Chris Gerard noted the song's originality and described it as "a bold and provocative recording that still sounds fantastic blasted out of a good set of speakers". The website subsequently ranked "Whip It" as the fifty-first best alternative song of
9720-459: Was 'Whip It', because it was certainly twisted and original ... it came from a pure, creative, open collaboration, and that's to me when all the best stuff comes." Since 1980, "Whip It" has been covered by several bands, including Pearl Jam , Love and Death , and Does It Offend You, Yeah? . One of the most unusual covers was recorded by the American teen pop band Devo 2.0 and featured on its album DEV2.0 (2006). Devo 2.0, which
9828-446: Was 58. News reports at the time of his death incorrectly cited brain cancer as the cause. One month later, Devo released their Something Else for Everybody album, which collected "Unreleased Demos and Focus Group Rejects" from 2006–2009. Gerald Casale had earlier teased the album in a 2012 interview with Billboard magazine. On February 17, 2014, founding member Bob Casale died of heart failure at age 61. Shortly afterwards,
9936-401: Was a Hall of Fame for early '80s New Wave music, Devo's 'Whip It' would be a shoo-in for induction. Undoubtedly the band's most recognizable song, 'Whip It' elevated Devo from an underground art-rock outfit to a (briefly) mainstream pop act, albeit one that still retained its pointed and satirical view of society. And, of course, who can forget the song's surrealist and now-iconic video that was
10044-468: Was a soundtrack for the horror film Slaughterhouse Rock (1988), starring Toni Basil . The band released the album Total Devo in 1988, on Enigma Records . This album included two songs used in the Slaughterhouse Rock soundtrack. The song "Baby Doll" was used that same year in the comedy film Tapeheads , with newly recorded Swedish lyrics, and was credited to (and shown in a music video by)
10152-418: Was also a pioneer of the music video format. The name Devo comes from the concept of " de-evolution " and the band's related idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind had begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society. In the late 1960s, this idea was developed as a joke by Kent State University art students Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis , who created
10260-471: Was also used in a re-recorded form for an advertisement for Target stores. Due to rights issues with their back catalog, Devo has re-recorded songs for films and advertisements. In 2005, Gerald Casale announced his "solo" project, Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers (the Evildoers, including the other members of Devo), and released the first EP, Army Girls Gone Wild in 2006. A full-length album, Mine Is Not
10368-664: Was ambitious for the band, including dates in Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Canada. The band used a minimalist set including large custom light boxes which could be laid on their back to form a second, smaller stage during the second half of the set. Other popular songs from Freedom of Choice were " Girl U Want ", the title-track , and "Gates of Steel". The band released popular music videos for "Whip It" and "Girl U Want". Devo made three appearances on
10476-416: Was brought on to produce "Whip It", along with its parent album Freedom of Choice . "Whip It" was written between August and October 1979 by bassist Jerry Casale and lead vocalist and keyboardist Mark Mothersbaugh . Howard Siegal engineered the song while Margouleff served as the producer. It was recorded at the Record Plant in Los Angeles and mastered by Ken Perry at Capitol Studios . The song
10584-576: Was created by Walt Disney Records in an attempt to emulate the popularity of the Swedish pop group the A-Teens , covered Devo songs for a teenage audience. Label executives asked Casale to serve as the band's manager; he agreed, reasoning that Devo 2.0 furthered Devo's belief that everything humanity creates— including Devo's own songs—will devolve Casale had to rewrite several lyrics to remove sexual innuendos and references to drugs and suicide, although "Whip It"
10692-546: Was featured in a commercial for Dell . The song features a sampled drum track from the New Traditionalists song "The Super Thing". Casale said that the song was chosen from a batch that the band was working on, and that it was the closest the band had been to releasing a new album. Devo performed at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in March 2009, unveiling a new stage show with synchronized video backdrops (similar to
10800-473: Was followed by a cover of the Rolling Stones ' " (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction ". In 1978, the B Stiff EP was released by British independent label Stiff , which included the single " Be Stiff " plus two previous Booji Boy releases. " Mechanical Man ", a 4-track 7-inch extended play (EP) of demos, an apparent bootleg , but actually put out by the band, was also released that year. Recommendations from David Bowie and Iggy Pop enabled Devo to secure
10908-402: Was heavily committed to adding film aspects to its act; the band asked Warner Bros. to provide non-recoupable promotional money to make videos for "Girl U Want" and " Freedom of Choice ". This was before the making of music videos had become standard industry practice, which confused label executives. When "Whip It" started to receive radio airplay, the record company embraced the concept and asked
11016-570: Was held on November 5–6, with the annual 5KDEVO race taking place on the 7th. On November 15, it was announced that Devo would perform a one-off show at the Rooftop at Pier 17 on May 18, 2022, in order to make up for their cancelled Radio City Music Hall gig in September 2021. Tickets went on sale on the 18th. In December, it was announced that rare images of Devo would feature in a book of rock photography from 1977–1980 titled HARD + FAST , to be released on February 1, 2022. The book will also include
11124-418: Was just so stupid and so low, and yet so great." The video was partially a reaction to President Ronald Reagan's previous career as a Hollywood actor; Devo wanted to make a video that satirized both the cowboy mythos and "right-wing racist values". In the video, the whip does not strike the woman's clothes; they were tied to a fishing line and pulled away after each whip crack. The whip did, however, strike
11232-426: Was marked by experimental and dissonant art punk that merged rock music with electronics . Their output in the 1980s embraced synth-pop and a more mainstream, less conceptual style, though the band's satirical and quirky humor remained intact. Their music has proven influential on subsequent movements, particularly on new wave , industrial , and alternative rock artists. Devo (most enthusiastically Gerald Casale)
11340-425: Was not subject to revisions. It has also been featured in a notable television advertisement for the Swiffer brand, in which Devo performed. They agreed to perform the song for the commercial because they found it to be absurd. Mothersbaugh stated that performing in the commercial "is coming full circle, to be commenting on a conspicuous, consumptive culture ... and to be fed into the hopper and spit back out
11448-429: Was one of the first programs in the world to broadcast their video clips. They were given consistent radio support by Sydney-based non-commercial rock station Double Jay (2JJ) and Brisbane-based independent community station Triple Zed ( 4ZZZ ), two of the first rock stations outside America to play their recordings. The late-night music program Nightmoves aired The Truth About De-Evolution . In 1981, Devo contributed
11556-440: Was produced by Bob Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, and Mark also co-wrote some of the songs. Visiting Kids appeared on the soundtrack to the film Rockula , as well as on Late Night with David Letterman . A promotional video was filmed for the song "Trilobites". In 1990, Smooth Noodle Maps , Devo's last album for twenty years, was released. It too was a critical and commercial failure which, along with its two singles "Stuck in
11664-415: Was recorded using API mixing consoles , 3M tape machines , and Minimoog and Prophet-5 synthesizers . Throughout the song, there are whipcracking noises that were recorded using an Electrocomp 500 synthesizer and Neumann KM 84 and U 87 microphones. The music for "Whip It" was crafted by taking elements from four different demo tapes that Casale had collected. Mothersbaugh composed what became
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