Devo has never been your average band (a statement that puts the sentiment mildly), and the new, interactive video for “What We Do,” off the band’s ninth studio album, Something for Everybody, is no exception to its rule of no rules.
Something for Everybody [iTunes link], the band’s first album in 20 years, is a think piece of a disc in terms of content as well as execution. The release, in summer 2010, was jiggered so as to reintroduce the band as “Devo, Inc,” and the disc’s 12 tracks were chosen through a “Song Study” (i.e. they were crowdsourced).
Although the band has said that the experiment was not wholly satirical (“Our experiences participating in secondary creativity — things like corporate consensus building, focus groups — make you appreciate the connection that an artist has to society,” Gerald Casale says on the band’s website), each act and sentiment seems double-edged. That is, yes, crowdsourcing can help a band better connect to their fans, but how far can one go without falling into a remake loop of pandering? Should your fans’ opinions really matter when it comes to creating art?
Going along with the already established tongue-in-cheek theme of consumption and pleasing everyone, “What We Do” is an interactive video with the ability to control where the camera lands (much like the 360-degree video Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am launched to herald his digital media company, will.i.apps). It also offers the ability to just silence the song and watch the action and features links allowing users to buy apparel featured in the video.
While we could just point to the blatant product placement and shout, “Shill!” this is Devo we’re talking about, so we’re pretty certain that the video is attempting to say more than, “Buy, buy, buy.” (Although you can actually buy the products featured in the vid. The keytar shirt is also rad.)
We chatted with Devo’s Gerald V. Casale (who directed the video with Kii Arens and Jason Trucco) about the video, its meaning and shake weights. Check out our Q&A below:
How does the theme of repetition (in the song) relate to the structure of the video?
Mark [Mothersbaugh] and I are running around in circles like hamsters in a wheel between the camera and the various activity stations where people of both genders and many ethnicities are doing things humans do over and over. It’s the endless cycle of life that we are all caught up in. We must repeat! Hence, “We’re all Devo.”
You’re using new technology to create a video about how there’s nothing new. Is there any kind of message implied in that?
Devo’s central conceit has always been about the inherent conflict of human nature. Things change but ultimately stay the same. (i.e. Why does history always repeat itself?) We never forget we are a part of what we talk about so we deliver everything with a sense of humor.
How does this video fit within the unique way you created the album (crowdsourcing)?
The user/viewer is the director in this video. They decide what to see and when to see it in real time. They will be able to navigate and save a version of what they think others should see. It’s like having a vote in Devo’s creative process. It’s truly interactive.
Are you seeing an evolution or a de-evolution in the realm of the music video?
Honestly, both. The music video continues to be a tool for self expression for any artist who wants to harness its power. Unfortunately most just regurgitate all the cliches we have seen for years and years.
Finally, why a shake weight?
Simply because, as a music video and commercial director, I thought the Shake Weight commercial was one of the funniest and obscene things i have seen in a long time. The product embodies the lowest of Devo fantasies.
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