Rating: 
Summary: Maybe a better book will be written?
Review: I like Devo. I like musical biographies. I didn't care for this book. The bulk of the book covers the time before Devo even was Devo and then runs break-neck through their commerical years, barely giving their last 4 releases any ink at all. I'm puzzled as to no mention of Lene Lovich, who hailed from the same area, and also performed a version of "Be Stiff" at one point. There was some professional affiliation there, but it was never mentioned in the book. It's not a bad book, but for me it wasn't a good read. Most books like this I read in one to two days. This one took over four weeks. I just couldn't get engaged until the last portion of the book, and by then they're so dismissive of anything Devo did after Freedom of Choice, it's like "why bother"? Obviously others found it a better read then me.
Rating: 
Summary: Devo Fans - You'll Like This Book
Review: I liked it, I really liked it.At times, you wonder (and hope) that the story here isn't just made up.. at times, you'll find that the writer spends too much time unnecessarily naming countless unimportant people and places. But, as a big Devo fan, who saw the spud boys about 3 or 4 times during their "hey-day", I couldn't put the book down. So, De-Evolution and "devo" were all Jerry's ideas (and his sad, left behind buddy, Bob). How lucky to meet up with Mark. So, that's where they found the Booji Boy mask, and, huh, that's why Booji has a "J", but is pronouced like a "G".. Why does their story involve SO MANY BOBS? This exciting information and more can be found in "We Are Devo!"
Rating: 
Summary: Too Much Still Unwritten
Review: I was pretty disappointed in this book. I used to just love these guys back in high school, but this book doesn't go far enough. I was 3/4 of the way finished before I got to the days when they made it big. Too much on Jerry's early days, a lot of Jerry everywhere! As usual, the Bobs, especially Bob 2, and Alan are in the back somewhere, and you wonder what's up with them. Nothing revealing, other than Bob 2 apparently left his wife when they began to hit it big, Bob 1 was a drinker, and Jerry is an even bigger creep than I imagined. Some good details into the first "video" and who some of the people in them were, but nothing on the videotapes with Rod and Donut. No mention of Laraine Newman, their fascination with donuts and pirates, how their politics always seemed so leftist yet they just wanted to make big bucks and now run Big Entertainment companies, etc etc. Nothing about the concept of the power domes, who the fat kid on the exercise machine was, Bob 1's daughter being on the Shout LP cover, so much is left out. Some good pics, but I'm sure more could have been dug up. Sounds like the authors did most research via telephone interviews. They talked to General Boy, but I did that back in the 80s, when a friend and I rang him up on the phone! We lived in Ohio then and both Robert and his wife would chat with us like we were old friends! I'm mixed. There are some great old insights and pieces of trivia, but it really could have been longer and told more about the 80s and on. Devotees should get it because nothing else is there, but be prepared to feel like you've had a delicious appetizer without dinner.
Later thoughts: The book that Devo was so fascinated with, "The Beginning Was The End" and the basis for their De-evolution theory, has anyone else read it? I found a copy and it's wretched. The author uses photos to compare blacks with various apes! Why were they so interested in this book?! And I forgot about Jerry's "I was standing there was my friend was killed" story. According to the book he stretches the truth quite often. So was he there or is he making this up too? I agree with another reviewer that said he would be basically pushing up daisies before listening to the last couple of albums! The first two were great, the rest, a few good songs, but popish. Musik for Insomniaks bored me silly, I can see where it got the title. This book may be out of print after this run, so pass it around like a Casale galpal!
Rating:
Summary: Too Much Still Unwritten
Review: I was pretty disappointed in this book. I used to just love these guys back in high school, but this book doesn't go far enough. It was 3/4 of the wat finished before it gets to the days when they made it. Too much on Jerry's early days, a lot of Jerry everywhere! As usual, the Bobs, especially Bob 2, and Alan are in the back somewhere, and you wonder what's up with them. Nothing revealing, other than Bob 2 apparently left his wife when they began to hit it big, Bob 1 was a drinker, and Jerry is an even bigger creep than I imagined. Some good details into the first "video" and who some of the people in them were, but nothing on the videotapes with Rod and Donut. No mention of Laraine Newman, their fascination with donuts and pirates, how their politics always seemed so leftist yet they just wanted to make big bucks and now run Big Entertainment companies, etc etc. Nothing about the concept of the power domes, who the fat kid on the exercise machine was, Bob 1's daughter being on the Shout LP cover, so much is left out. Some good pics, but I'm sure more could have been dug up. Sounds like the authors did most research via telephone interviews. They talked to General Boy, but I did that back in the 80s, when a friend and I rang him up on the phone! We lived in Ohio then and both Robert and his wife would chat with us like we were old friends! I'm mixed. There are some great old insights and pieces of trivia, but it really could have been longer and told more about the 80s and on. Devotees should get it because nothing else is there, but be prepared to feel like you've had a delicious appetizer without dinner.
Later thoughts: The book that Devo was so fascinated with, has anyone read it? I found a copy and it's wretched. The author uses photos to compare blacks with various apes! Why were they so interested in this book?! And I forgot about Jerry's "I was standing there was my friend was killed" story. According to the book he stretches the truth quite often. So was he there or is he making this up too? I agree with another reviewer that said he would be basically pushing up daisies before listening to the last couple of albums! The first two were great, the rest, a few good songs, but popish. Musik for Insomniaks bored me silly, I can see where it got the title. This book may be out of print after this run, so pass it around like a Casale galpal!
Rating:
Summary: Duty Then for Your Future!
Review: I was REALLY looking forward to this Book. The First of its Kind. It started with all the Rich details that Good books have BUT It went a little Too in depth about the Pre Stardom DEVO history & Very Little about the Post Hit Devo times! I was left Wanting of some Vital insights about some aspects of the Music, Friendships, and The Times when They were at the Peak. Jerry Casale comes off like a Demonized Control Freak, while Mark is shown as A Great Genius (he is) but one who has No concept of the Real World! The total opposite of Who I think he is. He understands the World So much better that we are lead to believe. Then The book is Over! Splat! Career Over, Fun times Over! Worth Reading, but worth re-writing too!
Rating: 
Summary: This book should have been twice as long....
Review: I'd like to agree with the two main viewpoints present in the reviews: this book covers the most important Devo years in great depth, providing a wealth of obscure-yet-essential info, but leaves those who like the post-'79 Devo wanting a whole lot more. I would have liked to see more than just a passing mention to "The Men Who Make the Music"; it would be interesting to know more about the locations in the film and the Rod Rooter interludes. It seems strange that an hour long film that is so rooted in the band's early work and ideas is only mentioned once! Overall, the second half of the book feels rushed compared to the slower, detailed approach of the first half. And it was interesting to see how applicable the Devolution theory is to our current world (moreso than in 1971!). It is an important book, but Devo deserves much much more.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing new here for true DEVOtees
Review: If you have the Search and Destroy interviews, along with all of the albums, then this book is definitely not for you. Walk away. You know all of this already. This was definitely not a book for the fans. The Enigma Years are glossed over along with the soundtrack appearances DEVO made in the 1990s. That said, it is a nice primer for new spuds who only know of the group through Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh's soundtrack work or Bob and Jerry Casale's work in audio and visual production or at the very least "those guys with the flowerpot hats who did 'Whip It.'"
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: It took a while to get the book, but it was truly worth the wait. First of all, the book is mainly concerned with the early days of DEVO starting in the late Sixties, and the events leading up to their first record. Yes, the book is a bit unbalanced. The 1979-Present day part of their career seems rushed and is summed up in about 30 pages. It's a bit disappointing, but the wealth of information more than makes up for this. It gives the reader a new insight to a band most people still misunderstand. They were so much more than the "Whip It" band. You'll learn all about the forgotten Bob (Lewis) and the birth of Booji Boy, and how De-Evolution truly came about, and also the origin of the "energy domes" (the red hats they wore in the "Whip It" video). There's also a lot of funny little stories, as well as some sad ones. So, in short, buy this book. It'll give you a new outlook on the band called DEVO.
Rating:
Summary: Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!
Review: Jade Dellinger & David Giffels have done their homework and dug deeply for the truth. I now see the extreme complexity in the development of the DE-evolutionary theories. I now understand how DEVO began, and evolved themselves, to create the wealth of material that has become fundamental to many throughout the world. Revealed is the internal drive that these creators of art & music used to forge through the common complacencies of industrial socio political & corporate madness around them. The fight that DEVO won, and for most fans never lost. The book is captivating through and through. Excellent in depth info on the "formative" years. Excellent pictures. I hope there are more "positive" books about DEVO in the future. This book has opened the door for that I'm sure.
Rating:
Summary: overdue spudmania!
Review: The genesis of the De-evolution band remains one of the most enigmatic and peculiar in the history of popular music, and this book tells it brilliantly. It's a fascinating account which starts with the artistic and intellectual melée around Akron and Kent State university and plots Devo's singular rise to unlikely stardom in all its exciting detail - the first gigs outside Ohio, the meetings with Bowie, Iggy Pop, Eno and, astoundingly, John Lennon, the attempt by Virgin Records' boss Richard Branson to get have Devo accept Johnny Rotten join the band (a meeting held in Jamaica ina could of marijuana smoke) - it's all jaw-dropping stuff and quite unlike any other band bio you'll have read. Some might not be too keen on peeking behind the curtain of the Devo myth, but for any real spud, this book is a revelation of fascinating stories which explains so much - particularly to us UK fans who got so little information at the time and not much more since. For the more casual reader, it's a slice of social/music history which looks at the 1970s from a fresh perspective, a refreshing change from the punk myth that's been told and re-told so often now. The book accelerates through the band's latter years, which is perhaps a little disappointing for the hardcore fan, but given that that Devo devolved and decayed pretty rapidly as the 1980s wore on, it feels appropriate. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
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