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Earlier than turning into a success podcast, The Story Behind the Music was an oral historical past column written by host Peter Csathy. One of many very first interviews for the sequence was with DEVO’s Gerald Casale discussing the simple traditional “Whip It.” 5 years later, The Story Behind the Music comes full circle by welcoming DEVO co-founder, vocalist, and keyboardist Mark Mothersbaugh to breakdown the band’s 1980 hit music “Woman U Need.” Take heed to or watch Mothersbaugh focus on the only off Freedom of Selection above, or wherever you get your podcasts or YouTube.
Mothersbaugh delves into the creation of “Woman U Need,” a observe born from an opportunity encounter and a burst of artistic vitality. The band had a behavior of accumulating anti-evolution info pamphlets (“The Christians love to only fireplace it out,” Mothersbaugh says), and in the future whereas strolling via Glasgow, Mothersbaugh discovered a very attention-grabbing one. “I walked by the shop and there was a pamphlet within the entrance of the shop known as ‘Simply the Woman You Need.’ And the picture, it was a blonde hair woman holding a bag of canine treats and she or he’s feeding a canine deal with to a canine. I believed, ‘Oh, I gotta verify that out,’” he remembers. “I assume in the event you recognized with the canine, the it begins having extra which means.”
“There was no lyrics in it that had been usable, however I simply liked the duvet a lot,” he says. “And I had these different pamphlets that had been spiritual pamphlets and I put ’em in with them and I began writing.”
He additionally discusses the transition in DEVO’s sound on Freedom of Selection, a departure from their earlier guitar-heavy albums to a extra synth-driven method. The band’s exploration of funk, even when not totally realized, marked a pivotal second of their artistic evolution. He additionally touches on his wide-ranging inventive pursuits, from his visible artwork to his ventures into movie scoring.
Take heed to Mark Mothersbaugh focus on the making of DEVO’s “Woman U Need” above or in your favourite podcast platform, or watch the total interview on the high of the web page or on YouTube. Ensure to comply with The Story Behind the Music, and fee and evaluate on Apple Podcasts.
In the meantime, DEVO have simply kicked off their 2025 North American tour, which they’ve billed as “DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued.” The run features a date opening for My Chemical Romance in Chicago and a pair of pageant performances at Shaky Knees and Oceans Calling. Get tickets to see DEVO right here.
Followers of the podcast can even try our TSBTS merch — together with a killer poster and jigsaw puzzle — obtainable now on the ipromiseyoumedia Store or through the purchase now buttons beneath! Comply with host Peter Csathy on Threads at @pcsathy and at Deep Cuts Media, and sustain with the ipromiseyoumedia Podcast Community for updates on all our exhibits.
