Against our better judgment, YuppiePunk World HQ spent three hours last week staring at the gluttonous gangbang of bad musical taste called The 48th Annual Grammy Awards. Other than the mesmerizing Sly Stone (who looked like a cross between Angelo Moore and Miles Davis), it was pretty much another nail in the coffin for the quality of popular music.
But god bless overrated pop shills like Kelly Clarkson (2 Grammys), because it got us thinking about bands and artists that somehow never got the credit they deserved.

And no one got screwed harder than Devo. Influential and essential, the kings of anti-establishment geek rock changed the face of modern music with a fierce mesh of outsider paranoia, snotty punk aggression and daring multimedia exploration. They looked terrible, did ridiculous things and made incredibly important music, ages ahead of their time in both sound and substance, yet most people write ‘em off as those S&M weirdos who like to whip barnyard animals.

Well, fuck that. In no particular order, here are ten reasons why Devo is one of the most underrated bands ever.

1. So cool they were signed to a major label by David Bowie and Iggy Pop.

2. Best Rolling Stones cover ever.

3. No Devo = No Weezer.

4. “The Truth About De-Evolution”

5. Founding member and lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh has scored all of Wes Andersen’s films.

6. No Devo = No Oingo Boingo = No Danny Elfman = No “Simpsons” theme song.

7. It’s not a hat, it’s an energy dome.

8. “Girl U Want,” “Jocko Homo,” “Blockhead,” and “Beautiful World” are the blues for social misfits.

9. Had a punk rock manifesto more poignant than any of those fuckers on Epitaph.

10. Number of Grammys: Zero

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