Like Mötley Crüe, Devo has discovered in recent years that an asset as valuable as their music is their story. Unlike Mötley Crüe, Devo's story is more of a well-made sculpture and less a smoldering car crash.
Devo's story is inconsistent, likely because it begins over 50 years ago and involves many faces and points in time remembered and forgotten. This is an approximate summary. If you'd like the whole story, you may also read multiple books and listen to hours of interviews yourself.
Jerry Casale and Bob Lewis were art students at Kent State University who smoked weed. They together discussed the idea of de-evolution: the idea that society is regressing, things are getting worse, people are getting dumber, etc. Jerry makes a friend named Mark Mothersbaugh, who is a part-time student making decal prints at the university. Jerry and Mark, or Jerry and Bob, or all three, discuss the idea of devolved art, and eventually consider devolved music. Jerry comes from a blues music background, and Mark played keys in a progressive rock group, so they try to find music that doesn't resemble anything they're used to or anything they have heard on the radio.
Then, on May 4th, 1970, the National Guard opens fire on students taking part in a Vietnam War protest. Jerry Casale is present at the protest and sees a student who was shot; Mark is on campus and hears the shooting. Suddenly, the idea of de-evolution becomes all too real. The government has decreed that dissent will not be tolerated, and has punctuated that point with bullet wounds. Jerry and Mark become disaffected and furious, and dive deeper into the ideology of de-evolution which they have devised.
Bob Lewis doesn't play a huge role going forward, and eventually exits the picture in a not-amicable manner, so it's easier to pretend he just vanishes at this point.
Devo forms a band with an inconsistent lineup consisting mostly of Mark and Jerry and their siblings, along with occasional appearances by friends. They perform local shows in and around Akron, Ohio, which became the hometown and landmark of the band. They are aggressive, getting gigs pretending to be a cover band but then playing original music, with Mark accosting audience members during performances of Jocko Homo and Praying Hands. Audiences hate them, which to them is a sign that they're doing something right, or at least something interesting.
Over time, Devo loses steam and fears that they will have to stop the project entirely. They decide to put all their resources in a last-ditch effort to get their message across: a short film featuring two Devo songs with paired visuals and a paired synchronized performance. This film, called "The Truth About De-Evolution", is premiered at a few film festivals in the northeast, and suddenly catches on in New York. Devo are invited to perform, and suddenly they develop a cult following in various cities on the east coast.
Devo settles into a consistent lineup of five main cast members:
Mark Mothersbaugh on synth and as lead singer
Jerry Casale on bass, and acting as creative lead alongside Mark
Mark's brother Bob Mothersbaugh, or Bob 1, on lead guitar
Jerry's brother Bob Casale, or Bob 2, on rhythm guitar
Alan Myers on drums. Alan has no brothers.
Devo at this point attracts the attention of various record labels, producers, and also David Bowie and Neil Young. They release their first album in 1978.
Potatoes are very important to Devo. The general idea is that humans view themselves as godlike, as approaching the perfection of what a mortal creature could be. Devo, however, believes that humans are more like potatoes; lumpy, imperfect, mass-produced. To Devo, the imagery of the potato serves to remind us of our biology, of the limitations of our body and mind as organically grown creations.
Devo has what can be called a vocabulary. Devo uses terms like "hu-boon" and "spudgun" regularly in songs, which require explanation and are generally kind of tedious to deal with.
Paired with the above, Devo in interviews is occasionally hard to follow. This especially applies in the 80s, when interview questions were less about the band's history and message and more along the line of "what's with the funny hats" and "how come you have a sheet that comes with your album where people can order cool shit", leading Devo to respond in more sarcastic and ironic terms. This has settled in recent years, where members of Devo have mellowed with age and are given the space to share ideas.
Devo, especially in their early days, were very politically incorrect and disrespectful to others. There's a notorious story of one of their first performances where they stretched the call-and-response section of Jocko Homo to over fifteen minutes, and the audience by the end was throwing bottles and screaming at them to stop. That's not something I would want to experience even as a Devo fan.
Devo has a small number of characters in lore, but the only one who's survived thus far is Booji Boy. Booji Boy (pronounced Boogie Boy) appears in "The Truth About De-Evolution", and appears at the end of concerts to perform the encore usually. Booji Boy is described as having pre-adolescent sexuality and Yoda-like wisdom. Booji Boy is performed by Mark in a baby mask doing a childlike falsetto.