Taking Sides: KILLING JOKE vs. DEVO

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Primitive feeling
primitive way
getting closer
to the primitive day....

http://www.an-irrational-domain.net/images/band83-86/band83world2.JPG http://www.clubdevo.com/mp_redesign/images/discog/fashions/pomps.jpg

I know.....SACRILEGE

Two of my very favorite bands of all time. Not as different as you think. Both spawned by a disdain for the conventional. Both driven by a less than optimistic world-view. Both steered by a deeply cynical perspective re: the music business. Both lured down the garden path towards artistic comprimise once they each flukishly scored acceissible hits. Neither easy to accurately categorize. Both brilliant.

There are obvious differences, of course. Killing Joke strove for a more extreme, brutish sound fueled by aggression and palpable disdain...in their own words, "the sound of the earth vomiting." Devo similarly kicked off proceedings with a rough-around-the-edges approach, but swiftly adopted developing technology to stream-line their approach. Where Killing Joke delved into the occult to stave off their apocalyptic paranoia, Devo found solace in absurdist humor. Killing Joke laughed as well....only they laughed at your peril...and laughed to keep themselves from screaming.

In any event, I love them both. I found Devo first, but Killing Joke trumps them. You may beg to differ.

Honor the Fire. Duty Now for the Future.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 8 November 2004 00:18 (twenty years ago)

I differ without even begging.

DEVO

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 8 November 2004 00:21 (twenty years ago)

talk about something besides killing joke already fuck

― fake n00b, Monday, 8 November 2004 00:33 (twenty years ago)

Excercise some proper punctuation, dicklick.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 8 November 2004 00:35 (twenty years ago)

DEVO also - but there are few bands that would win a TS with Devo, for me anyway.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 8 November 2004 00:36 (twenty years ago)

alex, i'm gonna start my OWN battling new wave idols thread REAL SOON.

i pick devo, of course. they're funnier and spazzier. but i like killing joke too!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 8 November 2004 00:48 (twenty years ago)

Nirvana vs Nirvana

― dave q, Monday, 8 November 2004 01:01 (twenty years ago)

Devo

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 8 November 2004 01:05 (twenty years ago)

i have to side with alex on this...killing joke! as much as i like devo,with mongoloid being a particular favourite,i really can't put them in the same grouping as kj. i go back to the first two albums kj put out almost monthly,i can't even come close to saying the same about devo.

― william (william), Monday, 8 November 2004 01:09 (twenty years ago)

Devo, esp. "Duty Now for the Future."

― the apex of nadirs (Rock Hardy), Monday, 8 November 2004 01:35 (twenty years ago)

Devo by miles.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 8 November 2004 01:42 (twenty years ago)

alex in nyc is annoying cause all he ever talks about is fucking gay killing joke and is not interested in new music aka BETTER MUSIC

― fake n00b, Monday, 8 November 2004 02:24 (twenty years ago)

fake noob is annoying because all he ever talks about is alex in nyc talking about fucking gay killing joke

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 8 November 2004 02:34 (twenty years ago)

ya but he does it a lot more and it just makes me so pissed off

― fake n00b, Monday, 8 November 2004 02:40 (twenty years ago)

alex in nyc is annoying cause all he ever talks about is fucking gay killing joke and is not interested in new music aka BETTER MUSIC

No one made you open this thread, ass monkey. But it warms my heart to know I've pissed you off.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 8 November 2004 03:23 (twenty years ago)

killing joke is boring and nobody likes them but u

at least devo is kinda cool though hehe

― fake n00b, Monday, 8 November 2004 03:28 (twenty years ago)

Devo by an incredibly huge margin

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 8 November 2004 03:33 (twenty years ago)

DEVO, of course from day one in perpetuity across the universe. Killing Joke is ok though, they sound like Amebix.

― autovac (autovac), Monday, 8 November 2004 03:39 (twenty years ago)

devo rocked ALOT harder so it's hardly surprising who alex should side with

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 8 November 2004 03:52 (twenty years ago)

here come the fireworks!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 8 November 2004 03:52 (twenty years ago)

honor the fireworks!

PS : I'll find my fireworks
who took my fireworks
who found my fireworks

― autovac (autovac), Monday, 8 November 2004 04:11 (twenty years ago)

Devo. I think I just don't get pissed off in a Killing Joke way. At least not anymore. But Devo had that thing going where they were so pissed of that they gave up and just decided to have a bit of fun with being the whole being pissed off thing. They captured a lot of my teenage angst in a way that was very accessable to a geek. Plus the fact that most people just see them as being goofy makes it a little more subversive and alluring.

― Mike Salmo (salmo), Monday, 8 November 2004 04:39 (twenty years ago)

Heh heh...I can imagine Alex practically ripping himself in two at the mere idea that anybody could love one & hate the other! Which is not me: both bands have their merits. But I've gotta say that the only Devo releases I've ever really REALLY liked (loved, even) are those two Hardcore Devo '74-77 collections on Ryko. They never made an actual proper album as good as Killing Joke or What's THIS For.

Therefore, KILLING JOKE.

(Oh, and this'll probably put me in Alex's bad books anyways; but I gotta say that if didn't already know what they sounded like, I would probably NEVER attempt to investigate their music based on those two photos at the top!)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 8 November 2004 07:09 (twenty years ago)

You wouldn't check out Devo based on that photo? They have customized shirts! I'd be dying to hear what I'd imagine would be the ugliest boyband ever.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 8 November 2004 08:25 (twenty years ago)

"killing joke is boring and nobody likes them but u"

Even if I had accessed this thread originally intending to vote for Devo, I would now be voting for Killing Joke in order to distance myself from you.

I wasn't 'though.

Killing Joke.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 8 November 2004 10:37 (twenty years ago)

alex in nyc is annoying cause all he ever talks about is fucking gay killing joke and is not interested in new music aka BETTER MUSIC

-- fake n00b (arms...), November 8th, 2004. (later)

Just to address this further....
A few points in my defense:
(1) I haven't started a Killing Joke-related thread in months.
(2) This is a "taking sides" thread, thus if you want to side with the other option, you should feel free to do so. That's the idea.
(3) If you're so tired of the band in question, you could excercize free will and choose not to open the thread.
(4) I've never heard of fake Noob before. I don't recall seeing your name here before. I have no idea who you are. I haven't seen your contributions here. As a result, why should I give a rolling rat fuck what you think?
(5) Okay, so you're tired of me talking about Killing Joke. Fine, then...why not immerse yourself in the artless rattle you consider "BETTER MUSIC" and -- wait for it -- START YOUR OWN DAMN THREAD.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 8 November 2004 14:32 (twenty years ago)

hahahaha!!!!! the art of punctuation vs fake n00b - someone...!

― herbalizer12 (herbalizer12), Monday, 8 November 2004 14:41 (twenty years ago)

You wouldn't check out Devo based on that photo? They have customized shirts!

Let's just say that I find the resemblance between Devo & my teenaged self a bit too close for comfort!

(If anything, the Joke look even sillier.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:03 (twenty years ago)

Some punk compilation, recently...

"thud grumble thud grumble"
Me: What's this rub?
me reading: "War dance?"

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:07 (twenty years ago)

(I do like other stuff of theirs, I'm more amazed I'd never heared it before more than anything else)

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:07 (twenty years ago)

I saw both groups within weeks of each other back-back-back in the day. KJ were the LOUDEST band I'd ever heard in a small space at the time (maybe ever!), and I gawked at their power & hostility. At my first Devo show I both danced and laughed my ass off, and was stunned by how well & how fast they played.

So, then, it's Devo for me.

― briania (briania), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:18 (twenty years ago)

Since I'm not very well versed in the ouvre of either band, I will base my pick on their (I think) greatest hits. Love Like Blood vs. Whip It.

Whip It wins by a smidge.

― p.j. (Henry), Monday, 8 November 2004 16:27 (twenty years ago)

alex in nyc is all "i don't care what you think but let me reply to your one post nineteen times ok"

p.s. killing joke still incredibly overrated/lame btw

― fake n00b, Monday, 8 November 2004 16:28 (twenty years ago)

This thread should be titled: Taking Sides: Alex in NYC vs. fake n00b.

Alex in NYC by a mile, btw.

Gotta vote Killing Joke, since it's eerie how much the Rugrats look like Mothersbaugh. Yikes.

― cdwill, Monday, 8 November 2004 20:30 (twenty years ago)

"Gotta vote Killing Joke, since it's eerie how much the Rugrats look like Mothersbaugh. Yikes."

But can you imagine a kids cartoon series with theme tune and incidental music by Jaz Coleman? Double yikes!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 11:05 (twenty years ago)

"Let's just say that I find the resemblance between Devo & my teenaged self a bit too close for comfort!"

i feel the same...

― Marco Damiani (Marco D.), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 16:21 (twenty years ago)

I find the resemblance between Killing Joke and my teenage self a bit worrying too.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 16:30 (twenty years ago)

No contest: you must whip it.

― ng, Tuesday, 9 November 2004 17:59 (twenty years ago)

Devo, for sure. I haven't listened to much Killing Joke, though. But Devo are one of my favorite bands of late, and We Are Not Men is one of the best debuts EVAH. Once, I threatened to start a thread about "Space Junk". I'd like to make that threat, here, now, again.

― mcd (mcd), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 18:48 (twenty years ago)

If we were just comparing early Devo against early Killing Joke, it would be a tough choice, but I think I'd go with Devo in that case. But if you're going to look beyond the early, I'm gunno go with the Joke because it took much longer for them to become dull & repetitive than Devo took to become cheesy (in an uninteresting way).

Devo also gets bonus points for being from Akron, yet quickly loses them for Gerry Casale trying to get Bob Kidney to wear a pig nose.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 18:57 (twenty years ago)

and We Are Not Men is one of the best debuts EVAH.

Maybe your argument would be a bit more convincing if YOU COULD MANAGE TO GET THE TITLE RIGHT!

It's Q:Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo

Tsk!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 19:31 (twenty years ago)

"p.s. killing joke still incredibly overrated/lame btw "

huh? if anything they're underrated.

I still prefer Devo though.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 23:06 (twenty years ago)

huh? if anything they're underrated.

Killing Joke may indeed be many things to many people -- lame to some, gospel to others -- but one would truly be parting with all semblance of reason to call them "overrated".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 00:17 (twenty years ago)

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