Action Now: Freedom Of Choice – The Film

It’s mid 1980 and the term “music video” had yet to be coined. Meanwhile, Devo had been making films to accompany their music since 1976. The skateboarding industry is slumping, so much so that Skateboarder magazine changes it’s name to “Action Now” to include nascent Extreme!®™sports coverage in an attempt to broaden the appeal and hopefully stay afloat. Action Now published a 6 page feature on the making of Devo’s “Freedom of Choice” in issue #1 dated August, 1980. They titled it “Freedom of Choice – The Film.” 1980 was an interesting time for skateboarding and music. The magazine’s record reviews covered X, Devo, Frank Zappa, John Foxx, Emmylou Harris, and a jazz fusion act called The Jeff Lorber Fusion (and the album Wizard Island). There’s an ad for Corky Carroll’s “A Surfer for President” album, and an article on up-and-coming LA bands Human Hands, and Wall of Voodoo as well as a couple of random pics of the Stimulators. Devo blew minds. I know they blew my mind when I unexpectedly saw them on SNL in 1978 performing Satisfaction. I did not know what I was looking at or listening to, but it instantly connected with me on a visceral level. I was in grade school, watching it with an older cousin, and when he dismissed it as “weird and gay” my estimation of him plummeted and my desire to emulate him ended on the spot. I did have the good fortune to meet Gerald Casale in the 00’s, and although he seemed more interested in getting laid, he was kind enough endure my gushing. The entire content of the Action Now article follows after the jump.

Action Now Magazine: Volt 7 #1, August 1980

Photos are credited to James Cassmius and Ted Terrebonne as a group. Only one image is specifically credited.

Freedom of Choice – The Film

By Benito S.

“These guys have a real good part… they’re the major energy force in the film other than the music. ” – Mark Mothersbough

They were working backwards, sort of devolving. The skaters-marching-through-downtown-LA-in-polyesters-and-zapping-people sequence, which comes late in the film, had been shot yesterday. And the actual skating sequence, which opens the film, was on for tonight. In fact, the song that inspired the film was already blaring above the upper keyhole bowl at Marina del Rey Skatepark. Got that?.

Well maybe starting at the beginning would help.

In a post-interview conversation with Devo’s Mark Mothersbough last October (see SkateBoarder, Vol. 6, No. 5), the eccentric genius expressed an interest in “using skaters in a concert or something.” Thinking aloud, he added, “Maybe they could come out and fly over us on stage.” Eight months later, this was almost exactly what was happening.

If creative energy could be tapped, the crew brought together for the “Freedom of Choice filming could illuminate Marina del Rey Skatepark indefinitely. Mark Mothersbough examines Eddie Elguera prior to shooting the opening skate sequence.

When Devo played Japan this past May, they debuted on stage a 3-minute film, set to the title song of their new album, “Freedom of Choice.” In the intro, skaters suit up, check their equipment and then take off across the screen, trading aerial jumps above the channel in Marina’s upper keyhole. “Freedom of choice is what we want … what we need” is presumedly illustrated by these skaters who have chosen to partake of a decidedly radical, somewhat abnormal art. Later, when the lyrics change to “Freedom from choice . . .” the same basic skate crew becomes a squad of doubleknit zombies, pointing their fingers and somehow turning unsuspecting passersby into clone-like versions of themselves.

Actual sequence of events as per the Mark Mothersbough/ Jerry Casale script

Members of Devo also play various roles in the film. Appearing as aliens, Romans, a dog, – donutmen, an original yellow-suited Devotee, they likewise act out various parts of the song. The skaters, however, seem to upstage everyone else, seem to be intended to, probably out of the group’s stated admiration for radical skating. As Mark said in the October interview: “I feel (the skating) has a lot in common with what our shows are and we go through.”

Shot on one-inch video tape, the film has a very sharp, professional look. Devo member Jerry Casale steps into the director’s role here, sharing credit with longtime associate Chuck Statler, in keeping with the group’s intention of broadening their involvement in film.

Mark, hamming it up with Steve Olson (left) and on stage at Long Beach (right).

Behind-the-scenes perspective. Two minutes on film involved two days of often exhaustive work.

Although early reports indicated that the piece was meant to be shown on ABC’s new live comedy show, “Fridays,” latest word is that it will accompany the group on their upcoming tours. No doubt, it will be an attractive complement to their concert set, which has long relied on film shorts for impact and variety. What is ironic is that Devovision, the official Producer, may have put together the best skate short since MacGillvrey Freeman’s “Magic Rolling Board,” or the mid-60’s classic, “Skater Dater.”

Conferring co-directors, Jerry Casale and Chuck Stater (left); and Jerry performing at New Year’s concert, Long Beach (right).

Accompanying some of their most accessible music yet (see album review, p. 32), tickets to Devo’s next local show may be the concert buy of the year… In fact, if you’re at all into skating and Devo’s uniquely twisted pop sound, there’s no maybe about it.

Mark presents Andrecht, and a line-up of other top skaters, to the New Rock generation.

Despite the glowing article, the review of Freedom of Choice in the same issue is pretty tepid.

Watch the Video

I’d embed a copy of the video for viewing but DEVO has inexplicably blocked it from being embedded.