Dare to be Stupid: Weird Al and Devo Dissected
Posted on January 1, 2008
Filed Under Writing Humor |
I recently rediscovered the Dare to Be Stupid video by Weird Al Yankovic. I remember it from back in the day when it was new, but then it faded from my memory for many years, until the magic of the internet brought it back to life.
When the band sticks the ice cream cones to their heads, it’s just classic.
One of my favorite lines is “You better squeeze all the Charmin you can while Mr. Wipple’s not around.” This is great for those of us that remember the “don’t squeeze the Charmin” ads. It works because we are familiar with the reference. Did anyone really believe that there was such great pleasure in squeezing and sniffing toilet paper?
When I was done laughing myself into convulsions, I started to think of the video through the lens of the 2 of 6 rule of humor. Unlike many of Weird Al’s parodies, Dare to Be Stupid was based more stylistically than from a specific popular song. The artist that is being parodied is Devo.
Devo is Dead. Long Live Devo.
Screencap from Jocko Homo
Devo is interesting because they were really “one hit wonders,” in the mainstream, but developed a large cult following, and were highly influential among musicians. Frontman Mark Mothersbaugh also has continued a very successful post-Devo career, composing music for the Rugrats, plus numerous movies, video games, and commercials.
Another interesting aspect of Weird Al’s parody is that it’s a parody of a satire. Devo dressed in odd uniforms and played with a mechanical style that frequently contained harsh, atonal sounds. Their videos featured plastic, robotic looking and acting characters as a social commentary against conformity.
Devo combined ridicule with bizarre sounds and imagery in a clever way to criticize mainstream society. I count 4 of 6 on the 2 of 6 scale:
- Cruel - Ridicule, mockery of mainstream society.
- Bizarre - Sounds, imagery, movements.
- Clever - Taking conformity to it’s extreme to demonstrate absurdity.
- Familiar - Mainstream society is the target of ridicule.
I don’t think it’s in doubt that they nailed bizarre. It’s also plenty cruel. Calling people fake, plastic, mindless, mechanical zombies is pretty harsh. So there’s really no debating that they hit at least 2 of 6.
However, more than a few people would respond to Devo’s intentions with a puzzled look. Some even thought they were advocating conformity.
We’re laughing at you, not with you
Screencap From Corporate Anthem
For cruelty to work, the audience needs to not identify with the target, and it helps if the audience feels a sense that the ridicule is deserved. Turning the majority of the population into a target may easily strip a point off the equation.
That limits the audience appeal greatly, because it wasn’t people on a fringe being criticized, but the vast middle. It’s definitely appealing to teenagers struggling to identify themselves as separate individuals from their parents, and questioning everything they’ve been taught all their lives. It’s no wonder that their following was of the “cult” variety.
Another question lies in whether taking conformity to an absurd level is clever. If the audience thinks it’s clever, then it hits. If not, then it fails. Finally, even though the familiar element is a giant demographic, even that can miss. Clearly many failed to understand what the target of the commentary even was. Maybe it was actually too bizarre.
So you can see how, based on your assessment, Devo can fall anywhere from 1 of 6, resulting in a puzzled reaction, to 4 of 6, which is pretty funny.
Weird Al’s video is a parody of Devo. He took their motif of mechanical, plastic people, odd style, and jerky movements, and ratcheted it up a few more notches.
Let’s look at the video with respect to the 2 of 6 rule of humor.
- Bizarre - It had to be bizarre to be a parody of Devo.
- Cruel - Mockery ridicule, but actually milder than the criticism that Devo directed at their target.
- Clever - Taking Devo’s methods to an even further extreme, and stripping the context of social commentary.
- Familiar - Devo is the target.
Appealing to the Masses
I think Dare to be Stupid has a broader appeal than Devo. As I said at the beginning, it’s absolutely hilarious to me. It hits 4 of 6 by my measure, but you don’t get the full effect without knowing enough about Devo to know that as the origin of the parody. It makes up for the familiarity deficiency by using common sayings and cliches. However, without knowing what it’s a parody of, doesn’t that strip the (even mild) cruelty of it?
There’s no debating the bizarre element. So, the final question is whether or not it’s clever. In my opinion, Weird Al goes through the roof with cleverness. The way he strings together cliches and common sayings (often reversed) one right after another, in ways that actually have a flow is flat out brilliant.
It’s as if Weird Al is responding to Devo by saying, “OK. We get that following what others do or what you’ve learned from your parents/school/church can be dumb if you don’t challenge your beliefs, but non-conformity for the sake of non-conformity is - well - stupid.
On one hand, he tips his hat to Devo. It’s clear he’s acknowledging that following convention can be stupid:
Settle down, raise a family, join the PTA
Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevrolet
And party ’till you’re broke and they drive you away
It’s OK, you can dare to be stupid
It also shows how he realizes there’s plenty of good conventional wisdom as well.
Talk with your mouth full
Bite the hand that feeds you
Bite off more than you can chew
What can you do
Dare to be stupid
Weird Al pushes both extremes against each other, noting that both have their deficiencies. Somewhere in the middle is the path of non-stupidity.
What do you say? Is Dare to be Stupid confusing, mildly amusing, hilarious? How does it score for you, and why?
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Comments
10 Responses to “Dare to be Stupid: Weird Al and Devo Dissected”
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Happy New Year
Did anyone really believe that there was such great pleasure in squeezing and sniffing toilet paper?
Maybe the anal retentive types get a thrill. Just a thought.
Excellent taste in stupidity, I mean humor!
Weird Al is a fave from ages ago.
Mashed Potatoes can be your friend.
I don’t care what the point is, there are never enough Devo posts in the blogsphere.
Funny thing is as I listen to ‘Dare to Be Stupid’ I see the beginning of every 80’s movie in my mind. Weird…
“Did anyone really believe that there was such great pleasure in squeezing and sniffing toilet paper?”
Only when it is unused.
richj - don’t be so narrow-minded
Eww.
i must say i’m quite surprised at how many lyrics i still remembered…
mashed potatoes can be your friends?
and how!
“Dare to be stupid” was indeed a classic but my unbridled passion for Weird Al started with the movie “UHF”.
“Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs.” They sure as hell don’t make them like they used to.