NOW ON NETFLIX! What’s inside those red upside-down flower pot hats goes a lot deeper than imagined in the unbeatable rock-doc Devo, directed by documentary fire god Chris Smith. The film is the definitive authorized portrait of arguably the most unique band in the history of rock music, known mostly for their 1980 hit “Whip It”. Featuring extensive new interviews with the band’s co-founders, Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo traces the story of the pop group to its working-class midwestern roots in industrial Ohio.
Casale and Mothersbaugh bonded at Kent State in 1970 over an acquired fascination with potatoes and monkeys. They were also there when the National Guard triangulated around an anti-war student protest and opened fire, shooting 30 and killing 4 kids. This massacre and the immediate reaction they experienced afterward, where many cheered it on, calling for more dead kids, formed the core philosophy of what would become Devo.
Devo. Mark Mothersbaugh in the ‘’Whip It’ video Cr: Courtesy of Netflix
“Devo was perpetually building a speculative world that had a very similar aim to the cult sleeper Idiocracy…”
What evolved was based on the theory of De-Evolution, where modern society was forcing man to move backward, regressing along the developmental scale as oppressive structures were conformed to. The group sprang from a series of art projects that led to the Ann Arbor film fest award-winning short about de-evolution and a TV appearance on early SNL. All the experimental shorts Devo made gave them a head start when MTV was a regional cable channel in need of material. Despite a multi-album record deal and famous fans like Bowie, success eluded Devo until a Florida DJ started to play “Whip It” himself and created a new wave firestorm.
The very first technical credit you see in Devo is for the editor, Joey Scoma, and there is a good reason for that. Scoma slices slides succulently to a subliminal state, distilling all that is Devo into a series of crucial deal-sealing seconds during the opening montage. This works as both a recap for the seasoned members of Spud Nation as well as the best foot forward into a fresh set of ears. Smith and Scona know they have a short time to convince the uninitiated to give the doc a try, so they set up a super shot of the best Devo tunes and visuals that even a casual viewer cannot pass up.
"…deeper, darker and weirder than a hot tray of pot brownies..."
