DEVO (2024)
Featuring Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, Robert Mothersbaugh, Jim Mothersbaugh and archival footage of Bob Casale and Alan Myers.
Directed by Chris Smith.
Distributed by BMG. 90 minutes. Not Rated.
Screened at the 2024 Philadelphia Film Festival.
Q: Are we not men?
A: We are Devo.
When the spuds of Devo appeared out of Ohio in the mid-1970s, they completely changed the face of music and were a huge building block of the upcoming New Wave scene. Too eccentric and quirky for long-term success, they did chart a path of oddball artistry for a few years that can stand up against pretty much any band’s songbook.
This documentary looks at the weird ascendance of Devo and also at the path the band’s masterminds took after their brief flirtation with the pop charts.
The members of Devo met as students at Kent State University in 1969, and yes, they do speak movingly about being a part of the infamous 1970 demonstration in which the National Guard opened fire on the protesters, killing four and injuring dozens. In fact, band member Jerry Casale explains here that he knew two of the students who were shot dead.
However, despite the fact that they were part of such an iconic hippie incident – or perhaps because of that fact – Devo were not peace and love types. They took their band name from the theory of de-evolution – that species eventually inevitably reverts to primitive behavior. Or, as the dictionary explains: “Devolution is a process of decline. Something has gone from great to good, good to bad, or excellent all the way to horrible.”
Their music was a form of this reversion, a chaotic and yet somewhat sterile look at rock and dance music that rebelliously undid most of the standards of musical theory. It was odd, but it was also memorable and stood out even in this adventurous musical era.
While they are mostly remembered now for their 1980 hit “Whip It,” the band was far from a one-hit wonder. In fact, they had several other songs hit the charts or get good airplay, including their out-of-the-box cover of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” offbeat originals like “Jocko Homo,” “Uncontrollable Urge,” “That’s Good,” a cover of Gene Chandler’s “Working in a Coal Mine,” “Peekaboo” and even the theme song for the bad Dan Aykroyd film Doctor Detroit. (The last two songs are the only ones not included in the documentary, which is kind of a shame, because “Theme from Doctor Detroit” actually kind of rocked.)
Devo takes us on a smart, funny trip through the band’s history, from geeky kids to precocious students, to avant garde artists to their current roles of television and film composers.
Are they not men, indeed? Pretty interesting ones, at that.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 22, 2024.
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