New Devo documentary is in development
A new documentary about the new wave pioneers Devo is in development. The documentary is being helmed by Tiger King director Chris Smith, backed by Warner Music. The film will follow the lives of each member forming in the wake of The Kent State massacre until their breakout moment as stars on MTV with songs like ‘Whip It’.
This is the first time that the band have authorised a film to be made about their story. The film is being told via archival footage of the band and new interviews with the surviving band members. When asked about their influence, Smith mentioned Devo leaving an impression on him, telling Pitchfork: “Devo was a huge influence on me. Their approach to music, film, video, and art was something I had never seen before and was one of the truly formative artistic influences that showed me there were entirely new ways to look at things”.
Devo were formed in the early ’70s by Mark Mothersbaugh, with their name sprouting from the word ‘de-evolution’. The band reformed back in 1996 but have been inactive in the studio since 2010’s Something For Everybody. Prior to the latest documentary, the only comprehensive history of Devo has come from the books The Brand and Unmasked from 2018.
Outside of his work with Devo, Mothersbaugh has carved out a second career as a film and television composer, creating the theme for the Nickelodeon show Rugrats and scoring the Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok.
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