I saw Devo live for the first time this summer and it was one of the best concerts I had ever seen. I had been a casual fan before, but I did a deep dive into them afterwards and found their entire discography to be pretty awesome. Now, in a case of perfect timing, comes the Devo documentary. If you’re already a die-hard fan, this will be a nice walk down memory lane. If you’re just a casual fan that only knows them from “Whip It”, you will get an eye-opening look at what they’re all about.
The film gives us a concise history of the band’s formation (at Kent State at the same time of the tragic National Guard shooting that left four students dead) and how their music began as an extension of Devo’s theory of “de-evolution”. (The band’s belief that humans are in a perpetual state of regression.) The addition of music videos (years before the advent of MTV) added an important visual component to the music and the message and helped propel them into cult status.
The interviews with band members Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale are enlightening and entertaining, even if you’re already familiar with some of their lore and philosophy. The wealth of footage from their early years (including the band’s very first concert) and fun use of clips from old industrial shorts and horror movies (especially Island of Lost Souls, from which they gained a lot of inspiration) that informed the band’s outlook also makes it highly recommended.
If there is a flaw it’s that it follows the generic documentary format that several other rock docs have used. The rags to riches to rags motif doesn’t really ring true, especially when the band is still putting out new music and touring fifty years on. Still, there’s plenty of great clips and awesome songs along the way, and that alone makes it one of the best documentaries of the year.
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