DEVO’s story has finally been distilled into a new documentary, and it’s landed on Netflix thanks to director Chris Smith. Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale joined Kyle Meredith to talk about the film, which charts the band’s path from Kent State to post-punk pioneers to MTV oddities to cultural prophets who survived long enough to tour with The B-52's(get tickets here!). It’s been a long time coming, but in true DEVO fashion, the doc doesn’t offer an “ultimate truth” — just one version of their truth filtered through another outsider’s lens. Listen now.

The pair also reflect on the path from their hippie-era influences to creating a soundtrack for the paranoia of the 1970s. Mothersbaugh remembers wanting to be “a pioneer” with sound the way Hendrix was for the ’60s, while Casale points out that DEVO’s obsession with futurist art and media helped them break rock’s formula. Along the way, they found themselves jamming with Neil Young — years after his song “Ohio” haunted them as Kent State survivors — an unlikely crossover that redefined Young in their eyes. And now, as they gear up for the Cosmic De-Evolution tour with The B-52's, they joke that their “farewell” might last long enough to include Mars colonies.

Listen to Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale of DEVO or watch it on YouTube chat about all this and more. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

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