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Brent H Like many people my age, I discovered DEVO through their early MTV videos, including "Whip It" and their cover of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction". Being a young kid, I think I was drawn into their offbeat and unconventional style. Beyond that, I think I've always seen DEVO as this quirky novelty band. As director Chris Smith's documentary illustrates, DEVO was a band well ahead of its time. As students attending Kent State University during the time when four students were shot dead by Ohio National Guardsmen, it was fascinating to discover how much that event influenced the overall mindset of the group, not just as musicians but as artists with a calculated vision. As bleak and horrific as the Kent State massacre was, it became the catalyst that would spark the devolution movement in the mind of Jerry Casale, who was a student at the University at the time. The idea that society as a whole was somehow regressing resonated with two other Kent students, Mark Mothersbaugh and Bob Lewis. It was fascinating to see how the members originally started as an avant-garde art project that eventually morphed into a band. DEVO's music highlighted the absurdities of humanity with grim lyrics that were, more often than not, completely misunderstood. The sad fact is that when DEVO became successful, their message was lost on the masses, who saw them as five quirky guys in weird outfits. I'll be the first to admit that I thought the idea of devolution was a comical novelty. The older I get, the more I recognize that the idea is more real than conceptual. One of the best segments revolves around DEVO's relationship with MTV. The band started making videos for their music long before MTV hit the air in 1981. As a 24/7 music channel, MTV needed content to fill its schedule, so it used a lot of those early videos DEVO made after initially forming. However, as MTV increased in popularity, it no longer had a place for the music the band was producing, thereby providing further evidence behind the devolution idea. A somewhat fitting irony. I turned on this documentary not expecting to walk away with a greater appreciation for DEVO as musicians, artists, and intellectuals, but that's precisely what happened. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/29/25 Full Review Steven t Fun and very entertaining. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/24/25 Full Review Chris H Endlessly interesting and the members of the band are engaging and articulate. I considered myself a fan and have owned several records, but I was mortified to learn from this documentary that they meant it all - I thought the de-evolution thing was a joke. I'd never seen any of their videos, never seen them interviewed and didn't know they had been triggered by the Kent State shootings. This really shed new light on everything. Guys, I apologise. The band themselves mention that they became part of what they were satirising; maybe they still are, as Mark Mothersbaugh is writing music for big budget films. Do we care though? In a word, no; it was inevitable. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/16/25 Full Review Vincent S. Fans of the band will love this. I learned a lot. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/07/25 Full Review Craig B TL/DR: DEVO’s predictions came painfully true. Or… Never has a music documentary been so successful at revealing the uncomfortable truth that artists that dissect the very thing they are bringing to life inevitably fall victim to the notion of success. Its like watching Dr Frankenstein build his monster whilst acknowledging it can only end up one way rather than fooling himself. DEVO - the ultimate nominative deterministically named band of all time. p.s. The documentary/film is superbly constructed, Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/06/25 Full Review John B Excellent exposition of who Devo really were. Perhaps the most misunderstood band ever. But, yet, they became famous and then devolved, as they, themselves, predicted, into what people thought they were. Great band with a message and great documentary. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/03/25 Full Review Read all reviews

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