DEVO frontman Mark Mothersbaugh shared his views on today’s politics. Mothersbaugh called it shocking and said the U.S. is in a really dark place, as greed and racism are more visible. He reflected on how the band’s politically charged beginnings changed his perspective.
Mark Mothersbaugh says America is in a “really dark place” as greed and racism become more visible
Mark Mothersbaugh spoke to The Hollywood Reporter at the Vancouver Film Festival, where he shared his views. He co-founded his band DEVO during dark political times in the 1970s and 1980s. He said, “It’s gone really dark again. We’re in a really dark place now, where we have greed and racism not hiding at all. They’re proud and displaying themselves, and it’s shocking that it could be this strong.”
He recalled the band’s satirical tracks, Whip It and Mongoloid, while reflecting on political events like the 1950s Atomic Bomb scare and the 1962 Cuban missile that influenced the band’s work. The songs were major hits at that time. He also recalled, “With the atomic bomb, there were a lot of different opportunities for something really stupid and horrifying to happen. It could be the same with AI, with many things that are dark and not for the betterment of humans.”
The band was founded by Mark Mothersbaugh and other members, including Gerald “Jerry” Casale and Bob Casale. It was founded in the wake of the 1970 Kent State University student shootings by National Guardsmen. The incident led to the band’s founding as its members were trying to make sense of the tragic event.
Mothersbaugh also shared his wider ambition as a multimedia artist, saying, “It’s like another set of colors of paint to work with.”
He has worked on music for around 100 films and TV series. He also worked with Wes Anderson on Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Mothersbaugh also spoke about Kevin Feige, Taika Waititi, and Wes Anderson.
