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yesterday

Netflix’s ‘Devo’ Documentary Reframes the Band’s Radical Origins

The film contends the Ohio outfit was a conceptual art project with a philosophy forged at Kent State rather than a novelty act defined by one hit.

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A still from the Netflix Original documentary, "Devo."
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Overview

  • Netflix released the 90‑minute Chris Smith documentary on Aug. 19, bringing Devo’s story to a global streaming audience.
  • The narrative is built around new interviews with Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale and a trove of archival footage, with reported cameos from David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Neil Young.
  • The documentary traces the band’s “de‑evolution” worldview to the May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings, presented as a formative catalyst.
  • Reviewers highlight Devo’s pioneering visual work and note how the success of “Whip It” often obscured the group’s broader artistic aims.
  • A prominent review reports Warner Music and BMG as major funding sources, and the release precedes Devo’s co‑headlining Cosmic De‑Evolution Tour with the B‑52s from Sept. 24 in Toronto to Nov. 2 in Houston.