See it, see it good.

I saw the documentary “Devo” at the Boulder International Film Festival last March, where it won the Best Music Film Award. I think this is the more insightful music doc than “One to One: John & Yoko,” because it delves deep into the band behind hit songs as “Whip It” and “Working in a Coal Mind.” But it also deals with how they struggle to reach the top, but got boosts from music videos they made and cult followers of their work.

At the time, the band consisted of brothers Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, brothers Gerald and Bob Casales, and Alan Meyers. And they had a lot of hardships to go through before they became more well known. 

It’s funny because I just reviewed the drama “Lurker,” which was about an up-and-coming singer and his new friend. I liked that film for its style and ability to allow us to read between the lines. But for now, I’m talking about a completely different film.

Like “One to One,” it deals with the protests against the Vietnam War, but “Devo” also talks about how Marshall Law was declared at Kent State University, and the National Guard went up against the protestors. Some of them were shot and/or killed in the process. And because of this, the band influenced the word “De-evolution,” and used that subject matter for the basis of their short film. This was before MTV, so it wasn’t as easy to get their work out there as much. But eventually, the station was created and their music videos went on the air to popularity. 

As I’m sure many of you know, but Mark Mothersbaugh is also a composer for movies like “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” and shows like “Rugrats” and “Regular Show.” So, it was nice for the film to talk about that a little bit, and I also appreciate how it sticks up for Whip It” and “Working in a Coal Mine.” And I thank “Heavy Metal” for that second song.

Mothersbaugh also composes the documentary’s score, while talking about the psychedelic ambiance that comes within the music. It makes sense a movie about the band should be composed by a key member of it.

I’m mad that I wasn’t told that “Devo” would premiere on Netflix today, but at least I was able to see it long before. I was able to see the band through many stages and where they went. It’s a must see for any Devo fan.

Now Streaming on Netflix