Most people weren't ready for Devo at the time. At least now people appreciate the band now. Also, it's great that kids are being exposed to Mark on Yo Gabba Gabba.
He has all kinds of vintage synthesizers in there. He's quite an enthusiast. His instruments range from the very common to the exceedingly rare to the bespoke. One of his most treasured possessions is a Hammond Novachord, the world's first polysynth.
I've known DEVO since the 80's. You are so right about needing DEVO to survive life's bullshit! I'm bi-polar and DEVO (and the Beatles) is, by far, the best medication I've ever been on (and trust me...I've been on LOTS & LOTS & LOTS)!
Good for Mark talking up the value of education in music. Of course, it doesn't take the ridiculous amount of money it costs to go to Berklee, nor does it guarantee you're going to be a famous musician or top composer like Mark. But music education is good, and when your rock star window has closed, at least you will still have a marketable skill and won't have to quit playing music because you're too old to play with Lady Gaga. Saved my ass, that's for sure.
This is a great interview. The part about time codes was hilarious. A guy that successful and creative, and did it the hard way for a long time. Then had the guts to admit it. Great artist.
I see so many people saying that. I am experiencing the change right now. I'm 33 and I discovered DEVO less than 3 weeks ago. Some serious life bullshit has gone down since then, and I don;t know if I would have made it through without DEVO
I saw an ad for this new album recently and I was shocked as the last one was 20 years ago. I need this new album and as I'm going through extreme crud myself.
Everybody needs DEVO. Glad you love DEVO and best wishes - I also discovered Weird Als "Dare to be stupid which also got me back into DEVO which is almost an unofficial DEVO homage - Dare you to check it out!!!!
@Trendkillertrendy Strange you should say that. I discovered them when I was 11 and I am 42 now but their music does have a way of getting your mind off all the seriousness of life that could normally crush you mentally. They got me through alot as a kid and still do to this day as an adult.
Perfect! Now anyone who tries to say that the "Devo 2.0" project was some kind of sellout can just watch this video and see Mark looking directly at you and telling you that they've had the idea since their earliest days. You know, if they didn't believe all the interviews with Mark and Gerry from over the past 30 years with them talking about putting attractive young people in the costumes and calling them Devo.
The technical things he might have learned in school might have helped him, but I really wonder if he could have come out of a school with his creativity left in tact. Mark's sideways slant at looking at things have contributed greatly to his genius. School might have straightened out his view . . . and we might never have seen the great work he has done for a career.
They never sold out. They did IT and did it their way and I think the world is a better place become of them. Yes, his humility is amazing. He speaks of regrets and he's a great man who did great things in a strange, funny, quirky way that upped the ante. Satire is a rare dangerous art. An important art.
I was 15 when I first heard DEVO in 1979. I was an angry non-conformist teen in a small clueless town. I had a few close friends and DEVO really brought us together, and let us know that we weren't alone. Music was so important to us at that age, and we were persecuted in high school for being DEVO fans. This strengthened our bond and widened the rift between us and those who went out of their way to hate DEVO and their fans. Oh well, ignorance fear and hatred go hand in hand. It's human nature.
Highly visionary but underrated artist. Needs a major biography written about his work. And much less pretentious than David Byrne. Maybe it's because he went to Kent State instead fo RISD.
The brilliant soundtrack from Wes Anderson's 1999 jewel "Rushmore" has many Mark Mothersbaugh originals mixed in with wonderful oldies from other artists including the Who and the Kinks. Give a listen!
Mark Mothersbaugh:- a prodigious and awesome talent, perfectly juxtaposed with the most humble and compassionate nature.
A well deserved accolade.
Both he, his two brothers (Jim & Robert), and the Casale's (Robert & Gerald); the original DEVO line-up. Were then and still are awesome! I've neglected to mention their most notable drummer - Alan Myers (according to a some of my drummer mates - Mr. Metronome).
After watching the first year of Pee Wee, you can tell what he's talking about. Watch the second year, and it's alot smoother in form using the time code. Must've been a reeeal bitch sync-ing on the fly!
As for Mark in general, his ideas, composition and sounds in nearly all his work is refreshingly minimalist compared to almost anyone else.. For instance, Danny E's work, which IMHO seems to get more and more cluttered with every score. True genius, but cluttered.
I love Mark but watching this video I feel like he is just selling himself short. It took him 10 years to learn what he could have learned in school? Rubbish. When the audio guy said "why don't you send us stuff locked up to time code?" he should have said, "because I'm Mark Mothersbaugh!"
School is cool, looks good on a resume, but if you are not creative...sorry, bye bye. Mark is beyond creative. He could score a film with a timbale and a reed flute!
you are probably right that someone with mm's god given talent and desire will eventually get to the top. but others may have quit in frustration because the difficulty was multipled by not having all the tools and knowledge available. best to learn from others who have already made the mistakes and have already built a better mousetrap so to speak. everyone enjoy the great world of music!
Okay so he regrets not going the traditional route. But I've known too many people who went to music school and are now essentially flipping burgers or something equivalent. I say, get famous, then go to music school! Don't go thinking you'll become someone special as a result. Go because you love it. I say—if you're a natural, like DEVO were—do your own thing & regret things after you're rich and famous. Regret will be far easier to deal with.
I would have to agree. The more I get to know Mark Mothersbaugh, the more I am inspired by what and who is on this Earth. I believe he is a very compassionate man. Look for his line of wallpaper patterns for your walls coming soon.
Timecode is for locking audio to video. Kinda like MIDI. Certain MIDI notes trigger certain samples. So a MIDI composition will be triggering whatever audio devices are assigned to it. They're married to each other by the code. Same thing with video and audio. Timecode is there for making sure any audio is perfectly tied to the video it's supposed to support. It keeps films from looking like those Japanese 'Godzilla' movies! with the mouths not moving with the audio properly. lol! Make sense?
This guy and his band made a huge mark on me, beginning with their appearance on Saturday Night Live with the short film, "The Truth About De-Evolution". Still an awesome talent.
Most people weren't ready for Devo at the time. At least now people appreciate the band now. Also, it's great that kids are being exposed to Mark on Yo Gabba Gabba.
mohinderbauer 4 months ago
He has all kinds of vintage synthesizers in there. He's quite an enthusiast. His instruments range from the very common to the exceedingly rare to the bespoke. One of his most treasured possessions is a Hammond Novachord, the world's first polysynth.
douro20 4 months ago
I Didn't Know He Was The Yo Gabba Gabba Guy!!! :O
xXReghanRenegadeXx 7 months ago
I've known DEVO since the 80's. You are so right about needing DEVO to survive life's bullshit! I'm bi-polar and DEVO (and the Beatles) is, by far, the best medication I've ever been on (and trust me...I've been on LOTS & LOTS & LOTS)!
ibaDEVOtee 1 year ago 3
Devo is the shite. Genius and let's not forget, they def. got the funk.
RikJamezBich 1 year ago
Is that a Memorymoog behind him?
Desmaad 1 year ago
who performs the background music in this vid? and what is the title of this track?
jpd66 1 year ago
Good for Mark talking up the value of education in music. Of course, it doesn't take the ridiculous amount of money it costs to go to Berklee, nor does it guarantee you're going to be a famous musician or top composer like Mark. But music education is good, and when your rock star window has closed, at least you will still have a marketable skill and won't have to quit playing music because you're too old to play with Lady Gaga. Saved my ass, that's for sure.
JMillerbigass 1 year ago
An extremely underrated artist. Way ahead of his time. I'm glad he's still successful... and a down to earth fella as well.
mitchellboomphi 2 years ago 16
This is a great interview. The part about time codes was hilarious. A guy that successful and creative, and did it the hard way for a long time. Then had the guts to admit it. Great artist.
tatsandteles 2 years ago 9
Great guy, great answers, great interview, thank you!
MisterEMisterX 2 years ago 4
I adore Mark Mothersbaugh.
YarblesYarblesYarble 2 years ago 8
Mark's music is soo great in Wes Anderson flicks.
CaptainPillowMusic 2 years ago 3
These men changed my life
urbinscientist 2 years ago 8
I see so many people saying that. I am experiencing the change right now. I'm 33 and I discovered DEVO less than 3 weeks ago. Some serious life bullshit has gone down since then, and I don;t know if I would have made it through without DEVO
Trendkillertrendy 2 years ago 22
i bet you listened to GUT FEELIN a lot, huh
squiggyklane 2 years ago
@Trendkillertrendy
I saw an ad for this new album recently and I was shocked as the last one was 20 years ago. I need this new album and as I'm going through extreme crud myself.
Everybody needs DEVO. Glad you love DEVO and best wishes - I also discovered Weird Als "Dare to be stupid which also got me back into DEVO which is almost an unofficial DEVO homage - Dare you to check it out!!!!
nutster9000 1 year ago
@Trendkillertrendy Strange you should say that. I discovered them when I was 11 and I am 42 now but their music does have a way of getting your mind off all the seriousness of life that could normally crush you mentally. They got me through alot as a kid and still do to this day as an adult.
Xcorgi 10 months ago
Perfect! Now anyone who tries to say that the "Devo 2.0" project was some kind of sellout can just watch this video and see Mark looking directly at you and telling you that they've had the idea since their earliest days. You know, if they didn't believe all the interviews with Mark and Gerry from over the past 30 years with them talking about putting attractive young people in the costumes and calling them Devo.
nickca420 2 years ago
does anyone else get the feeling that mark just doesn't like talking to people at all? in every interview he always looks a bit annoyed.
milkygear 2 years ago 3
The technical things he might have learned in school might have helped him, but I really wonder if he could have come out of a school with his creativity left in tact. Mark's sideways slant at looking at things have contributed greatly to his genius. School might have straightened out his view . . . and we might never have seen the great work he has done for a career.
CreativeStuffVideo 2 years ago 4
I gotta agree with you. Sometimes just learning on your own by trial and error only helps an artist dig deeper into their creativity.
I think it's quite possible that formal training puts a rigid "box" around one's natural talents.
taufactor 2 years ago 6
devo.. he still has the glasses still..
GrassBootsReady 2 years ago
Of course he still has the glasses. He needs them to see.
Lengsel7 2 years ago 7
Mark's the real deal - an unstoppable force!
rhubarbcub 2 years ago 5
They never sold out. They did IT and did it their way and I think the world is a better place become of them. Yes, his humility is amazing. He speaks of regrets and he's a great man who did great things in a strange, funny, quirky way that upped the ante. Satire is a rare dangerous art. An important art.
SubRosaStructure 2 years ago 3
This guy is amazing and what I'm struck by most in this interview is his humility.
68raindogs 2 years ago
On the cool scale of 1-10, a bzillion.
tacomadc 2 years ago
Are we not men?!
aarfeld 2 years ago
Thanks. You have givin a bunch of info. Thanks Dude.
pcsbyte 2 years ago
pure punk rock
pcsbyte 2 years ago
you have pure talent.
pcsbyte 2 years ago
genius. I love this man.
wonkeaux 2 years ago 2
Devo was so much more than gimmick
abrahamlincoln0900 2 years ago 2
I was 15 when I first heard DEVO in 1979. I was an angry non-conformist teen in a small clueless town. I had a few close friends and DEVO really brought us together, and let us know that we weren't alone. Music was so important to us at that age, and we were persecuted in high school for being DEVO fans. This strengthened our bond and widened the rift between us and those who went out of their way to hate DEVO and their fans. Oh well, ignorance fear and hatred go hand in hand. It's human nature.
vooski 2 years ago 4
Highly visionary but underrated artist. Needs a major biography written about his work. And much less pretentious than David Byrne. Maybe it's because he went to Kent State instead fo RISD.
cartoonlike 2 years ago
The brilliant soundtrack from Wes Anderson's 1999 jewel "Rushmore" has many Mark Mothersbaugh originals mixed in with wonderful oldies from other artists including the Who and the Kinks. Give a listen!
Johnoftheshire 2 years ago
memorymoog, i have one too :-)
Kunstbende 2 years ago
I must see his keys/synth collection. ...hm..a google search maybe?
kingkongpingpongdong 3 years ago
100 % genuine , unlike the rest of the industry he works in. Go Mark.
pfsdetroit 3 years ago 25
is the backgrounmd music really needed?
schwoogie78 3 years ago 4
yes
Nick5379 2 years ago
Freedom of choice is my favorite devo song...then gates of steel and most of the others tie at 3rd place
pUnKrOcKnINjAgAmEr 3 years ago
Devo single-handedly expanded my love for music... 1 of the greatest band of new age pop culture history!
roflitkg 3 years ago 3
Devo is and was cool. Great original stuff, pretty balsy to pull off the stuff they did.
Alxscode 3 years ago 4
Mark Mothersbaugh:- a prodigious and awesome talent, perfectly juxtaposed with the most humble and compassionate nature.
A well deserved accolade.
Both he, his two brothers (Jim & Robert), and the Casale's (Robert & Gerald); the original DEVO line-up. Were then and still are awesome! I've neglected to mention their most notable drummer - Alan Myers (according to a some of my drummer mates - Mr. Metronome).
Duty Now for the Future.
andrewrc69 3 years ago 3
confidence
rotolo 3 years ago
Naw... Mark has talet.
pcsbyte 3 years ago 2
He is great
jkiss12 3 years ago
All you need is one hit song
GuitarLikeARockStar 3 years ago
do you really think someone like lou bega or vanilla ice could create anything close to his huge body of music?
jkiss12 3 years ago 2
List the 1 hit wonders that nave been successful?
Devo is not a one hit wonder.
:-)
pcsbyte 3 years ago 3
he talks to people? (at the concert at Penn's Landing this summer, it seems like he was just singing AT us)
nihilusmaster 3 years ago
Was "Come Back Jonee" a Devo-ised version of "Johnny Be Good"?
nogginthefroggin 3 years ago
No, but it referred to Johnny B Goode.
trylonperisphere 3 years ago 2
Come back Jonee
Nakedguy01 3 years ago
Whip it whip it good
BigMoneyAl 3 years ago
huh..I knew he did music for Rugrats, Crash Bandicoot, and a whole lot of other stuff, but I didn't know he was in Devo haha
imtormentor 3 years ago
Crash Bandicoot!!!wow,i new he was in DEVO but...
znotty 3 years ago
Very interesting interview!
After watching the first year of Pee Wee, you can tell what he's talking about. Watch the second year, and it's alot smoother in form using the time code. Must've been a reeeal bitch sync-ing on the fly!
As for Mark in general, his ideas, composition and sounds in nearly all his work is refreshingly minimalist compared to almost anyone else.. For instance, Danny E's work, which IMHO seems to get more and more cluttered with every score. True genius, but cluttered.
maxbignus04 3 years ago 3
I love Mark but watching this video I feel like he is just selling himself short. It took him 10 years to learn what he could have learned in school? Rubbish. When the audio guy said "why don't you send us stuff locked up to time code?" he should have said, "because I'm Mark Mothersbaugh!"
School is cool, looks good on a resume, but if you are not creative...sorry, bye bye. Mark is beyond creative. He could score a film with a timbale and a reed flute!
GottiDaGoodfella 3 years ago 4
you are probably right that someone with mm's god given talent and desire will eventually get to the top. but others may have quit in frustration because the difficulty was multipled by not having all the tools and knowledge available. best to learn from others who have already made the mistakes and have already built a better mousetrap so to speak. everyone enjoy the great world of music!
dettigs 3 years ago
its because he's humble... ;)
besides, the audio guy suggested it to him for the first time, he talks about how he learned about time code - it was prolly new back then -
he talks about how it helped him. Without timecode its a nightmare, prolly eased his workflow so much
splintercellcrash 3 years ago
underrated musical genius......enuff said!
dettigs 3 years ago 6
i love him!
replicas79 3 years ago
I'm a believer in school? Yeah, right Mark, you sound convincing.
mistersmith6000 3 years ago
Okay so he regrets not going the traditional route. But I've known too many people who went to music school and are now essentially flipping burgers or something equivalent. I say, get famous, then go to music school! Don't go thinking you'll become someone special as a result. Go because you love it. I say—if you're a natural, like DEVO were—do your own thing & regret things after you're rich and famous. Regret will be far easier to deal with.
neurojammer 3 years ago 3
I thought he believed in Bob...
morethansalt 3 years ago
I would have to agree. The more I get to know Mark Mothersbaugh, the more I am inspired by what and who is on this Earth. I believe he is a very compassionate man. Look for his line of wallpaper patterns for your walls coming soon.
TheWallpaperMaker 3 years ago
His score on Rugrats is really unique and refreshing. Give it a close listen some time!
ditroiamusic 3 years ago 2
i give a close listen to everything i bump into... and you are correct, a simplest things are the most rewarding sometimes!
TERRANCIO 3 years ago
timecodes are purely for vhs and beta? do they still do that?
glitchesandglitter 3 years ago
Timecode is for locking audio to video. Kinda like MIDI. Certain MIDI notes trigger certain samples. So a MIDI composition will be triggering whatever audio devices are assigned to it. They're married to each other by the code. Same thing with video and audio. Timecode is there for making sure any audio is perfectly tied to the video it's supposed to support. It keeps films from looking like those Japanese 'Godzilla' movies! with the mouths not moving with the audio properly. lol! Make sense?
neurojammer 3 years ago
This guy and his band made a huge mark on me, beginning with their appearance on Saturday Night Live with the short film, "The Truth About De-Evolution". Still an awesome talent.
laurierken 3 years ago 2
saw that SNL -- what year was that? '77?
WickedGravityVideo 3 years ago
What a nice guy!
shepshepherd 3 years ago 4
this dude also made the music for rugrats
monstermitch58 3 years ago 2
i want chrome glasses, too.
daveatx 3 years ago 3
Wow , this is an excellent piece of advertising. "You have to be a little but creative" LOL
mistersmith6000 3 years ago
Very entertaining and informative clip. Thank you...
LuminousGuy 3 years ago
damn i want to meet this dude. we were both born in akron ohio. my dad played with some of the devo members, but he doesn't remember which ones.
IntoleranceRecords 3 years ago
Mark Mothersbaugh is my biggest inspirations for playing and writing music. I love synthesizers and would love to meet this guy!
That is a nice Memorymoog behind him.
synthpro 3 years ago 3
WOW!! What an informational bit. This from the mother of DEVO and the music maker for so many shows that we've all seen on tv.
Awesome,
Dm
Detman101 3 years ago
Imagine life without devo,no thanx,long live MM.
devoelaine1 3 years ago 2
I don't know who you thank for your award. But I thank you for all you have given us.
You have always impressed me. I enjoyed your interview and it has set me on a clearer path.
1953fast 3 years ago
Are we not men?
freepatriot 3 years ago
rugrats rules and so do you!
VANVALIS 3 years ago
very real
nf314 3 years ago
Excellent, Inspirational and far ahead of his time! Great Interview!
Vincere 3 years ago