Are we not men?
"We're fragile old men."
That's how Devo frontmanMark Mothersbaughdescribes three of the new wave band's original members who recently wrapped the 50 Years of De-Evolution tour and earned their secondGrammy nomination.
In November, Devo received a Grammy nomination forbest music filmfor the band's self-titled Netflix documentary directed by Chris Smith ("Tiger King,""Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond"). The band was last nominated at the 1985 awards for best video album for "We're All Devo."Michael Jackson's "Making Michael Jackson's Thriller" ended up taking home the gramophone that year.
Though he may be known as Devo's glasses-wearing spud, 75-year-old Mothersbaugh spent the bulk of his career as a film and television composer, recently scoring"A Minecraft Movie,"which he tells USA TODAY he worked on while touring.
Mark Mothersbaugh of the punk new wave group Devo wears a mask and holds a crib around him as he performs onstage, circa 1977." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist Mark Mothersbaugh wears a 'Reverse Evolution' tank-top, performing live with new wave band Devo, circa 1978." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Members of the band Devo pose together in 1982." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mark Mothersbaugh, left, and his guitarist brother Bob Mothersbaugh perform "Girl U Want" with Devo in 1997 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Devo performs under colored stage lights at Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam show on Oct. 24, 2002 in San Diego, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mark Mothersbaugh, left, and Bob Casale, of electronic new-wave pioneers Devo, perform during their first UK show for 17 years at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Meltdown festival, curated by Jarvis Cocker, on June 19, 2007 in London." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Bob, left, and Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo perform during their first UK show for 17 years at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Meltdown festival, curated by Jarvis Cocker, on June 19, 2007 in London." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mark Mothersbaurgh of Devo performs after a medal ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Medal Plaza venue on Feb. 22, 2010 in Whistler, Canada." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Members of the public watch Devo perform after a medal ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Medal Plaza venue on Feb. 22, 2010 in Whistler, Canada." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mark Mothersbaugh, center, Bob Mothersbaugh, right and Bob Casale of Devo perform at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California on April 17, 2010." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mark Mothersbaugh, singing, of Devo performs onstage at the 2011 Art Of Elysium "Heaven" Gala held at the California Science Center on Jan. 15, 2011 in Los Angeles, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Members of the band Devo, Gerald Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh perform during CBGB Music & Film Festival 2014, Times Square Concerts on Oct. 12, 2014 in New York City." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo performs at Desert Daze in Lake Perris, California on Oct. 12, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
A biker passes a Devo energy dome made of tires in front of the Akron Civic Theatre on March 31, 2021 in Akron, Ohio." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mark Mothersbaugh of the band Devo performs on stage during a concert as part of their farewell tour in Copenhagen, Denmark on Aug. 8, 2023." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
An original Devo yellow jumpsuit and power dome can be found at the Akron History Center on March 27, 2025 in Akron, Ohio." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Left to right, Gerald Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh and Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo perform at Pine Knob Music Theatre on Sept. 25, 2025 in Clarkston, Michigan" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Are they not men? They are Devo
Mark Mothersbaugh of the punk new wave group Devo wears a mask and holds a crib around him as he performs onstage, circa 1977.
Mothersbaugh says he learned about theGrammy nominationon his way to work.
"People who get up earlier than me had already found out so they were saying congratulations and I'm like, 'Oh, what happened?'" he recounts. "We're in the last days of Devo. Getting a nomination for a Grammy, that's kind of sweet, you know?"
Devo was founded by Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale in 1973, while the two were students at Ohio's Kent State University. The two were drawn together as active protestors of the Vietnam War, craving a way to create art with an important message. Beginning more as a performance art piece, Devo has preached the prevalence of Western society's de-evolution, the concept that humans are evolving to become more primitive, rather than more complex. Mainstream audiences haven't always understood Devo's message (or kooky outfits), but the band has always stayed true.
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Grammy nomination brings Devo full circle
Though Devo has not received a Grammy nomination for its music, the recent film nomination feels full circle, for a band that has, since day one, emphasized visuals.
In 1976, the band created a short film called "In the Beginning Was the End: The Truth About De-Evolution" with "Godfather of the music video," Chuck Statler. The nine-minute film featured a few of the band's early songs and was used as a visual display during concerts. At the time, music videos weren't as commonplace as today, and this was still a few years before the advent ofMTVin 1981.
Devo was one of the first bands to have videos featured on MTV with"Whip It"airing during the channel's first year. The nationwide broadcast skyrocketed Devo as a household name. But just a year later, MTV cracked down on Devo, especially with the band's music video for"That's Good."The channel felt imagery in the video, which included a French fry going inside of a doughnut, was too provocative for viewers.
"I said, 'You come on. What about theBilly Idolvideo you just had on?'" founding member Gerald Casale said in thedocumentary. Casale was referencing Idol's music video for"Eyes Without A Face,"which features a woman being blasted by a burst of water. "I think the difference was that in those videos, the mainstream video of sex (is) without humor. It was like as long as everybody looked like they were having a bad time, OK. But when a French fry goes through a doughnut, then you got something. Then you're a smart a--."
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Devo continued to break ground with its visuals, notably during live performances.
In the early '80s, after the release of the band's fifth album, "Oh No! It's Devo," Devo began implementing visuals during their concerts that were in sync with the music. Initially, the band used a rear screen projection on a 20-foot screen to display clips from music videos or characters interacting with the band, Casale said in the documentary.
Before the time of sequencers, Mothersbaugh says the band used an audio track on 35mm film to play along to. The late Alan Myers, the band's drummer at the time, was responsible for starting each film strip at the right time. Mothersbaugh says at first, only the first 20 minutes of their shows included these visuals because that's all they could afford.
In those early days, Mothersbaugh recalls working with animators to create visuals on the Cray-1, among the first supercomputers.
"We spent two weeks making a red energy dome tumble in space, but everybody was so proud that there was this 3D hat tumbling in space," Mothersbaugh says with a smile.
Many of these original visuals, like the floating energy dome, made their way into the band's "50 Years of De-Evolution" tour, which kicked off in December 2023.
Devo talks bringing the same oomph on stage, 50 years later
The "50 Years of De-Evolution" tour, which eventually became the "50 Years of De-Evolution ... Continued!" tour with additional dates, concluded in November. The band also rounded out the year with the nine-city "Cosmic De-Evolution Tour" with The B-52's. The two bands, which got their start in the '70s, had never toured together.
This week, Devo and The B-52's announced two more shows of the "Cosmic De-Evolution Tour," which will take place in theUnited Kingdom in June 2026.
After three years on the road and more dates ahead, Mothersbaugh said he's enjoyed touring with the band again.
"We're fragile old men now on stage, and we're still trying to do it with the same energy we did it back when we were 25," he says. "Maybe the songs are a couple BPM slower than we did them 50 years ago, but I think one of the important things is we're not just standing there. We're actually moving and we're pretty active. I think Gerry looks great on stage and he loves to dance."
Devo attracts multi-generational fans
Looking out at a sea of fans for the past three years, Devo has seen its fair share of multi-generational spuds. Mothersbaugh said young Devo fans have made him reflect on his own exposure to music at a young age.
"We played places like Soldier Field in Chicago this last year and (in this) big place, there were so many kids who were singing along," Mothersbaugh says. "We talked to a few people and they just said, 'Well, everything is on the internet. Before they come to the show, they get informed.'
"A lot of these kids have bands that they love and they say, 'Well, who inspired the band I love?' They go, 'Nirvana, maybe.' And then they go, 'Well who inspired Nirvana?' and then they go, 'Oh, they covered Devo and they talked about Devo. That information was really hard to get when I was a kid. I just think, what a nice time to be young."
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her atgcross@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Mark Mothersbaugh reflects on 52 years of Devo following Grammy nod
