Many artists have been influenced by Andy Warhol, but few are as prolific and productive as Mark Mothersbaugh. The co-founder / lead vocalist and keyboardist of Devo is also a film composer, who has scored such films as “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Lego Movie.” Mothersbaugh is also a visual artist.
“Andy Warhol was a big influence,” Mothersbaugh said while calling from his Laurel Canyon home. “What was most significant with Warhol is that the idea came first with him. Warhol was a printmaker, a painter and he produced Velvet Underground albums. He also threw the best parties in Manhattan.”
When Mothersbaugh isn’t recording music, he’s painting. Mothersbaugh will make his debut solo exhibition of oil paintings and screenprints on Friday, April 11, at the MutMuz Gallery with an event entitled “Why We Are Here No. 1.”
“For this show I’ll have screen prints from the ’80s and paintings from lockdown,” Mothersbaugh said. “There are 10 of each and the paintings are pretty big. I have a bunch of other stuff I’ve made and I’m making that I would like to present there. I like the (Chinatown) location. It’s in a hipster neighborhood. I won’t be getting a lot of doctors, lawyers and bitcoin people, but I’ll have other artists come in. I’m just excited about putting stuff on the wall and talking to people about art.”
As a teen growing up in Ohio, Mothersbaugh became enamored of mail art. “I started doing artwork on postcard sized cards,” Mothersbaugh said. “I started sending out my art to artists like Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. One day, I opened up my mailbox and I saw a card from Robert Rauschenberg and I couldn’t believe it. When you’re 18, you feel like a zero. You could walk in front of a car and get hit and die and nobody would care, except Grandma.”
Mothersbaugh was thrilled that nearly every artist he sent mail art to responded with a card adorned with their own art. The only artist who failed to correspond with Mothersbaugh was, ironically, Warhol.
But Warhol inspired Mothersbaugh to follow his gut and explore an array of artistic adventures. Mothersbaugh covered the walls and halls of his alma mater, Kent State University, with artwork and started Devo.
The uncompromising band is arguably as influential as the Velvet Underground and the Ramones.
Kurt Cobain, Trent Reznor and Tom Morello are among the many rock icons, who noted how inspirational Devo was when those recording artists started their careers.
Reznor was inspired by Devo because the band was like no other act and that opened up sonic possibilities.
“I remember thinking that rock ‘n’ roll was dead in 1972,” Mothersbaugh said. “It was time for something different since rock ‘n’ roll was so cliché by then and everything sounded the same. I remember when The Rolling Stones released ‘Wild Horses.’ I thought, ‘Rock is over.’ The Stones’ earlier material was just so great.”
Devo completely revamped the Stones’ classic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and the band scored airplay and notoriety. “I figured ‘Satisfaction’ was the greatest rock song of all time and it was time to update it,” Mothersbaugh said. “The song was 10 years old by the time we covered it and it was time for the ’70s version of “Satisfaction.’ Mick Jagger said our version of the song is the best Stones cover ever.”
Mothersbaugh still appreciates the Stones. “They are a very difficult bacteria to kill off,” Mothersbaugh said.
It’s difficult to imagine Jagger or Keith Richards dying. “I agree,” Mothersbaugh said. “I can’t think of a world without those two guys.”
A few months before the Stones released its “Tattoo You” album, Devo hit the pop charts with its quirky and catchy single “Whip It.” The band became icons courtesy of its unconventional rhythms and unusual sense of style. But Devo became legendary due to its music and message.
More than 40 years ago, Mothersbaugh explained that the band’s moniker was inspired by our de-evolution. Mothersbaugh can pass for Nostradamus considering the current state of the country.
“Wouldn’t it have been nice if I were wrong,” Mothersbaugh cracked.
However, Mothersbaugh somehow remains an optimist. “I always saw the possibility of learning from our mistakes,” Mothersbaugh said. “If I didn’t think that way, I don’t think I could handle it. If I thought otherwise, it would be so depressing. We’re in a ridiculous situation right now. Who could have guessed it?”
Mothersbaugh will continue to paint and lead Devo, which will tour throughout the summer. “We’re a legacy band now, like it or not,” Mothersbaugh said. “It’s about what we did during the ’70s and ’80s. I still enjoy what we do with Devo, and I love painting. I can do both and more.”
Even though Mothersbaugh never received a card from Warhol, the late iconic artist would certainly approve.