Mark Mothersbaugh: The Craziest Day of My Entire Career

1st October 2021

Mark Mothersbaugh doesn’t need much of an introduction. He’s a composer who’s worked in TV and film for almost 40 years now. And, of course, he’s also the co-founder and frontman of Devo, the beloved new wave/post-punk band. The band got its start in Ohio in the early 1970s, and had hits like 1980’s Whip It. And they’re touring again! So we figured we’d reach out to Mothersbaugh for a segment we call The Craziest Day of my Entire Career, and boy oh boy, did he deliver! This story has it all: celebrities, disco, wild miscommunication, Andy Warhol. You should also know that there’s some drug use and descriptions of violence in this segment. Mark is still scoring movies and TV shows — you can hear his music in the upcoming movie Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, which also stars former Bullseye guests Kathryn Hahn and Steve Buscemi.

Episode notes

(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for CBGB)

Mark Mothersbaugh doesn’t need much of an introduction.

He’s a composer who’s worked in TV and film for almost 40 years now. That includes classics like Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Rushmore, and Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok.

And, of course, he’s also the co-founder and frontman of Devo, the beloved new wave/post-punk band. The band got its start in Akron, Ohio, in the early 1970s, and had hits like 1980’s Whip It.

And, guess what: Devo is back, baby! They’re touring the US with a handful of dates, still as fun as ever. So we figured we’d reach out to Mothersbaugh for a segment we call The Craziest Day of my Entire Career. And boy oh boy, did he deliver! This story has it all: celebrities, disco, wild miscommunication, Andy Warhol. You should also know that there’s some drug use and descriptions of violence in this segment.

Mark is still scoring movies and TV shows — you can hear his music in the upcoming movie Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, which also stars former Bullseye guests Kathryn Hahn and Steve Buscemi.

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Guests

  • Mark Mothersbaugh

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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Senior Producer

Producer

Maximum Fun Producer

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

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