Devo explores misunderstood legacy in new documentary

You know the band Devo, right? The guys with the funny red plastic hats and jumpsuits? The New Wave musicians behind the silly “Whip It” video? They had that odd, spiky ‘80s vibe? Well, it turns out you may not know as much as you think.

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The new Netflix documentary “Devo” is an eyeopening examination of an Ohio-born art-rock band that argues they were perhaps the most misunderstood band on the face of the planet. It debuts on the streaming service Tuesday.

“We were trivialized and pigeonholed,” co-founder Gerald Casale tells The Associated Press. “This documentary allows us to talk about what we were thinking and what we are motivated by to create what we created.”

Directed by Chris Smith, “Devo” uses archival footage and interviews to trace the band’s beginnings, rise and fall, with cameos from fans like David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Neil Young.

Devo introduced themselves to the world in 1977 by making a frenetic version of the Rolling Stones’ “I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” which earned them a crucial slot on “Saturday Night Live.” On stages, they would wriggle like worms or dress like the guys from “Ghostbusters.”

They released their Brian Eno-produced debut, “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!,” in 1978 and reached platinum status with 1980’s “Freedom of Choice,” which featured “Whip It,” a hit just as their label was getting ready to drop them.

But behind the odd neck braces and knee pads were powerful art and literary ideas about where the country was going. They named themselves after the idea that modern society was entering a process of “devolution.”

“We were seeing a world that was the antithesis of the idealized, promised future ginned up in the ’50s and ’60s,” Casale says in the movie. “What we saw was regression.”