Mark Mothersbaugh, frontman for the iconic new-wave rock band DEVO and now a 35-year veteran film and TV composer, spoke to a full house of both nostalgic music fans and aspiring composers at a special Denver Film Festival event held at the Denver Botanic Gardens on Friday.
The evening celebrating Mothersbaugh's career included clips from his five decades in music and film, from his big break scoring 15 episodes of "Pee-wee's Playhouse" through working with such filmmakers as Taika Waititi, Wes Anderson and Lord/Miller. Among Mothersbaugh's 250 TV and film credits are the 2001 classic "The Royal Tenenbaums," "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004) and pretty much everything in the "Rugrats" franchise.
Mark Mothersbaugh is still a rebel at heart. Just ask the folks at Hawaiian Punch.
As befits his subversive nature, Mothersbaugh told a great story about how he liked to work subliminal messages into his commercial work, but he had to stop after he was found out for toying with a Hawaiian Punch ad.
Mothersbaugh was a good sport before the program, posing with fans wearing DEVO's iconic Energy Dome helmets. As Mothersbaugh has explained it, the domes were influenced by the German Bauhaus movement, geometric fashion and Aztec temples. He thought it was groovy that the band members didn't look fashionable – they looked more like Lego toys.
Mark Mothersbaugh poses with a DEVO fan wearing one of the band's iconic Energy Dome helmets.
Screening of the day
'My Sister Liv' is a powerful documentary directed by Alan Hicks and produced by Honey Beuf and Tess Kunik of Boulder.
The documentary "My Sister Liv" is a powerful documentary about the teen suicide epidemic that follows the story of two inseparable Boulder sisters: One who grew up with the pressures of social media, depression, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts – and the other who tried to save her. The film is produced by Liv’s mother, Honey Beuf, and sister, Tess Kunik. "When my daughter died, we decided we wanted to create something that would help to prevent other families from feeling the brutally painful grief of suicide loss," said Beuf, who founded The Liv Project to provide young people with conversation-starting tools such as games, clothing and videos. "My mission is to continue to encourage open, fearless communication and to break down the barriers of stigma and shame around mental health and suicide." Director Alan Hicks will speak after today's 1:45 p.m. screening at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. (71 minutes)
Quote of the day
Denver Film Programming Coordinator Ambriehl Turrentine introduces 'Hunt' at the Denver Film Festival.
"'Hunt' cynically makes its case that in Korea, there can be no such thing as a peaceful revolution, nor a clean transfer of power." – Peter Dubruge of "Variety" on 'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae's directorial debut, an unpredictable and non-stop Korean spy-vs.-spy action thriller that was screened Friday at the Denver Film Festival.
Information and tickets
Go to denverfilm.org
Video bonus
Since DEVO, Mark Mothersbaugh has gone on to score films for the likes of Wes Anderson, Taika Waititi and many more. He was at the Denver Botanic Gardens on Friday as part of the Denver Film Festival.
More photos
Mark Mothersbaugh gets a bear hug upon his introduction to his Botanic Gardens audience on Friday night.
Mark Mothersbaugh engages in a little fake fighting with Jonathan Palmer, Senior Vice President of Creative Synch at BMG.
Denver Film Programming Coordinator Ambriehl Turrentine introduces 'Hunt' at the Denver Film Festival.