Devo ＂Whip It＂ ‌‌ - Bohemia Afterdark

What this video is

Released in August 1980 as the second single from Devo's third album Freedom of Choice, 'Whip It' arrived at a pivotal juncture when synthesizer-driven music was entering the American mainstream. The accompanying video — a satirical, low-budget dude-ranch tableau — predated MTV's launch by nearly a year, yet became one of the network's defining early clips. Devo, drawing on the Kent State-era concept of…

Why it matters

A foundational artifact of American new wave, 'Whip It' is widely cited as one of the genre's defining anthems. Its music video is among the earliest examples of a director-as-band-member auteur approach, establishing the blueprint for conceptually driven, satirical new wave visual language that…

The director

Gerald Vincent Casale (b. July 28, 1948, Ravenna, Ohio) is co-founder, bass player, co-lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of Devo. He is the director of most of Devo's music videos and an award-winning commercial director. Post-Devo hiatus (1991–), he…