Beyond his role as DEVO’s co-founder and vocalist, Mark Mothersbaugh has found considerable success scoring films and creating music for television. Among his numerous credits, the theme for MTV’s Ridiculousness stands out as his most lucrative work, earning him approximately $1 million annually.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Mothersbaugh reflected on the unexpected success of the reworked version of DEVO’s “Uncontrollable Urge,” comparing it to his other compositions and the band’s iconic hit “Whip It.”
“I’ve written so many songs for films and TV,” Mothersbaugh shared. “Years ago, I’d never have guessed this would become such a significant source of income.”
He added, “MTV stopped airing DEVO’s music, yet we’ve come full circle. It’s ironic—‘Uncontrollable Urge’ never even had a music video, and now it’s possibly the most-played song on MTV.”
Mothersbaugh’s wife and manager, Anita Greenspan, offered further insight: “Early on, MTV featured a lot of DEVO because they were pioneers in music videos. But as time went on, MTV pushed back against DEVO’s subversive style and stopped playing their videos. Now, ‘Uncontrollable Urge’ is easily the most-played song on MTV. In the end, DEVO wins.”
No one, including Mothersbaugh, could have predicted the runaway success of Rob Dyrdek’s comedy clip show, which now dominates MTV’s programming. During one stretch in 2020, the network reportedly aired 36 consecutive hours of Ridiculousness. While the schedule has since incorporated shows like Catfish and RuPaul’s Drag Race, Ridiculousness remains a cornerstone, with January 17th’s lineup featuring 10.5 hours of the show.
Although Ridiculousness has been a standout financial success, Mothersbaugh’s other TV compositions have also been impactful. Greenspan noted that his Rugrats theme paid for their home in the 1990s.
Mothersbaugh credits the late Paul Reubens with inspiring his transition into television scoring. After creating the theme for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, he went on to compose music for children’s shows like Clifford the Big Red Dog, Beakman’s World, and Santo Bugito. He has also scored notable films, including four Wes Anderson projects, The Lego Movie, and Thor: Ragnarok.