Cocaine Bear

Mark Mothersbaugh is a Grammy, BAFTA, and Emmy nominated composer, producer, designer, and visual artist whose work has become part of the pop culture consciousness. He started his career as co-creator and front man for the seminal New Wave band DEVO. Their Brian Eno/David Bowie-produced debut album “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo” was certified Gold before their hit album “Freedom of Choice” went Platinum.

For Cocaine Bear, Mothersbaugh wanted a score that reflected and captured the culture of the ’80s, with a personality that evolved as the decade’s music evolved. “At the beginning of the film, it starts out very pop,” Mothersbaugh says. “But as it goes through it, it gets heavier. The guitars change up from being acoustic and lighter to being distorted and more aggressive and there are synths throughout that provide a pulse that keeps things moving.”

To make it as authentic as possible, Mothersbaugh used the instruments that created some of the most distinctive and memorable sounds of the ’80s music scene. “Once we decided we were going to let it soak a bit in an ’80s sound, I went to the warehouse where I store equipment and my old Devo road cases full of synths,” Mothersbaugh says. “I pulled out old synths that we used on albums in the ’80s and used the same synths and a lot of the same amps and foot pedals.”