bars such as the Crypt and Pirates Cove. You can see a slideshow of him in his Los Angeles studio here.

The day we meet him at his "office," he has a few free hours in the late morning and early afternoon but must shuffle off to a couple of gala events later in the evening. First, he plans to be on hand for the opening of In & Of Itself, a play about a magician and performance artist that's directed by Frank Oz. He wrote the play's music. He will also attend the BMI Film/TV Awards where he'll receive four awards for the soundtrack work he did last year. Both involve putting on a tux and mugging for photo ops.

Mothersbaugh's artwork finally gets the closeup it deserves atthe end of this month as Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia, the first retrospective of his art, opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland and at the Akron Art Museum. On Friday, May 27, Mothersbaugh gives a free live performance on Toby's Plaza in front of MOCA to launch the exhibit. The publication of a hardcover book of essays and images, as well as a vinyl album of music, accompany the exhibit.

It's been a long, strange trip for Mothersbaugh, who formed Devo in the late '70s and, after writing the theme music for the wacky kids' (and adults') program Pee Wee's Big Adventure in 1986, continues to be a sought-after composer for film and TV. Mothersbaugh, who studied art at Kent State University, also works in many artistic