For any singer or band, getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is considered the ultimate milestone. Although lining their homes with awards helped validate their career, the Rock Hall was a timeless honor. And for a lucky few, like Ozzy Osbourne and Michael Jackson, they landed in the Rock Hall twice. But when it came to the band Devo, they were continuously rejected. And now, it seemed that Devo didn’t even care about being inducted.
Although Devo became eligible for the Rock Hall during the early 2000s, the group gained an official nomination in 2019. That year, they ended up snubbed. And in 2021 and 2022, they were snubbed yet again. Watching other bands celebrate the historic moment, co-founder Gerald Casale told the Gold Derby, “I don’t think we ever really cared about [the Rock Hall] as a goal, but it’d be disingenuous to say that to be recognized doesn’t vindicate you somehow, or that you wouldn’t like it somehow.”
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Gerald Casale Labels Devo Rock Hall Snub A “Conspiracy”
While not wanting to get his hopes up again, Casale added, “But after three snubs, I can only speak for myself. I think we’re done with caring one way or another, because I have to believe those three snubs tell me one thing: that there is someone that actively, on a conspiracy level, doesn’t want Devo in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
With Devo behind the hit song “Whip It”, the group forged its own path in the music industry. While fellow member Mark Mothersbaugh liked what they produced. he said, “Maybe we don’t fit in with those other bands. And that might be a good thing.”
Besides their approach to music, Devo also paved the way for music videos. Using film to help promote their music, a recent self-titled documentary showed just how important the group was to the popularity of MTV. And for Mothersbaugh, he was proud of the Devo legacy. “I think it’s easy for people that don’t know about Devo to look at this documentary and go, ‘Oh, they did do something different.’”
(Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images)
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