60-412: Gerald Vincent Casale ( / k ə ˈ s ɔː l iː / kə- SAW -lee ) ( né Pizzute ; born July 28, 1948) is an American musician. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, co-lead vocalist and bass player of the new wave band Devo , which released a top 20 hit in 1980 with the single " Whip It ". Casale is the main lyricist and one of the primary composers of Devo's music, as well as
120-577: A man's surname at birth that has subsequently been replaced or changed. The diacritic mark (the acute accent ) over the e is considered significant to its spelling, and ultimately its meaning, but is sometimes omitted. According to Oxford University 's Dictionary of Modern English Usage , the terms are typically placed after the current surname (e.g., " Margaret Thatcher , née Roberts" or " Bill Clinton , né Blythe"). Since they are terms adopted into English (from French), they do not have to be italicized , but they often are. In Polish tradition ,
180-687: A 2022 interview with Spin , Casale stated that his five favorite albums were Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits (1967), The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), the Jimi Hendrix Experience 's Electric Ladyland (1968), David Bowie 's Diamond Dogs (1974) and the Chemical Brothers ' Dig Your Own Hole (1997). Casale and the other Devo members used to be part of the Church of the SubGenius . Remastered and expanded version of Mine Is Not
240-458: A Holy War Birth name A birth name is the name given to a person upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname , the given name , or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth register may by that fact alone become the person's legal name . The assumption in the Western world is often that
300-431: A Holy War , was released on September 12, 2006, after a several-month delay. It featured mostly new material, plus re-recordings of four obscure Devo songs: "I Need a Chick" and "I Been Refused" (from Hardcore Devo: Volume Two ), "Find Out" (which appeared on the single and EP of " Peek-a-Boo! " in 1982) and "Beehive" (which was recorded by the band in 1974, then apparently abandoned with the exception of one appearance at
360-411: A July 23, 2007, MySpace bulletin that a full-length music video for the song was forthcoming and the song itself was available on iTunes and eMusic . Casale said that the song was chosen from a batch that the band was working on, and that it was the closest the band had been to a new album. In a December 5, 2007, article on Mutato Muzika , LA Weekly reported that "After touring sporadically over
420-472: A film was unclear. Devo played their first European tour since 1990 in the summer of 2007, including a performance at Festival Internacional de Benicàssim . In December 2007, Devo released their first new single since 1990, " Watch Us Work It ", which was featured in a commercial for Dell . The song features a sample drum track from the New Traditionalists song "The Super Thing". The band announced in
480-574: A long-form interview with the Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal podcast, discussing many subjects related to the band and more. He returned for a follow-up the next month and again two years later. On July 12, 2024, it was announced that Casale would receive the Dallas VideoFest's Ernie Kovacs Award in September. The organizers stated, "As a primary force behind Devo's creative vision, Jerry Casale
540-535: A music video for the single "Army Girls Gone Wild". Jihad Jerry appeared at several shows near the end of Devo's 2006 tour, performing the song " Beautiful World ". He has also performed occasionally with other bands. Casale has also directed music videos for other recording artists, including the Cars (" Touch and Go ", " Panorama "), Rush (" Mystic Rhythms ", "Superconductor"), A Perfect Circle (" Imagine "), Foo Fighters (" I'll Stick Around "), Soundgarden (" Blow Up
600-576: A pamphlet in Akron and the two began using it in their own art, accompanied by the phrase "Duty Now for the Future", coined by Casale. After first using it on a promotional item for Virgin Records , the band were contacted by the owners of the logo, which resulted in them acquiring the rights to the image. Casale was seemingly unaware of the author of the design until being contacted by Kaufman's son in 2024, after which
660-566: A performance with UK-based DJ and producer Adam Freeland at the South by Southwest music festival in 2009. Casale and Mothersbaugh have also produced music for other artists including Toni Basil . In 2014, Casale made a cameo appearance in a 1980s themed Delta Air Lines in-flight safety video, portraying a passenger who puts his "carry on" item (a Devo energy dome) under the seat in front of him in order to prepare for takeoff. Casale collaborated with Italian electronic artist Phunk Investigation on
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#1732876430686720-484: A post was made to Devo's social media to commemorate him for his work. The inner sleeve included the lyrics of all the songs printed in a single block of closely printed text. The sleeve also featured a West Hollywood address from which one could request information and news about the band. In addition, an address was included to allow purchasers to order a copy of the Devo-vision videocassette from Time Life . This tape
780-523: A punch-out postcard, which according to Mark Mothersbaugh was "a piece of art that you could take away, a repurposed album cover." Although Warner Bros. originally rejected the idea, saying it was too costly, Devo instructed the label to use the band's own money to pay for it. The cover photograph of the band was taken by photographer Allan Tannenbaum for the SoHo Weekly News in New York City. It
840-524: A rare lead vocal from Bob Mothersbaugh. Duty Now for the Future was produced by Ken Scott . Like Brian Eno , who had produced Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! , Scott had also worked with David Bowie , most notably on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973). According to Scott, Devo were "quite professional in the studio" and he "loved every minute" of
900-499: A regional "corporate hymn". "Triumph of the Will" takes its title from Leni Riefenstahl 's Nazi propaganda film of the same name , although the song is about desire. Music historian Andy Zax stated that, "On the surface, 'The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize' seems like one of Devo's happiest, bounciest pop confections, but a closer look reveals peculiar things lurking beneath." The band's cover of Johnny Rivers ' "Secret Agent Man" features
960-475: A right-handed Steinberger L-series bass guitar, played upside down. He has played various keyboard basses, including an EDP Wasp , a Minimoog (as well as a synth that was custom-built by Moog Music which consisted of two Minimoogs connected together), a Roland D-50 , and a Korg TR-61. As of 2012, Casale has used a Roland GAIA SH-01. In 1970, he was a student at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio , and witnessed
1020-422: A special show in 2001). Casale directed several television commercials, including ads for Diet Coke and Honda Scooters featuring Devo, as well as for Coco's restaurants, and Miller Lite. Distinctive elements of Casale's visual style include Dutch angles, desaturated color, and color washes on images. While Jihad Jerry never toured, the theatrical character appeared with Devo at several shows in 2006, as well as on
1080-528: A story about the event on September 14 and published photos, Casale received significant backlash from the media and online. Apologizing to anyone who was offended, Casale called the reception a "surprise" and a "set-up", explaining that his friend "thought it was some sort of transgressive sick humor and the problem is, it's not funny." As of 2021, Casale lives on a ranch in Napa, California . On November 17, 2022, Casale's wife gave birth to their first child, Inara. In
1140-452: Is also responsible for designing the band's visually striking concert stage shows and Dadaist costumes, including their signature red ' Energy Dome ' hats." In 2005, Casale announced his "solo" project, Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers (the Evildoers themselves including the other members of Devo) and released the first EP, Army Girls Gone Wild in 2006. A full-length album, Mine Is Not
1200-416: Is the feminine past participle of naître , which means "to be born". Né is the masculine form. The term née , having feminine grammatical gender , can be used to denote a woman's surname at birth that has been replaced or changed. In most English-speaking cultures, it is specifically applied to a woman's maiden name after her surname has changed due to marriage. The term né can be used to denote
1260-578: The Foo Fighters . In 2005, Devo recorded a new version of "Whip It" to be used in Swiffer television commercials, a decision they have said they regretted. During an interview with the Dallas Observer , Casale said, "It's just aesthetically offensive. It's got everything a commercial that turns people off has." In 2006, Devo worked on a project with Disney known as Devo 2.0 . A band of child performers
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#17328764306861320-513: The Fox News program Red Eye . Casale abandoned the Jihad Jerry character in 2007; He was quoted as saying "People are kind of freaked out by the Jihad Jerry stuff. I thought they'd all think it was really funny and get off on it but people are really offended and scared... I think that's it. I don’t want them to have Jihad Jerry to kick around anymore!". Later Casale donned the Jihad Jerry turban for
1380-580: The 14th anniversary of the September 11th attacks . After joking that he and Napp were "the Twin Towers of love", a friend who was in charge of the cake fashioned a 9/11-themed reception without their knowledge, featuring a cake baked in the shape of the Twin Towers , box cutters as party favors and table place setting cards featuring images of box cutters with "Gerald & Krista" engraved on them. After TMZ ran
1440-487: The 1970 Kent State Shootings. Two people killed at the shootings, Jeffrey Miller and Allison Krause, were friends of Casale. In a 2020 interview, he stated, "I went through some traumatic change. It was just a fork in the road where you realize everything you've been told is a lie. [...] We didn't see progress. We saw it going backwards, we start getting more tribal and more demonically mean and more chaotic." Casale took an interest in wine after moving to California in 1978. In
1500-410: The 1990s he taught classes in wine tasting for three years during Devo's hiatus. In 2014, he announced that he would be opening a new wine company, the 50 by 50, selling Pinot noirs . Casale bought the historic Josef Kun House in 2007 and spent seven years in meticulous restoration with the help of preservationist James Rega. The house was designed by Richard Neutra in the early 1930s. Casale placed
1560-594: The Future and its predecessor, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978), contained material from a backlog of songs the band had written between 1974 and 1977. By December 1976, Devo were already performing "Clockout", "Timing X" and "Blockhead" live, following the expansion of the band's line-up from a quartet to a quintet, with the addition of drummer Alan Myers (replacing Jim Mothersbaugh ) and multi-instrumentalist Bob Casale . "Clockout" took advantage of this newly expanded line-up and featured Bob Casale playing bass instead of Gerald Casale . "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA"
1620-427: The Future found the band bringing synthesizers more into the forefront than before. Additionally, guitar sounds were often manipulated; in a 1979 interview with BAM magazine, Gerald Casale stated, "A guitar can only do what a guitar does. It's like only one tiny piece of a synthesizer. On this album, we did much more with the guitars, too. Sometimes you don't know that they're guitars." According to Scott, to record
1680-464: The KSU Honors College, he personally knew two of the victims, Jeffrey Miller and Allison Krause , and was near Krause when she was shot. Casale described that day in multiple interviews as being "the day I stopped being a hippie". Together with Bob Lewis , Casale used the shooting as a catalyst to develop the concept of De-evolution, forming the band Devo in 1973. Casale was the oldest member of
1740-562: The Numbers Band. He caused friction in the band by suggesting that they should incorporate advertising jingles and other "low culture" elements into their music. After leaving the Numbers Band and graduation, Casale attended Kent State University , majoring in art (focusing on fine/performing arts and fashion-related studies). In the late 1960s, he was a self-described hippie until the May 4, 1970, shootings . Being involved with Freshman orientation at
1800-666: The Outside World ") and Silverchair (" Freak ", " Cemetery "), among others. Gerald Vincent Pizzute was born on July 28, 1948, in Ravenna, Ohio . He was born with the last name Pizzute because his father, Bob, had legally changed his name (his birth name having been Robert Edward Casale) to that of his foster parents. Four years after Gerald's birth, his father changed his name back to his birth name. Gerald Casale grew up in Kent, Ohio and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1966. Prior to Devo, Casale had played bass guitar with
1860-505: The Virgin album also featured the US cover postcard as an insert. Devo produced one music video for this album. "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize" combined animation with blue screen effects of the band performing. In this video, Devo chiefly wore white shirts and pants and silver 3D glasses. The video also features Alex Mothersbaugh, the daughter of Bob Mothersbaugh. Alex would later be featured on
Gerald Casale - Misplaced Pages Continue
1920-699: The album "undeniably catchy and fun." In a retrospective review for AllMusic , reviewer Mark Deming opined that the album "captures the group in the midst of a significant stylistic shift", while contending that "Triumph of the Will" "embraces fascism as a satirical target without bothering to make it sound as if they disapprove." 1993 Virgin Duty Now for the Future / New Traditionalists CD bonus track: 1995 Infinite Zero Archive/ American Recordings CD bonus tracks: 2010 Warner Bros. CD bonus tracks: Credits adapted from Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology CD liner notes: Devo Credits adapted from
1980-462: The album was more accessible, it was "lacking the zany magic of old". Scott Isler of Trouser Press stated that the album "doesn't score as many bull's-eyes as the first but includes two anthems of malaise, 'Blockhead' and 'S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)'", and noted the band's "disturbing signs of portentousness". The Boston Globe dismissed Duty Now for the Future as "largely a failure." Among positive reviews, The New York Times deemed
2040-423: The albums Total Devo (1988) and Smooth Noodle Maps (1990), on Enigma . In 1990, the members of Devo, bar Bob Mothersbaugh, appeared in the film The Spirit of '76 (1990). Devo later had a falling out and played two shows in 1991 before breaking up. Following the split, Casale began a career as a director of music videos and commercials, working with bands including Rush , Soundgarden , Silverchair and
2100-560: The back cover of Devo's 1984 album Shout . A short clip of the band standing at attention and then saluting was filmed to accompany "Devo Corporate Anthem", which was used in concert performance. Duty Now for the Future was on the Billboard charts for 10 weeks, peaking at No. 73. In Canada, the album reached number 87. Dave Marsh , writing in Rolling Stone , condemned the album, feeling that "inspired amateurism works only when
2160-439: The band away from guitars. The band were excluded from the final mixing process, with Casale later stating that they "barely knew how bland it sounded", and that, for the most part, Scott did not take their suggestions. The artwork was designed by Janet Perr , based on a concept by Devo. Universal Product Codes were a then-new phenomenon and the band devised a satirical fake code for the front cover. The cover also featured
2220-419: The band eventually solidified around the lineup of Casale, his brother Bob (second guitarist), Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, and drummer Alan Myers . On October 14, 1978, Devo appeared on American variety show Saturday Night Live to promote their debut album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978), which significantly increased their exposure. After their second album, Duty Now for the Future (1979),
2280-456: The band to be a play on irony of the messages of their classic hits." In an April 2007 interview, Gerald Casale mentioned a tentative project for a biographical film about Devo's early days. According to Casale, a script was supposedly in development, called The Beginning Was the End . Casale stated that there might be some new Devo material coming as well, but whether it was related to the release of
2340-411: The band. He has said that David Bowie 's 1974 album Diamond Dogs and its subsequent tour inspired him to "raise the bar" for his work with Devo, stating, "I had seen what it takes to combine theater, concept and music in a three-stage rocket to mind-blowing effect." Initially featuring Casale (bass), Mark Mothersbaugh (vocals), and Mark's brothers Bob (lead guitar) and Jim (electronic drums),
2400-411: The bold, innovative spirit of Bob Moog". Devo was scheduled to perform at Moogfest, but Bob Mothersbaugh severely injured his hand three days prior, and the band was forced to cancel. Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale collaborated with Austin, Texas, band The Octopus Project to perform " Girl U Want " and " Beautiful World " at the event instead. In an interview on March 3, 2011, Casale stated that he
2460-412: The director of most of the band's music videos. He is one of only two members (along with lead singer and keyboardist Mark Mothersbaugh ) who have been with Devo throughout its entire history. Casale's brother Bob also performed with the band. Casale pursued a solo career in 2005 while still a member of Devo with the project Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers . The project received little promotion beyond
Gerald Casale - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-558: The dog in a crate on his car's roof rack. Casale also mentioned plans to release a collection of demos from the Something for Everybody sessions, with potential titles being Devo Opens the Vault , Gems from the Devo Dumpster , or Something Else for Everybody . The album was eventually titled Something Else for Everybody and was released on May 20, 2014. In April 2020, Casale participated in
2580-407: The first album; maybe we rushed to get another album out." In a 2015 interview, Gerald Casale said that the new material "was kind of still incubating and probably wasn't ready" at the time of recording. "Devo Corporate Anthem" and its accompanying video were a nod to the 1975 film Rollerball , in which the titular sport is preceded by players and the audience standing solemnly while listening to
2640-464: The house on the market in 2015. On February 17, 2014, Casale's younger brother and fellow Devo bandmate Bob Casale died at age 61. According to Gerald, it was a "sudden death from conditions that led to heart failure." On September 11, 2015, Casale married Krista Napp in Santa Monica, California . Prior to the wedding, the couple had reportedly been questioned by friends about the date coinciding with
2700-424: The name from birth (or perhaps from baptism or brit milah ) will persist to adulthood in the normal course of affairs—either throughout life or until marriage. Some reasons for changes of a person's name include middle names , diminutive forms, changes relating to parental status (due to one's parents' divorce or adoption by different parents), and gender transition . The French and English-adopted née
2760-414: The past decade but not releasing any new material, Devo are spending December at Mutato trying to create an album's worth of new material and contemplating a method of dispersal in the post-record-company world." In an April 2008 interview, Mothersbaugh revealed a song title from the in-progress album: "Don't Shoot, I'm a Man". In a radio interview on April 17, 2008, Casale stated that Mothersbaugh had "killed
2820-458: The players aspire to something better." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice panned side one as "dire" and "arena-rock", but felt that "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize" and "Secret Agent Man" were "as bright as anything on the debut, and the arrangements offer their share of surprizes." Red Starr of Smash Hits described it as "unimpressive", but noted that the "change of style definitely grows on you". They went on to say that, although
2880-572: The project" and that there would be no new Devo album. Casale, however, later stated that "We're going to finish what we started." The album, Something for Everybody , was eventually released on June 15, 2010, preceded by a 12-inch vinyl single of "Fresh"/"What We Do" on June 10. Devo was awarded the first Moog Innovator Award on October 29, 2010, during Moogfest 2010 in Asheville, North Carolina . The Moog Innovator Award has been said to celebrate "pioneering artists whose genre-defying work exemplifies
2940-477: The sessions. Recording for the album began in September 1978, a month after the release of their first album. Scott discussed his role in the recordings and how Devo came to choose him for the album: "I know they chose me because of the Bowie records I did, but I don't know if it was a direct recommendation from Mr. Jones. Devo always wanted to learn. That's why they worked with each producer only once." Duty Now for
3000-437: The solo for "Secret Agent Man", they "overloaded mic amps and fed the signal through headphones which were taped to the mic." Several band members voiced dissatisfaction with the sound of the album in retrospect. Gerald Casale has stated that "Scott wanted something processed. We wanted something aggressive." Bob Mothersbaugh felt that Scott did not understand the band's "ideas and vision." Mark Mothersbaugh recalled that, at
3060-445: The song "It's All Devo!", released as an EP under his real name for Record Store Day 2016 . Casale has played several types of bass guitars left-handed, mostly heavily customized. Among the most distinctive is a teardrop shaped bass, actually a Gibson Ripper with its horns sawed off and a thick arm padding added to the top side, as seen in videos for " (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction " and "Come Back Jonee". From 1982 on, Casale has used
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#17328764306863120-624: The term z domu (literally meaning "of the house", de domo in Latin ) may be used, with rare exceptions, meaning the same as née . Duty Now for the Future Duty Now for the Future is the second studio album by American new wave band Devo , released on June 1, 1979, by Warner Bros. Records . Produced by Ken Scott , the album was recorded between September 1978 and early 1979 at Chateau Recorders in Hollywood . Both Duty Now for
3180-411: The time, he thought Scott had erred in recording the album one instrument at a time to a click track —to emphasize the band's tight, robotic qualities—rather than recapturing their live sound. Mothersbaugh ultimately felt that the results were not as satisfying as playing the material on the following tour. However, Casale later stated that Mothersbaugh, who loved synthesizers, had already wanted to move
3240-525: Was "working on a script for a... Devo musical" that would be aimed towards a live Broadway production. In August 2012, the band released a single called "Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro (Seamus Unleashed)", dedicated to the Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney 's former pet dog Seamus. The title relates to the Mitt Romney dog incident , which occurred in 1983 when Romney traveled twelve hours with
3300-458: Was already being performed by November 1977. While the song selections for the band's first two albums were devised ahead of time, Mark Mothersbaugh brought in three new compositions ("The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize", "S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)" and "Triumph of the Will") for the second album's sessions and elected to abandon some of the previously chosen songs. Bob Mothersbaugh later stated that "We had been touring extensively after
3360-519: Was assembled and re-recorded Devo songs. A quote from the Akron Beacon Journal stated, "Devo recently finished a new project in cahoots with Disney called Devo 2.0, which features the band playing old songs and two new ones with vocals provided by children. Their debut album, a two disc CD/DVD combo entitled DEV2.0 , was released on March 14, 2006. The lyrics of some of the songs were changed for family-friendly airplay, which has been claimed by
3420-489: Was less well received than its two predecessors. The band's sixth studio album, Shout (1984), continued in this vein and was received poorly, which caused Warner Bros. to buy out the remainder of Devo's contract. Myers left the band soon after. In 1987, Devo reformed with new drummer David Kendrick , formerly of Sparks , to replace Myers. Their first project was a soundtrack for the horror film Slaughterhouse Rock (1988), starring Toni Basil , after which they released
3480-528: Was less well received, their third album, Freedom of Choice (1980), produced the surprise hit single " Whip It ", which reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The album climbed to No. 22 on the Billboard 200 , and its follow-up, New Traditionalists (1981), was nearly as successful, peaking at No. 23. Oh, No! It's Devo (1982) saw the band moving more towards the mainstream and sported an increased use of synthesizers and electronic percussion, but
3540-494: Was never actually made available and was issued a few years later under the title The Men Who Make the Music via Warner Home Video . The artwork used on Virgin pressings of the album in the UK, which prominently featured the "Science Boy" logo on the cover, was created by John Zabrucky, again based on a concept by Devo, with graphic co-ordination by Malcolm Garrett . Initial pressings of
3600-498: Was used in the album artwork by simply taking it from the front page of the newspaper in the exact same dimensions, unbeknownst to the photographer. When he discovered this, he contacted the record company and was paid for its use. The "Science Boy" logo was designed by George L. Kaufman in 1956 for the Cleveland Press newspaper's "Science Emblem" contest. The logo was rediscovered by Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh in 1976 on
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