Aside from having whippets across the world named after them, Devo are also getting their very own holiday.
April 1st has been officially declared ‘Devo Day’ in the city of Akron, Ohio, by Mayor Dan Horrigan.
The decision aims to help the New Wave band in their bid to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.
Devo, which formed in Akron in the Seventies, is among other rock giants on the ballot this year including, Tina Turner, Carole King, Foo Fighters and Rage Against the Machine.
“The City of Akron has an unbelievable sense of pride, especially when it involves the success of our people,” Mayor Horrigan said in a statement. “
“We are, and will continue to be, immensely proud to be the home of Devo and will be rallying this great community to help them achieve the recognition they deserve.”
Black Keys drummer and fellow Akron native, Patrick Carney is also a Devo lover, or, as their fans call them (for some reason), a ‘spudboy’.
“Devo is of course one of my favorite bands,” Carney said in a statement.
“It was a huge thing for me as a teenager to know a band from Akron as cool and weird could strike a chord (no pun intended) that resonated so massively around the world.”
The city of Akron, Ohio has declared April 1st to be @Devo Day to rally support for the band’s potential induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: https://t.co/uBodEdsUP9 pic.twitter.com/FesVFjdf3J
— Consequence of Sound (@consequence) March 30, 2021
Devo has been rather quiet in recent years whilst frontman, Mark Mothersbaugh focuses on his career as a film and television composer. Mothersbaugh’s most notable credits include Rugrats, Tiger King and Wes Anderson’s Rushmore – each project as weird and unique as Devo themselves.
Rewatching Dr. Strange the other night got me primed to rewatch Thor Ragnarok.
i love this movie so goddamn much, especially Mark Mothersbaugh’s score. pic.twitter.com/TQUZJ7GXeK
— Gordon McAlpin (@gmcalpin) March 26, 2021
On the idea of doing one last tour post-pandemic-life, Mothersbaugh is on the fence.
“It’s like putting on your high school cheerleading outfit and going out and doing the songs again,” he told Rolling Stone in 2020.
“On one hand, when I’m out there on stage, I love playing them. But on the other hand, the whole thing seems like, ‘Well, yes, That’s what I did when I was 20. I’m 70. Let’s move on.’ But I’m sure there will be more shows somewhere down the line.
“Also, who knows, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame might begrudgingly let Devo in, so that’ll give us an excuse to get together.”
It looks like that could very well be a possibility.
