Music
Devo member's 9/11 themed wedding was a terrible prank
by Jesse Locke
September 15, 2015
The celebration included a Twin Towers cake and box cutters as party favours.
In their decades of art-punk antics and social commentary, Devo haven’t worried too much about political correctness (See: “Mongoloid” or the side-project Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers). Now, founding member Gerald “Jerry” Casale has made headlines with photos of a 9/11 themed wedding party – but he says they came from a “sick” joke played on him and his wife Krista Napp.
On the 14th anniversary of September 11, Casale and Napp tied the knot. TMZ first shared photos of a Twin Towers cake with the faces of the new couple, along with box cutters offered as gifts. Internet outrage ensued, but Casale has since clarified that the party favours were a “set-up” organized by a guest. “He thought it was some sort of transgressive sick humour, and the problem is, it’s not funny,” Casale told Billboard. “I apologize to anyone who was offended.”
According to Casale, September 11 was the only date available for the couple to get married before their application expired. The cake was inspired by comments made to a friend who called their wedding date “macabre” leading to a description of Casale and Napp as “the twin towers of love.” He now says the overwhelming media attention has ruined their wedding, but it’s clear from the photos that they were having a laugh at the time, even if it was an uncomfortable one. In the end, he seems most troubled that one of his wedding guests would make a deal with the celebrity gossip site. “OK, that’s bad taste,” said Casale. “But who would have thought that somebody goes and sells shots to TMZ?”
