Gerald Casale of Devo mentioned that he was initially very unhappy about his band being compared to Kiss, but over time he began to view the attempted insult in a different light.

In a recent interview with Gold Derby, Casale recalls his initial reaction to Devo being labeled “the thinking man’s Kiss” by a U.K. music journalist years ago, due to their shared – yet distinctly different – approaches to costumes and theatricality on stage.

“At the time I was really offended and really bummed out by that,” Casale explained. “But twenty years later I thought, ‘God, I wish it had happened that way!’ Because that means that a band that isn’t dumb could have been as big as Kiss.”

Read More: 5 Reasons Devo Should Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

This is not the first time Casale has recounted this story. In a 2015 interview with Rhino, he provided more details, including the name of the journalist and the magazine. “We were raked across the coals critically by Alan Jones from Melody Maker in England; he said that we were – and this was his big putdown – ‘the thinking man’s Kiss.’ And I thought, ‘You know what, you jerk? That’s not a bad thing!’

“Just imagine if we could be as popular as Kiss and as iconic as Kiss while delivering the message that Devo brings, rather than this silly, tired message of parties, drugs, and getting the girl,” Casale continued. “What if Devo could have as big an audience as Kiss but with this alternative message? That would be a true breakthrough. True subversion. But it didn’t happen.”

(It should be noted that Kiss founders and noted teetotalers Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have repeatedly and strongly spoken out against drug and alcohol use, often citing substance abuse as one of the main reasons original members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley could not remain in the band.)

(Additionally, Kiss has released many songs about hard work, believing in oneself, and doing what is right.)

(As for the girls part? Okay, he has a point there.)

Why Does Devo Believe They Should Have Avatars Before Kiss?

In a 2023 interview with With Guitars, Casale stated that Devo had spoken to an immersive content company about obtaining their own avatars, similar to those Kiss plans to launch in 2027.

“[The company] reached out and said, ‘Hey, you need to be part of the metaverse. You should have avatars.’ And I responded that I’ve been discussing this for two and a half years; nobody has come forward because unlike Kiss, for whom someone is willing to invest $100 million to do it, no one is stepping up to let Devo do it.”

The lack of opportunity leaves Casale feeling quite frustrated. “[It] always sticks in my craw because if there’s any band that deserves to have avatars and create an alternate world in the metaverse, it’s Devo; we have the characters, we have the ideas, we have the narrative, and we possess a futuristic vision.”

He also expressed his discontent with ABBA’s ongoing Voyage avatar show, which has a dedicated venue built in London. “All they use that technology for is to make you believe that ABBA was really performing on stage. Which is very boring to me. ABBA got to do it because they sold 100 million records or whatever. But God, what Devo could do with that would be mind-blowing.”

In the meantime, Devo fans can check out the band’s new self-titled Netflix documentary and catch them on the Cosmic De-Evolution tour with the B-52s this fall.