Mark Mothersbaugh explains how a Burger King commercial inspired Devo to greatness
Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh has been present throughout the entirety of the band’s career and instrumental to their success. A co-founder and keyboardist for the Akron, Ohio group, the bespectacled vocalist has provided them with a lot of creative inspiration, whether this be in the musical field or by bringing a more comedic angle to their efforts.
Fusing a countercultural approach with a genuinely artistic outlook – no doubt inspired by his time at the visionary hub of Kent State University – it’s safe to say that without Mothersbaugh, Devo would be lacking some of the power that has made them so important. Reflecting the humour that Mothersbaugh champions, famously, he introduced material such as the Jocko Homo Heavenbound pamphlet, which includes a drawing of a winged devil labelled, ‘D-EVOLUTION’. Later, this would inspire their classic track, ‘Jocko Homo’.
Given Motherbaugh’s importance to alternative music and the significance of his and the band’s social commentaries, his thoughts on music and broader cultural topics have always been a source of fascination. Sitting down with Pitchfork in 2020, he provided fans with a memorable treat by taking them on a trip down memory lane and discussing the songs that made him as both a man and a musician. At one point in the interview, he reflected on the early days of Devo and how capitalism inspired their subversive craft.
Stopping at the age of 25, he named the 1974 Burger King jingle ‘Have It Your Way’ as one of the most significant tracks of his life. Here, he revealed its tremendous impact on Devo’s subversion. This came via the company taking Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel’s ‘Canon’, which he describes as “one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written”, and turning it into a successful advertising campaign.
Mothersbaugh said: “I formed Devo with Jerry (Casale); we were thinking about de-evolution. After the shootings at Kent State, we realised that rebellion wasn’t the way to change things anymore. Once the government gets irritated enough, they just lock you up or kill you. There’s no such thing as democracy—it’s all just corporations and the ebb and flow of capitalism. We were thinking, ‘God, the way it’s going, we could have a movie star or a sports guy as president. People are getting stupider.'”
He continued: “I remember watching commercials at that time, and the one that really caught my attention was a Burger King commercial where they took Pachelbel’s Canon—one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written—and turned it into, ‘Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce/Special orders don’t upset us/All we ask is that you let us serve it your way.'”
The Devo frontman concluded: “The campaign was so successful, we thought, What if we presented our ideas in a way that could burrow into mainstream music? We wanted to be subversive. We thought of Devo like an earwig. I liked the idea of using rock’n’roll to get into people’s heads. Pretty early on in Devo, I wrote a song called ‘Too Much Paranoias,’ where I ranted, ‘Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce!’ I hope Burger King didn’t mind.”
Listen to ‘Too Much Paranoias’ below.
