On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. The following year, Devo wrote a song titled “I Desire” that contains part of a poem written by Hinckley. Now, after being out of prison and institutional care since 2016, he has publicly claimed that Devo owes him royalties.
“Back in 1982 I co-wrote a song with DEVO called ‘I Desire,” Hinckley writes on Twitter. “It is on their album ‘Oh No, It’s DEVO.’ The album is still selling worldwide, especially in Japan and Europe. I haven’t seen royalties in 35 years. What’s the deal?”
According to Brooklyn Vegan, Devo did obtain permission from Hinckley to use his poem in the Jodie Foster-inspired song and credited him on the album. Gerald V Casale claimed that Hinckley had established his own publishing company to handle the royalties, so DEVO is not responsible for him not receiving any. Even if they do owe him money, Casale claims, it wouldn’t be much, as the song wasn’t a major hit.
Devo is scheduled to perform at the Cruel World Music Festival on May 14, 2022, in Pasadena, CA. The ‘80s-themed festival originally planned to include Morrissey, Bauhaus, Devo, She Wants Revenge, Gary Numan and Marc Almond in 2020, but several of these acts are not returning for the 2022 event. The band was also one of the leading acts at Chicago’s Riot Fest in September and they were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in February 2021.
Leave a Comment