Pitchfork

Devo photo by Shannon McClean

Few bands are more synonymous with the new wave movement of the late 1970s/early 80s than Devo, and few bands have an image as well cultivated as Devo's. For more than three decades, the Ohio outfit has been setting biting social commentary to strains of arty, angular synth-pop, donning some variation of its iconic garb pretty much all the while. Are they just another rock band with silly hats? No, man, they are Devo. And at this point, they have what they do down to an art.

So along comes New Wave Nigel, a familiar looking fellow you might recognize from that "American Idol" Happy Meal you purchased in a fit of hunger-fueled desperation at a local McDonald's this past April. Nigel-- along with Disco Dave, Country Clay, Rockin' Riley, and Soulful Selma-- aims to embody all that his genre entails.

For new wave, that apparently equates to "looking and sounding like somebody from Devo." Have a closer look [via Flickr user carianoff]:



As noted on Devo's website, not only is Nigel wearing an approximation of Devo's iconic "energy dome" hat, he also rocks an orange jumpsuit, sports some angular shades, and even plays a song that-- as the band's site puts it-- is "Devo-esque." Have a listen.

I really, really want one of these toys.

Devo, as you might imagine, feel differently. According to an Australian Associated Press report reprinted on stuff.co.nz [via BrooklynVegan], the band is suing McDonald's, claiming that no one from the company contacted them about New Wave Nigel. Devo bassist Gerald Casale-- who designed the trademarked energy dome headgear-- is quoted as saying, "This New Wave Nigel doll that they've created is just a complete Devo rip-off and the red hat is exactly the red hat that I designed, and it's copyrighted and trademarked. We're in the midst of suing them...they didn't ask us anything. Plus, we don't like McDonald's, and we don't like 'American Idol', so we're doubly offended."

Man, Ronald, you should have gone with A Flock of Seagulls Freddy or something.

Pitchfork reached out to Casale for an update on the lawsuit situation, and it turns out he's now under a gag order and thus cannot discuss the situation with the press. Thankfully the gag order doesn't prevent him from touring, as Devo have a handful of shows in the States, Australia, and Japan before the summer's up.

Devo:

06-26 Brooklyn, NY - McCarren Park Pool *
06-27 Boston, MA - Bank of American Pavilion
06-28 Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier
07-31 Melbourne, Australia - Festival Hall
08-01 Sydney, Australia - Hordern Pavilion
08-02 Byron Bay, Australia - Splendor in the Grass Festival
08-04 Adelaide, Australia - Thebarton Theatre
08-06 Perth, Australia - Metro City
08-09 Osaka, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08-10 Tokyo, Japan - Summersonic Festival

* with Dan Deacon, Tom Tom Club