Ethan Sacks, Corky Siemasko New York Daily News
Somebody needs to whip Devo singer Jerry Casale into shape for his sick 9/11 stunt.
Devo founding members and bassist Jerry Casale and his bride hung their photographs off a Twin Towers cake and box cutter-favors in a 9/11-themed ceremony last Friday.Photo TMZ
Not only did the quirky crooner choose a September 11 theme that included wedding cakes baked in the shape of the fallen Twin Towers, he gave his ghoulish guests real box cutters as presents.
But when the shocking photos of a tone-deaf Casale celebrating his May-December marriage to 26-year-old Krista Napp surfaced Monday on the gossip site TMZ, he blamed a buddy who attended the revolting reception at a Santa Monica restaurant.
“One of the friends surprised me with the cake and the place settings and it’s because they thought it was really macabre that I was getting married on 9/11,” he said on TMZ Live. “And I said no, it was just arbitrary.”
Casale, who is 67, said the cake was a joke that fell flat.
“Krista and I are the Twin Towers of love, you know making a joke about love conquering all,” he said. “So here comes the surprise … everybody ate the cake.”
For Michele Miller, whose brother state court officer Mitchell Wallace died while trying to save others on 9/11, Casale didn’t just cross the line — he obliterated it.
“I am in disbelief that someone would think to turn that day into a wedding day theme,” Miller said in an email to The Daily News.
“Shame on him, his wife, his guests, and even the restaurant for participating in such garbage,” she added. “A box cutter? My brother turned to ashes as the South Tower fell on him and people died at the Pentagon because of box cutters.”
The Al Qaeda terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks were armed with box cutters.
Speculating on why Casale might do something like his, Miller wrote, “It seems like maybe they just needed to bring attention to themselves again as they didn’t exactly have staying power with my generation. Whatever the reason though, it is no excuse.”
My brother, she wrote “will never get the chance to choose a wedding theme or get married. Our family just celebrated the Jewish holiday last night for the 14th year without him at the table.”
It’s not the first time Casale has used the terrorist attack that left 2,977 [sic 2,973] dead, most of them during the destruction of the World Trade Center.
In addition to the pioneering post-punk rock band Devo, Casale headed an outfit called “Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers” which put out a album in 2005 called “Mine is Not a Holy War.”
Devo, which Casale co-founded in 1972 with his late brother Bob, and Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, are famous for their quirky brand of humor with songs like “Whip It” and “Through Being Cool.” Their name is short for “de-evolution.”
Casale’s wedding photos surfaced three days after “Entourage” star Adrian Grenier sparked his own controversy on social media over a Instagram post that also paid tribute to the 1.4 million Iraqis who died in the U.S.-led war in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
