OMD have been named as an influence by Depeche Mode co-founders Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher. Clarke, who later founded Yazoo and Erasure, stated, "The reason I got into electronic music was because I heard the track 'Almost'. That's when I thought to myself, oh my God, electronic music actually has some emotion." Moby, along with Kim Wilde songwriter and producer, Ricky Wilde, have named OMD as "heroes". Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Brian Nash noted that his band looked up to OMD, while Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy recalled, "The first music that really excited me as a child was [the Human League and OMD." The Shins and Broken Bells founder James Mercer said, "OMD are an integral thread in my musical history. You can hear them in my melodic sensibilities and at times in our production aesthetic... I'll always love them." Other acts who have cited the band as an influence include Gary Barlow, Howard Jones, Paul van Dyk, Owen Pallett, μ-Ziq and Telekinesis, as well as members of No Doubt, Tears for Fears, New Order, Saint Etienne, Barenaked Ladies, Death Cab for Cutie, Sugarland, AFI, Alphaville and Peter Bjorn and John. BBC Radio's Steve Lamacq named OMD's "Electricity" as his impetus to become a DJ. McCluskey's distinctive onstage dance routine – dubbed the "Trainee Teacher Dance" – has also been influential. ZZ Top, who shared a studio with OMD on a 1980 edition of BBC2 show "The Old Grey Whistle Test", adopted the routine as part of their live set (and played OMD's eponymous debut album over the PA prior to concerts). In 2001, Channel 4 commented that OMD "shook the world and launched a dance that remains popular at teacher training college discos".