Robert Edward Casale Jr. (born Robert Edward Pizzute Jr.; July 14, 1952 – February 17, 2014), or "Bob 2", was an American musician, composer and record producer. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the keyboardist and rhythm guitarist of the
new wave band
Devo, which released a Top 20 hit in 1980 with the single "
Whip It". The band has maintained a cult following throughout its existence. He was the younger brother of their co-founder and bass guitarist
Gerald Casale
Gerald Vincent "Jerry" Casale ( ) ( ''né'' Pizzute; born July 28, 1948) is an American musician. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, co-lead vocalist, and bass player of the new wave band Devo, which released a top 20 hit i ...
.
Early years
Robert Edward Pizzute Jr. was born on July 14, 1952, in
Kent, Ohio. He was born with the last name Pizzute because his father had legally changed his name from Robert Edward Casale to that of his foster parents. In the same year as Bob's birth, his father changed his name back to his birth name. Casale graduated from
Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1970 and originally trained as a
radiographer
Radiographers, also known as radiologic technologists, diagnostic radiographers and medical radiation technologists are healthcare professionals who specialize in the imaging of human anatomy for the diagnosis and treatment of pathology. Radi ...
.
Career
Devo
In early 1970,
Bob Lewis and Gerald Casale formed the idea of the "devolution" of the human race after Casale's friend
Jeffrey Miller was killed by
Ohio National Guardsmen during the
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre,"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years bef ...
. Casale joined Devo in 1973, after being recruited by his brother Gerald. After the band underwent a few line-up changes, Bob Casale became part of the most popular five-piece incarnation, which consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* F ...
and
Bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
* Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname ...
) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with drummer
Alan Myers.
Casale later claimed that they formed the band because "it was a more immediate way of self-expression that required less money and no outside permission."
Following the commercial failure of their sixth studio album ''
Shout'',
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
dropped Devo. Shortly after, claiming to feel creatively unfulfilled, Alan Myers left the band,
causing the remaining band members to abandon the plans for a ''Shout'' video LP, as well as a tour. In the interim, Casale began a career as an audio engineer. In 1987, Devo reformed with new drummer
David Kendrick
David Kendrick (born March 23, 1955) is an American musician who is currently a member of the experimental pop band Xiu Xiu. A former member of Gleaming Spires and Devo, he has recorded and toured with Sparks, Andy Prieboy and Revolushn. He is b ...
. The band stopped performing in 1991, but reformed as a musical act in 1995.
Around this time, members of Devo appeared in the film ''
The Spirit of '76'' but without Bob Mothersbaugh.
![Devo, Atlanta, Ga](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Devo%2C_Atlanta%2C_Ga.%2C_Dec._27%2C_1978_Agora_Ballroom.jpg)
In Devo concerts, Casale played the lead and rhythm guitar and keyboards while also working with
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
sampling. He also sang backing vocals, both on albums and at live shows.
Other work
As Devo's mainstream popularity waned during the mid-1980s and its various members began working on side projects, Casale transitioned to audio engineering and record production. He engineered and mixed Mark Mothersbaugh's debut solo studio album ''
Muzik for Insomniaks'' in 1985, which was later expanded and released as two
CDs in 1988. In 1986, Casale produced and engineered
Martini Ranch's debut
EP "How Can the Labouring Man Find Time for Self-Culture?" which also featured Alan Myers on percussion and Mark Mothersbaugh on keyboards and in the late summer of 1986 he engineered the debut solo studio album for
the Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...
's guitarist
Andy Summers
Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942), is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band The Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a band member in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated wi ...
, recorded at Devo Studios in California. ''
XYZ'', featuring songs written and sung by Summers, was then released in 1987.
In 1989, Bob Casale and other members of Devo were involved in the project Visiting Kids, releasing a self-titled EP on the New Rose label in 1990. The band featured Mark Mothersbaugh's then-wife Nancye Ferguson, as well as David Kendrick, Bob Mothersbaugh and Bob's daughter Alex Mothersbaugh. Their record was produced by Bob Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh and Mark also co-wrote some of the songs. Visiting Kids appeared on the soundtrack to the film ''
Rockula
''Rockula'' is a 1990 American comedy horror film directed by Luca Bercovici and written by Bercovici, Jefery Levy, and Chris Ver Weil. Dean Cameron stars as the vampire Ralph LaVie, Toni Basil plays Phoebe LaVie, Ralph's mother, and Thomas Dolby ...
'' (1990), as well as on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman''. A promotional video was filmed for the song "Trilobites".
Casale later became a part of the musical production group
Mutato Muzika
Mutato Muzika is an American music production company established and owned by Devo co-founder and lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh in 1989. The name is a portmanteau of the words ''mutant'' and ''potato'', a nod to Mothersbaugh's longstanding fascina ...
with other members of Devo.
As audio engineering and record production opportunities expanded for Casale and bandmate Mark Mothersbaugh, Casale began working for television and movies, including ''
Four Rooms
''Four Rooms'' is a 1995 American anthology
farce black comedy film co-written and co-directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino, loosely based on the adult short fiction writings of Roald Dahl. The ...
'', ''
Happy Gilmore
''Happy Gilmore'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a newfound talent for golf. The scree ...
'', ''
Rushmore'', ''
The Royal Tenenbaums
''The Royal Tenenbaums'' is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. It stars Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen W ...
'' and ''
Rugrats Go Wild
''Rugrats Go Wild'' is a 2003 American animated crossover adventure film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''Rugrats'' and ''The Wild Thornberrys''. It is the third and final installment in the ''Rugrats'' film series and the se ...
''.
Death
On February 17, 2014, Casale died at the age of 61, in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, California, due to
heart failure. According to his brother Gerald, he went to the emergency room because he was coughing up blood. He was scheduled for tests and his family went home. During the tests, Casale became "agitated" and was given a sedative, after which his blood pressure plunged. He was given epinephrine. When his heart stopped, the medical staff was unable to get it started again.
He is survived by his brother Gerald and two children, Alex and Samantha.
Devo toured the U.S. and Canada in June and July 2014, playing ten dates consisting of their "experimental music" composed and recorded from 1974 to 1978. Planned as a 40th anniversary tour, this outing was billed as the "Hardcore Devo" tour. Partial proceeds for the ten shows went to support Casale's family.
Casale was cremated. His remains were placed in a 3D-printed urn shaped like a
Devo energy dome.
Soundtracks
Television
Film
Discography
Devo
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casale, Bob
1952 births
2014 deaths
21st-century American composers
American audio engineers
American male composers
American multi-instrumentalists
American television composers
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American rock keyboardists
American new wave musicians
American SubGenii
American synth-pop musicians
American people of Italian descent
Guitarists from Ohio
Record producers from Ohio
Devo members
People from Kent, Ohio
20th-century American composers
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century American guitarists
American post-punk musicians