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Robert Edward Casale Jr. (né Pizzute; 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 rhythm guitarist and keyboardist of the new wave band
Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...
, 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 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 in 1980 wi ...
.


Early years

Robert Edward Pizzute Jr. was born on July 14, 1952, in
Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County, Ohio, Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 United States ...
. 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 radiology technologists, radiologic technologists, diagnostic radiographers and medical radiation technologists, are healthcare professionals who specialise in the imaging of human anatomy for the diagnosis and tr ...
.


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 Kent State massacre or May 4 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 before (Ma ...
. 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: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
and
Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Bob (surname) * Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II * Bob t ...
) 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. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
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 ...
. 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. In Devo concerts, Casale played the lead and rhythm guitar and keyboards while also working with
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
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 CDS, CDs, Cds, etc. may refer to: Finance * Canadian Depository for Securities, Canadian post-trade financial services company * Certificate of deposit (CDs) * Counterfeit Deterrence System, developed by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence ...
in 1988. In 1986, Casale produced and engineered
Martini Ranch Martini Ranch was an American new wave band conceived in 1982 by Andrew Todd Rosenthal. The band originally featured Rosenthal, Cliff Roman, and Steven William "Billy Bones" Fortuna. Sometime in the mid-1980s, the band shifted their sound more ...
'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. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
's guitarist
Andy Summers Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist best known as a member of the rock band the Police. Prior to joining the Police, Summers had been a member of several bands during the 1960s, including Zoot Money's Big Roll ...
, 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-musical film directed by Luca Bercovici and written by Bercovici, Jefery Levy, and Chris Ver Weil. The story centers on a vampire under a curse; the tagline for the film is: "He's a vampire that hasn't scored ...
'' (1990), as well as on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
''. 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 reference to Mothersbaugh's longstanding ...
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. The story is set in the fictional Hotel Mon Signor in Los Angeles o ...
'', ''
Happy Gilmore ''Happy Gilmore'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role, with Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen and Carl Weathers. The film follows the namesak ...
'', '' Rushmore'', ''
The Royal Tenenbaums ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' is a 2001 American tragicomedy 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 Wilson. ...
'' 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 final installment of both the ''Rugrats'' and ''The Wild Thornberr ...
''.


Death

On February 17, 2014, Casale died at the age of 61, in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California, due to
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
. 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 was survived by his wife Lisa, 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 Devo is an American New wave music, new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark Mothersbaugh, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Bob) and the Casales (Gerald Casale, ...
.


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 Theodore Roosevelt High School (Kent, Ohio) alumni