Anton Fier of The Feelies and The Lounge Lizards has died
Anton Fier, who has played the drums with The Feelies, The Lounge Lizards and The Golden Palominos over the past four decades, has died aged 66. At present, there has been no official statement, but tributes have been pouring in from the musician’s friends and peers.
Lounge Lizzard co-founder John Lurie wrote: “Very sorry to hear about the passing of Anton Fier. The Lounge Lizards would never have gotten off the ground without him. He showed us how to work on music. Demanded it.”
Bob Mould, who collaborated with Fier on his solo albums, Workbook and Black Sheets of Rain, stated: “Anton Fier brought endless power, emotion, and intensity to all the music he created and touched. I learned so much about music from Anton. I’m so grateful for the time we had together. Rest In Peace, my friend.”
Syd Straw, who played alongside Fier in The Golden Palominos, wrote, “devastated to tell you of the sorry demise of Anton Fier, who never realized how loved he was”.
Fier was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but moved to New York City in the 1970s to immerse himself in the downtown music scene. Early on in his professional career, he joined The Lounge Lizards and played the drums for The Feelies on their classic debut album, Crazy Rhythms.
Moving into the 1980s, Fier became a nomadic musician taking part in various collaborations, most notably with Bill Laswell, John Zorn, Paul Haig and Arto Lindsay. Eventually, he formed a band of his own, The Golden Palominos, in 1983, which he maintained on and off until 2019.
The Golden Palominos’ 1985 album Visions of Excess saw Fier joined by the likes of Michael Stipe, John Lydon, Chris Stamey, Syd Straw and Arto Lindsay, among others.
See some of the tributes for Anton Fier below.
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