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Alan Myers Obituary
Myers died Monday in Los Angeles, where he lived, Devo spokesman Michael Pilmer said Wednesday.
Myers was the band's drummer from 1976 to 1985 during Devo's heyday. The group was formed in Akron, Ohio, in the early 70s by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, and introduced themselves to the world in 1977 by making a spastic version of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction."
Casale told The Associated Press on Wednesday that without Myers, Devo never would have reached the heights it did, calling him the best drummer he has ever played with.
"We were mostly in basements and garages writing songs. It was Alan that brought everything to life," Casale said. "That was the catalyst where everything clicked."
He called Myers "the human metronome," referring to the time-marking device.
"People watch ing him thought we were using a drum machine," Casale said. "Nobody had ever drummed like that."
Casale described meeting and playing with Myers for the first time in 1976. After their first session ended, Casale - who had been facing away from Myers - turned around to see the drummer standing on one leg with his eyes closed, practicing the meditative Chinese martial art of Tai Chi.
"I thought, 'Man, this guy really is Devo. He fits right in,'" Casale said, adding that Tai Chi was one of the drummer's greatest passions. "Some bands would be doing drugs and drinking. Alan would find quiet places backstage and do a full session of Tai Chi."
Devo is short for devolution, the idea that man was devolving into its monkey state.
Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
411 Entries
carolyn lambert
June 17, 2018
very talented drummer, We will miss you love your special talent and innovative drumming styles you have left an innovative spark in music . you are an innovator and very intelligent...... always rest in peace...loved your music and lyrics they are one of a kind
Keith Garrett
May 25, 2017
Catch up with you later Alan we're all miss you until we meet again...
Keith Garrett
May 25, 2017
I admired Alan, for both his playing style and commitment to DEVO I have tried to emulate stylings and movement as I took "time out for fun" Alan has left his mark leaving and living on in the hearts, ears, and echo's of the mind forever more. Alan plays for God now...
How you can show support
August 11, 2014
thanks Al, sorry...
Glenn Gilmore
March 7, 2014
Thank you Alan. You added an intense energy to many lives with your wonderful talent. I'll always think if you when I hear you drumming speaking to me.
Lisa Weiner
December 15, 2013
To Alan Myers,
You were a great drummer for the group devo. I really enjoyed your songs Whip it, and that's good. My prayers go to your bandmates. Lisa Weiner
Rob Alster
October 1, 2013
Goodbye Alan.
September 28, 2013
You were beloved worldwide, but you never seemed to notice. Love, Dee
September 28, 2013
Dee Allison, Lenny Walker...I met Alan in 1978, though we had all come to L,A, from Akron. We were close friends, and I can say that Alan was one of the best men whom I've ever known. When Laena was about to be born, a perfect house, right behind ours became available. He and Andy Vadnay, my then partner, were best friends. The last photo I have of Alan was at Andy's Memorial, 1991. I wish him peace and love, forevermore.
And, the next time you hear thunder, think of Alan Myers. I will.
Love,
Dee
ace cactus
July 24, 2013
Wow, the best drummer in my best band, a band I love. To the ones he loved my sympathy.
July 23, 2013
I listen to Devo almost daily with my children, 5 & 6 years old. Rest In Peace with our love.
Maxwell M.
July 17, 2013
RIP Alan, you were unquestionably the greatest drummer who has walked this Earth.
Kris Drake
July 16, 2013
Alan provided the beat to my entire youth and into adulthood. The work he left us is STILL amazing to this day, which true DEVO fans will never forget.
E Marlowe
July 14, 2013
I met Alan in 1982, after a Devo concert. I was nobody to him, but he gave me time and attention as if I were the most important person in the world.
Vahe
July 12, 2013
Thank you for being a friend. I'm always going to remember the fun times we shared on and off stage. I miss you and love you so much.
July 11, 2013
Dear Alan,Will Miss You Forever.........
Robin Lewis
July 10, 2013
Remember you and the band at Knebworth, England 1978?. Great gig. Thanks Alan. Safe journey.
suttle t diant
July 8, 2013
can't whip it without you...aloha dear friend...suttle t diant
Craig Schickler
July 8, 2013
You helped change my life! God Bless your soul.
Jonathan Nash
July 8, 2013
Alan you are a super genius. You got Golden Energy. Everytime I hit a drum I hit it for you. Beyond sad x
Thiago Dias
July 7, 2013
May your soul find eternal peace now. R.I.P!
Airship, Calif.
Steven Hanawalt
July 4, 2013
R.I.P. ALAN MYERS, I remember you in the "whip-it" video.
Joe Provo
July 4, 2013
Sadly I never got the chance to meet you; your music seeped into my being. I'll see you on the Pleasure Saucers.
Bronwyn
July 3, 2013
RIP Alan. You changed my life!
Mike H
July 3, 2013
Awesome Drummer travel safe Alan Myers
July 3, 2013
Rogerio Casacurta
July 3, 2013
I am very saddened by the news ... And also concerned with God: Alan will make a lot of noise up there!!
Tino Paratore
July 3, 2013
Thank you. R.I.P.
Jim Sapita
July 3, 2013
Growing up you and your band mates made time never ending with your rock beats,my condolences to your family and the band,rest in peace
Michael Ferguson
July 3, 2013
RIP Alan. You were the best drummer (& electrician) I ever knew.
The way you combed your hair, makes me want to say.....
Robert Schaad
July 3, 2013
I feel very fortunate to have seen Alan play drums w/ DEVO live many times in and around NYC. Always in my top 5 drummers of all time. Bless you on the great spud journey, Alan...RIP.
Fabio Fioretti Fernandes
July 2, 2013
The image of you that always comes to my mind is your performance in The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise. Rest in peace, Alan.
Alan Smith
July 2, 2013
Such a sad loss brilliant drummer in the worlds best band rest in peace
July 2, 2013
Independent and influential. As long as there's music, there's Myers.
robert petrie jr
July 2, 2013
me and my buddy are big devo fans we got hooked in the late 70s god bless you alan for all the good times.
Mary Page
July 2, 2013
Alan may you play on as an Angel. You were n still the Best.
July 2, 2013
When the problem came along - he couldn't whip it! Rest in peace, Alan. Devo forever...see you on the other side!
Terry McClinton
July 2, 2013
58 is far to young. Thanks for the memories!!
July 2, 2013
Alan Myers family family,
Losing a love one can be very hard but with careful help we can make it through the long days. Use those memories to warm our hearts on those long cold nights. Pray for comfort and peace.
DB NJ
Diane Koskela
July 2, 2013
Rest in peace, dear Alan. Your beats are forever in my heart. My sincere condolences to Alan's family and friends.
Chef Mitch Curran
July 1, 2013
Of the many great tunes Devo is famous for - WHIP IT is still my REV UP and smile maker. Prayer and light to Alan's family, friends, and band mates.
Mr. Mutatohead
July 1, 2013
I was fortunate enough to see Alan play live on four seperate ocaissions , no machine could EVER do what he did!
I hope you're treated to the sweet life in that Big Ol' Tater Bin in the sky. ( And that no one ever utters the words, "What A Dumb Game!" )
R.I.P. SPUD!
Marja
July 1, 2013
I distinctly remember the summer of 1980 when WHIP IT was released...brings back so many great memories...."THANKS" for the music. My condolences to your family and friends.
Matt Jones
July 1, 2013
It's only when you lose something do you realize it's true value. Alan's work as a musician will always be valuable to me. Thanks, Alan.
Dylan Leatham
July 1, 2013
We are all lesser for this passing. Lots of love and lots of peace to you. Thank you so much for the beats.
A.D. Morgan
July 1, 2013
My thougts and prayers goes out to his family and close friends.. May he never be forgotten. R.I. P. A true drummer.
July 1, 2013
RIP Alan... you kept time better than the atomic clock! My condolences to Alan's Family, as well as his musical family.
-Brian "The Central Scrutinizer" Bennetts
Thank You Alan, for all the music you gave us, rest in peace & may love & light embrace you always
Andy Clark Cornwall, United Kingdom
July 1, 2013
David Hunter
July 1, 2013
A truly phenomenal drummer. With his unorthodox and unremitting drumbeats, he made the coolest band that much more cooler. The news of his passing has saddened me. A true musical inspiration. God bless you.
Eric Lucero
July 1, 2013
Thanks for the music..you'll be missed
Frank (HimDevo) Solano
June 30, 2013
Thank you for for catching my attention with your precise beats, at 9 years old I was stuck on your sound, kmown to me as one of the best drummers ever. My love and respect, you will me missed. Frank Solano - HimDevo
June 30, 2013
my favourite musician. A phenomenal musical talent who gave of this really cool vibe. I am deeply saddened by this, but I rejoice in the joy that Alan continues to bring to my life. -boogiemite
Shmare Parks
June 30, 2013
Alan, sometimes I would sit behind the kit with your Devo stuff in my headphones and play a game where I tried to copy even just a quarter of what you were doing. I couldn't come close, of course. You were the human metronome. A "pattern monkey," I used to call you when describing your drumming enthusiastically to others. I always dreamed of meeting you, and always planned to write you a fan letter, and always hoped you would reunite with Devo and delight us all. Your untimely demise was a shock to so many of us, and the world is a little less creative, a little less compassionate, and a little less beautiful with your passing. I never met you, but I admired you deeply, and not only for your drumming. Everyone spoke of you as highly spiritual, humble, calm, peaceloving, positive, and incredibly creative. I am sorry your light has gone out early, and sorry I never got to meet you, but I am so grateful you existed. Rest in peace.
Francesco Vari
June 30, 2013
Alan, thank you for all the wonderful sonic vibrations that have rang in my ears for the last 35 years. Biology is destiny!
June 30, 2013
Alan, your were a good man your are in our prayers. Jim Mothersbaugh
Lance Jones
June 30, 2013
Rarely have I heard a drummer make his mark on a band's music the way Alan made his mark on Dev-o. He will be sorely missed.
June 30, 2013
May you rest in peace my friend.
richardo gomez
June 30, 2013
May the kingof peace grant the famlly serenity and everlasting happiness
Lee family
June 30, 2013
I am so sorry for your great loss. What a talented man. May the God who is 'binding up the broken hearted and comforting those mourning' sustain you during this most difficult time. (Isa.61:1,2) Again, my deepest sympathies.
June 30, 2013
this is extremely bad we all pass on but it should be much later than sooner!!!
Guy Heath
June 30, 2013
RIP my man!
Peter Farinelli
June 30, 2013
I am sad for Alan,his family and fellow fans. I didn't know him personally but felt connected to him through his music. I am comforted by the following words.
Say not in grief that he is no more - but live in thankfulness that he was.
Hebrew Proverb
Maggie Rivera
June 30, 2013
Rest in Peace, Mr. Alan Myers...
June 30, 2013
Thanks Alan. You were that best drummer ever.
June 30, 2013
May the God of Peace be there for this grieving family. May Alan rest in peace.
Blair Loader
June 30, 2013
We never met but you were with me in my youth. You were in my car when I drove with the music up loud. You inspired my Father's dad-dancing and my Mother to sing 'We are Devo'. We were never together but you are in my heart. Thankyou Alan. You shaped me.
Cheryl Blackmon
June 30, 2013
Resting in the arms of Jesus
June 30, 2013
My condolances to the family, may Gods word at Ecclesiates 9:5 prove to be a source of comfort.
Christian Haerle, from Los Angeles, now in London
Christian Haerle
June 29, 2013
Devo is one of my favourite bands of all time. Alan Myers is one of the best drummers of all time. I don't play drums, but a friend who does said to me that 5/8th's time is the most difficult for drummers to play and that "Blockhead" is a challenge to many drummers. I loved Devo when I first heard them and still do. It's so sad we lose him now since I understand that Devo is touring this year, but maybe his cancer was such that he would have been unable to tour this time. I don't know the answer to that, it's sad to lose him at all, but it would have been nice to see him and Devo one last time even if he knew his days were limited. Goodbye Alan Myers, and thank so very much for all the great songs. "Smart Patrol", "Gates of Steel", "It's a Beautiful World", and "That's Good" are songs that I love today as much (or even more in a couple of cases!) than when I first heard them and I play them all several dozen times per year.
fred ward
June 29, 2013
Alan Myers is DEF-INFINITELY a music hero.
Margo
June 29, 2013
rest in peace. my mom born in 1903 thought Devo was an innovative band.
Rich Dix
June 29, 2013
Alan has continued his journey. I knew him in life as a real person, not a rock star. There were no ivory towers in punk rock, everyone one was street level. I miss that.
June 29, 2013
My deepest sympathies to the family, to DEVO, and may God grant comfort to you all during this time.
Flanigan Mike
June 29, 2013
I had the privilege of seeing Alan play with Devo on the Freedom of Choice and New Traditionalist Tours and he was absolutely stunning. I had always hoped for his return to the band. I am sure he would be surprised at how many people value his contributions to one of the most innovative bands of our time. Peace be with you Alan, you made this world a better place.
June 29, 2013
Love and light!
Alexandra Leh
June 29, 2013
we met post-devo, in a setting that might seem unlikely to those who only knew you as a drummer extraordinaire. there, you kept time on another instrument for a different purpose, and your presence was always steady, grounding, comforting. one evening, over several hours, we sat at a table in a coffee shop with two dear friends, and dissected life in a fearlessly revealing conversation about relationships and music and what lies beyond. i think of you as having landed in that space we envisioned, painted for us by saints and welcomed by the one to whom we were -- are -- so devoted. with love to your family, and a deep pronam to you.
Paul Gibbons
June 29, 2013
Alan was an essential part of my favorite band growing up. I will never forget the first time I saw "Whip It". I instantly became a lifelong fan.
Carlos Marín Fdez.
June 29, 2013
Your beat will always be beating in our DEVO hearts.
R.I.P. ALAN MYERS
June 29, 2013
IM SORRY FOR YOUR LOST. MAY YOUR FAMILY RELY ON GOD IN THIS TIME OF GRIEF.
Jaime Cervantes
June 29, 2013
We never forget you. So whip it
June 29, 2013
To the family of ALAN MYERS I send my heartfelt condolences for there lost. His contribution to music will live forever. During this time of mourning I hope you can draw comfort from the GOD of comfort. ISAIAH 61,1,2.
sincerely.
Ms Carruth
Derek Lowe
June 29, 2013
Alan was the most underrated drummer in the music scene,hearing his drumming on Whip It and Clockout to mention just a few of the Devo songs he played on proved how good he was.
I would like to send my condolences to Alan's family and friends and hope they'll be comforted by the many tributes Alan will receive.Rest In Peace Alan,gone but never to be forgotten.
Marc Padilla
June 29, 2013
So sorry to hear, He added so much to my life without even meeting me. The man was a machine, keeping the beat. I will always love air drumming to your tunes, Rest in peace.
Rob&Barbara D
June 29, 2013
Thank you for the music! Rest in Peace
Sue Hershberger
June 29, 2013
I was fortunate to be a friendly acquaintance of Alan's in high school. I always admired his keen sense of humor and vast knowledge of music. Thanks so much, Alan, for making me feel smarter the day I walked into the record store in 1970 to (shamefacedly) buy a Tammy Wynette lp. You applauded my choice and admired my range in music appreciation. I left with my head held high and never felt stupid about what I liked in music again. The world will be a poorer place without you. Peace to you, and to your family and friends.
Bobbie Watson
June 29, 2013
Sorry I did not know Alan as a man and father. He was a humble talent that kept things going.
Samuel Garvin
June 29, 2013
We love your work. May it be remembered into the next century as well. Take heart, colleagues and family who are left to cope with this tragedy, and know your lives were touched by a very special talent.
Joanne
June 29, 2013
sad day in music history...prayers to all your family, friends, and fans... Rest in peace....
Terri & Mike Patillo
June 29, 2013
We will never forget you!
Stars within 50 light years of Earth
C J
June 29, 2013
A Sad Goodbye, Beautiful Mutant. You may be gone, but your music will continue to radiate into our galaxy-- now about 37 light years out.
Oscar Rincones
June 29, 2013
Thanks for living a life well lived and sharing your music, genius and insight with us on this trip...see you on the other side or back here
Light Hurtgen
June 29, 2013
You had me jerkin' back and forth!
Timothy Allen
June 29, 2013
Alan touched my life. His legacy will live forever.
June 29, 2013
La primera vez que escuche a Alan Myers,yo tenia 11 años y quede imprecionado, ahora tengo 45 y sigo imprecionandome cada vez que lo escucho tocar...r.i.p.
Michael Thomson
June 29, 2013
?????? Now quarter note R.I.P. Alan. Thanks for the inspiration.
You will be remembered.
Michael Thomson
June 29, 2013
?? quarter note note R.I.P. Thank you for the inspiration. You will be remembered.
David Prichard
June 29, 2013
an great loss tho the world of music, you shall be missed
Cheryl
June 29, 2013
Sorry for your lost. May the family find comfort in God's word the Bible and the cherished memories of Alan. 2 Timothy 3:16
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