Biography:

John Anton Fier III (June 20, 1956 – September 14, 2022) was an American drummer, producer, composer, and bandleader. He led The Golden Palominos, an experimental rock group active from the 1980s to 2010.

Family

Fier, known as Tony, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruthe Marie Fier and Anton J. Fier Jr., a former Marine and electrician.^[1] His parents separated when he was young and he lived with his stepfather, a polka musician.^[1]

Early career

Fier worked in a record store, began drumming, and contributed to recordings by The Styrenes and Pere Ubu.^[1] The 1978 Pere Ubu EP titled Datapanik in the Year Zero was dedicated to Fier.

He moved to New York City and got a job at SoHo Music Gallery where he had the chance to talk with musicians.^[1]

Answering an ad in the Village Voice,^[1] he became a member of The Feelies in 1978, playing drums on their critically acclaimed debut album Crazy Rhythms.^[2]

Mid-career

He was in The Lodge (with John Greaves) and played in the first line-up of The Lounge Lizards, appearing on their debut album.^[3][2] Fier then founded The Golden Palominos, which initially featured Arto Lindsay, John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Fred Frith but later became a loose collective of musicians Fier was working with at the moment.

In the mid 1980s, he was briefly a member of Richard Hell and the Voidoids.^[3] He was also a member of Swans, appearing on their 1991 album, White Light from the Mouth of Infinity.

Fier collaborated extensively with Bill Laswell,^[2] Arto Lindsay, and Rhys Chatham. He also toured and recorded with Bob Mould, Hüsker Dü guitarist, vocalist and songwriter.^[4] and played with bassist Jack Bruce and Japanese guitarist Kenji Suzuki on the 1987 album Inazuma Super Session – “Absolute Live!!”

Fier played and recorded on the John Zorn-led album Locus Solus in 1983. They recorded a live album for Zorn’s 50th birthday celebration: 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 3 of the 50th birthday series on Tzadik Records. In 1984, he played on Laurie Anderson‘s Mister Heartbreak.

Fier also contributed to records from the Electric Eels, Yoko Ono, Mick Jagger, Material, Herbie Hancock, Gil Scott-Heron, Peter Blegvad, Matthew Sweet, Stina Nordenstam, Lloyd Cole, Los Lobos, David Cunningham, Joe Henry, Afrika Bambaataa, and Jeff Buckley.

Fier also produced several albums, such as the 1988 album of Drivin’ n Cryin’ Whisper Tames the Lion,^[5] a 2009 album by guitar virtuoso Jim Campilongo titled Orange,^[6] and Lianne Smith’s Two Sides of a River, on which Fier also played drums.^[7]

Death

Syd Straw, a member of the Golden Palominos, posted on Facebook on 11 October 2019 that Fier was no longer playing drums.^[8]

Fier died on September 14, 2022, at the age of 66, in Switzerland, of assisted suicide.^{[9][10][11][12]} According to Exit International director Philip Nitschke, Fier was not suffering from terminal illness, but “wanted to die on his own terms after feeling he had accomplished everything he could in life.”^[13] Guitarist Nicky Skopelitis was the executor of Fier’s estate.^[12] Fier’s friends reported the musician had money troubles and injuries which hampered his drumming, and had discussed the possibility of ending his life for several years.^[12]

Credits: