KEEPING HOWIE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

Born Howard Kusten in Queens, New York, Pyro was best known as a founding member of the ‘90s glam-punk band D Generation with singer-guitarist Jesse Malin, but he was a widely recognized figure on the city’s scere for more than two decades, jamming with other musicians, DJing or throwing legendary regular parties such as Greendoor and many nights at the East Village club Coney Island High, which was basically the band’s clubhouse.

Adopting the name “Pyro” by the age of 15 and picking up the guitar at the same time, he became the de facto leader of the Blessed, a 1977-era band where all of its members were underage when they set foot on the stages of Max’s Kansas City and CBGB.

In 1979, while the Blessed released one single in “Deep Frenzy,” Pyro gained notoriety by befriending’ Sid Vicious, and reportedly was one of the last people to see the Sex Pistols bassist alive before his overdose later that year.

By the mid-1980s, Pyro created the pre-grunge punk band Freaks (with Andrea Matthews, eventually Mrs. Pyro, and Malin as the band’s stage manager) and released two albums, “Pippi Skelter: A Rock Opera in Five Movements” and “In Sensurround.” In 1991, however, Malin became an even greater force in Pyro’s life when the former showed the latter his songs. Pyro switched to bass and the group became D Generation.

Pyro co-wrote D Gen’s first single, “No Way Out,” and recorded a handful of several albums with the group (1994’s “D Generation,” 1996’s “No Lunch” and 1999’s “Through the Darkness”) before breaking up and reuniting in 2016 for the “Nothing Is Anywhere” album and a tour. In the intervening years, Pyro moved to Los Angeles, joined Danzig for 2001’s “Live on the Black Hand Side” and 2002’s “I Luciferi,” played with Joey Ramone on 2002’s “Christmas Spirit… In My House” and Genesis P. Orridge on 1997’s “Electric Newspaper: Issue Four.” He also hosted his own Intoxica! Radio show.Howie Pyro is survived by his sister Robin Hartmann, Rory and Leah Hartmann and former wife Andrea Kusten Matthews. His family ask that in lieu of flowers people consider donating to the UCLA Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation.

Related Posts

‘Not Hurting Him at All’: CNN Analyst Gives Terrible Shutdown News for Dems

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten delivered brutal news to Democrats on Monday, indicating that as the government shutdown extends into another week, recent polling indicates President…

Trump Pushes House To Pass Stablecoin Bill In Milestone For Crypto Industry

Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump are attempting to jam the House again. This time, it’s all about cryptocurrency. The looming conflict, like the megabill saga, is…

Judge Assigned to Handle Comey Case Said To Be ‘Unflappable’: Report

The federal judge assigned to oversee former FBI Director James Comey’s criminal case is preparing to preside over what is expected to be one of the most…

Obama’s Caught Vacationing With Top Celebrity As They Whine About Opression

The Obamas were very vocal after the Supreme Court ended Affirmative Action on college campuses but their hypocrisy was quickly discovered. “Affirmative action was never a complete…

Johnson Reveals What Dems Have Planned Amid Govt Shutdown

Democrats apparently have no urgency to reopen the federal government, as they are planning to take part in a rally a week from now. During an interview…

Crockett Shredded For Mocking Mentally Challenged In Anti-Trump Rant

Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett has been a lightning rod for her party, and Republicans are more than willing to let her be the face of the…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *