Howie Pyro (born Howard Kusten, June 28, 1960 – May 4, 2022) was an American bass player. He was a founding member of The Blessed, Freaks,

D Generation D Generation (also known as DGen) are an American glam punk band formed in 1991 in New York City. They released three albums and several EPs, to much critical acclaim, before breaking up in 1999. In 2011 the band reunited for a series of show ...

, and PCP Highway. Pyro was also the bass player in Danzig from 2000–2003.

Biography

Pyro was a DJ at Green Door parties. He was the host of ''Intoxica Radio with Howie Pyro'', an

internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

show where he played "50s and 60s rock and roll, psycho surf, garage, rockabilly, hillbilly horrors, voodoo r & b, insane instrumentals, religious nuts, and teenage hell music." Pyro was also friends with

Sid Vicious John Simon Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in 1979 at age 21, he remains an icon of the ...

and was one of the last people to see the former

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

bassist alive; Pyro was there the night he died from a

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and bro ...

overdose. In December 2021, it was announced that Pyro was fighting for his life and in recovery following a

liver transplant Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a diseased liver with the healthy liver from another person (allograft). Liver transplantation is a treatment option for end-stage liver disease and acute liver failure, al ...

. His longtime friend and D Generation bandmate

Jesse Malin Jesse Malin (born January 26, 1967) is an American rock musician, guitarist, and songwriter. Starting his performing career in the New York hardcore band Heart Attack, and rising to prominence as vocalist of D Generation, a solo recording arti ...

announced a benefit concert for Pyro in January 2022, with all funds raised going to Pyro's medical and living expense for the next year as he recovered. Various other benefit shows were held for Pyro as well. He died on May 4, 2022, from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

-related pneumonia after suffering from liver disease.

Discography

With The Blessed

* "Deep Frenzy" / "American Bandstand" (1979)

With Freaks

* ''Pippi Skelter: A Rock Opera in Five Movements'' (1988) * ''Potter's Field'' - EP - (1988) * ''In Sensurround'' (1989) *"Freakout Song" - Single - (1990)

With
Action Swingers Action Swingers were an indie rock/ garage punk band formed in the late 1980s in New York City, fronted by singer/guitarist Ned Hayden, who was the only constant member. During its history the band featured members of several other bands, both as f ...

* ''More Fast Numbers'' (1992)

With D Generation

*"No Way Out" - Single - (1993) **Re-released in 1994 and 1996. *"Wasted Years" - Single - (1993) *"No God" / "Degenerated" - Single - (1994) *''

'' - (1994) *'' No Lunch'' - (1996) *"She Stands There" - Single - (1996) *"Capital Offender" - Single - (1997) *"Prohibition" - EP - (1998) *"Helpless" - Single - (1998) **Re-released in 1999. *'' Through The Darkness'' - (1999) *''Nothing Is Anywhere'' - (2016)

With
Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

*''Christmas Spirit... In My House'' (2002)

With
Genesis P. Orridge Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (born Neil Andrew Megson; 22 February 1950 – 14 March 2020) was a singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, visual artist, and occultist who rose to notoriety as the founder of the COUM Transmissions arti ...
/
Splinter Test Splinter Test was used as a group name for Larry Thrasher and Genesis P-Orridge. The name was first used for a box set of reissues of the more experimental material by Psychic TV, and then it was used to issue the spoken word projects of Psych ...

*''Electric Newspaper: Issue Four'' (1997)

With Danzig

*'' Live on the Black Hand Side'' - (2001) *''

I Luciferi ''Danzig 777: I Luciferi'' () is the seventh album from Danzig. It was released in 2002 on Glenn Danzig's Evilive label and distributed by Spitfire Records. Danzig stated that this album was the last in a series of seven numbered albums, each w ...

'' - (2002)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pyro, Howie 1964 births 2022 deaths Danzig (band) members American people of Jewish descent American people of Puerto Rican descent Musicians from New York (state) People from Queens, New York Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in California