Howie Pyro – guitarist, DJ and veteran of New York’s underground punk scenes – died Tuesday of complications from Covid-19-related pneumonia after a long battle with liver disease. His death was confirmed by a delegate. He was 61 years old.
Rest in Peace Howie Pyro Keep playing and spin this vinyl in Heaven’s old friend. pic.twitter.com/wTuV8DuNV0
– Matt Penfield (@mattpinfield) May 5 2022
Born in Queens, New York, Howard Costin is best known as one of the founding members of the band D Generation with singer and guitarist Jesse Malin, but has been a widely recognized figure in the city for more than two decades. Jamming with other musicians, DJs or throwing legendary regulars like Greendoor and several nights out at the East Village Coney Island High Club, which was basically a band club.
Adopting the name “Pyro” at age 15 and picking up guitar at the same time, he became the de facto leader of The Blessed Band, a 1977-era band where all of its members were underage when they set foot on stage from Max’s Kansas City and CBGB.
In 1979, while The Blessed released a single on “Deep Frenzy,” Pyro gained notoriety through his friendship with Sid Vicious, and was reportedly one of the last people to see the Sex Pistols bassist alive before a later overdose. from that year.
By the mid-1980s, Pyro created the pre-grunge band Freaks (with Andrea Matthews, and eventually Mrs. Pyro, and Malin as the band’s stage director) and released two albums, “Pippi Skelter: A Rock Opera in Five Movements” in Sensurround. But in 1991, 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 few albums with the group (1994 “D Generation”, 1996 “No Lunch” and 1999 “Through the Darkness”) before separating and reuniting in 2016. For “Nothing Is Anywhere” album and tour. In the intervening years, Pyro moved to Los Angeles, joining Danzig’s 2001 “Live on the Black Hand Side” and 2002’s “I Luciferi,” and played Joey Ramone on 2002’s “Christmas Spirit… In My House” and Genesis P. Orridge on the 1997 “Electric Journal: Fourth Issue”. He also hosted his own show Intoxica! radio programme.
Howie Pyro is survived by his sister Robin Hartmann, Rory and Leah Hartmann and ex-wife Andrea Kusten Matthews. Instead of flowers, his family is asking that people consider a donation to the UCLA department for liver and pancreas transplants.
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