R.I.P. cultural historian Howie Pyro, 1960-2022

Sadly, musician, collector, historian and DJ Howie Pyro (aka Howard Kusten) has passed away. He'll be greatly missed.

Howie Pyro remembered by Norton's Miriam Linna...

Howie Pyro's mischievous smile and excitable ways are forever present in our mind's eye whenever a stomper, a stormer, a Giggler blasts us into reverie from our respective record players. HP was many thing to many people – movie freak, punk rocker, toy aficionado, world traveler, comedian, disc jockey, record collector, bon vivant, life of the party, but the most important thing that Howie was, to all of us, and everyone he met, if only for a few minutes- he was a friend. 

I met him 46 years ago as he was pedaling down the Bowery to CBGB's on his Schwinn Stingray, complete with monkey bars and a banana seat. Of course he was straight off the little Mister Punk Rock runway with his natural chiseled features and big eyes, his hair all spiked up, and just enough of a teenage complexion to tell you he was definitely carrying a fake ID. At the time, I'd been in New York for a few months, had found myself in a band, and was doing my best that night to separate the wheat from the chaff with the wiggy downtown population, taking a breather on the aromatic sidewalk. Howie steered his bicycle over toward me and with that beaming teenage smile, started up an excitable chat that probably started with "You guys are GREAT!", an expression that I've seen him use on countless individuals. I quickly learned that Howie really, truly, loved just about EVERYTHING. Well, maybe he just went overboard about the things he loved so much, that there was little room for him to grouse about what he didn't like so much. 

Fast forward – although he was involved with just about every chapter of my life, with every heartache, and happiness - to the little story behind this snapshot, taken at Luxuria Radio's studio in Los Angeles in early 2019, when Marc Miller and I had started with our show, Crashing The Party. It was Howie who had brought us to the station, with our idea of bringing doo wop to the airwaves without dragging the cliches of the era into the mix. Howie totally got it, and did his best to push the show in LA, alongside his own long running, maniacal extravaganza, Intoxica. 

In honor of Howie, we switched out today's Crashing show with a re-cast of the 2019 show with Howie .. um.. Crashing The Party. Please enjoy it, warts and all, as one of countless memories that are cast in stone - proof that this giant of an ex-teenager once roamed this cold gray planet. As Marc wrote last night on the Bomp List, "It is with great sadness that I let you know that our friend Howie Pyro has left this life and has gone to the great rock & roll monster movie beyond. He is pining for the fjords. There will be more details in the days to come.  

For now, let us wish him safe travels." Indeed. Much love, Howie, and God Speed. Blast this link loudly! https://www.crashingtheparty.co/crashing-howie

Watch three episodes of Howie Pyro's Sick Sick World and hear one of Howie's classic Halloween mixes below. Check out a Howie Pyro chat with Legs McNeil right here.