Interview with Howie Pyro

For my on Howie Pyro, please visit his myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/papaoooomowmow

ME: How did the Blessed start and were you a founding member?

HOWIE: I WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER...WE WERE ALL STREET KIDS ATTRACTED TO PUNK ROCK & FLOATING IN & OUT OF THE LOWER EAST SIDE...WE WERE 10 YEARS YOUNGER THAN ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE AT THAT TIME (JOHNNY THINDERS, RICHARD HELL, DEAD BOYS, ETC.) & WE FOUND EACH OTHER...MOSTLY AT BLEEKER BOB'S DESPERATELY SPENDING OUR ALLOWANCE OR BEGGING MONEY ON RECORDS)

ME: How old were you?

HOWIE: I WAS 16 WHEN WE ALL MET

ME: How old were you when you played your first show and where was it?

HOWIE: IT WAS XMAS 1977 AT MAX'S, I WAS 17.

ME: When did you first know you wanted to be in a band? Why Punk Rock?

HOWIE: I WANTED TO BE IN A BAND SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID STARING AT RECORDS ON THE LITTLE RECORD PLAYER MY OLDER SISTER HAD...THEN GOING CRAZY FOR ALICE COOPER, STOOGES, VELVETS, ETC & READING CREEM & ROCK SCENE (ESPECIALLY) MADE ME FAMILIAR WITH THE LOCAL GOINGS ON & WHEN I WOULD GO TO A CONCERT AT THE PALLADIUM ON 14TH STREET WITH FRIENDS WE WOULD WALK UP THE STREET & PEEK INTO MAX'S KANSAS CITY'S WINDOW & I WOULD DREAM OF THE DAY I WOULD BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT WINDOW...PUNK ROCK & MY ENTHUSIASM BROUGHT ME TO THE OTHER SIDE...THIS WAS BEFORE THE BLESSED A BIT...LATE '76 PROBABLY..

ME: How did you get into the Punk Rock scene and what was the first band that you saw?

HOWIE: I GOT INTO IT BY READING THE ABOVE MAGAZINES...AS IT WAS UNFOLDING...I THINK THE FIRST SHOW I SAW WAS BLONDIE & SUICIDE (AND I THINK THE CRAMPS WERE THE FIRST BAND ON...MAYBE THEIR SECOND SHOW?) THEN I SAW THE DAMNED & THE DEAD BOYS AT CBGB'S...I HAD SEEN THE DEAD BOYS SHORTLY BEFORE THAT WHEN THEY STILL HAD LONG HAIR...

ME: Who were your major influences in your music?

HOWIE: WHATEVER WAS HAPPENING RIGHT THEN...SEX PISTOLS, DAMNED, CRAMPS, HEARTBREAKERS, THE FAST, I WAS ALSO FRIENDS WITH LYDIA LUNCH & ALL THE NO WAVE PEOPLE & THAT HAD A GREAT EFFECT ON ME PERSONALLY. WE GOT GROUPED IN WITH THEM EARLY ON BECAUSE WE MADE SUCH AN INFERNAL RACKET! THE CRAMPS DID TOO!

ME: How did it feel the first time you were on the stage?

HOWIE: PURE ORGASM OBLIVION.

ME: How long did the Blessed last?

HOWIE: UNTIL THAT LAST GILDERSLEEVES SHOW, WHICH WAS A REUNION OF SORTS...SEE BILLY'S INTERVIEW...

ME: Why did the Blessed break up?

HOWIE: WE WERE INSANE, VERY YOUNG, & UNPREPARED...I GOT EXTREMELY INVOLVED IN HANGING OUT WITH JOHNNY THUNDERS & THAT CROWD & HEAVY DRUGS...WE WEREN'T OLD ENOUGH TO EVEN GO IN THE PLACES WE WERE PLAYING & SOME OF US (ME & NICK) WERE HOMELESS & LIVING A VERY HARD LIFE...

ME: Since you were so young, what did you think of the fact that you had fans?

HOWIE: I THINK WE WERE FANS FIRST & FOREMOST...THAT WAS VERY SURREAL...I DIDN'T TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY AS IT WAS A SMALL SCENE & FANS QUICKLY BECAME FRIENDS, YA KNOW?

ME: Where was your favorite show that you played at?

HOWIE: MAYBE THE PUBERTY BALL AT THE MUDD CLUB...THAT WAS INSANE...

ME: Who was the first really famous person that you met? Were you at all impressed that you were so young?

HOWIE: WELL...ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE CLUBS IN BANDS WERE FAMOUS TO ME...I HAD BEEN READING ABOUT THEN & LOOKING AT PICTURES OF THEM FOR A FEW YEARS ALREADY...NY DOLLS I GUESS (DAVID & SYL)...I MET THEM IN 1974 AT A BEATLES/ROCK & ROLL CONVENTION...

ME: What was it like for you in high school? Did the kids in your class know that you played in a band at night?

HOWIE: IT WAS HELL CUZ I LIVED IN QUEENS & THERE WASN'T EVEN A CONSCIOUS WORD LIKE PUNK ROCKER THERE YET SO PEOPLE WOULD THROW ROCKS SOMETIMES! IT WAS ROUGH...I WOUND UP IN A PROGRAM (BEFORE PUNK) WHERE YOU WORKED ONE WEEK & WENT TO SCHOOL ONE WEEK. THE HEAD OF THE PROGRAM AT MY SCHOOL WAS SUPER HIP & HUNG OUT WITH PATTI SMITH & WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER...THE IDEA WAS TO LEARN WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE...I HAD A JOB ON WALL STREET & WOULD GO TO THE EAST VILLAGE AFTER WORK...THIS WAS IN 1976,,,I JUST FOUND THE PLACES I WANTED TO BE...WHEN PUNK HAPPENED I WAS RIGHT THERE & THE STORE MANIC PANIC OPENED & I WAS WALKING DOWN THE STREET & BEFRIENDED THEM & WAS THEIR FIRST EMPLOYEE...I WENT TO MY FIRST SHOWS & WAS IN A PLACE I HAD ALWAYS DREAMED OF...I WAS ACCEPTED BY THESE PEOPLE I ADMIRED SO MUCH. I FINALLY GOT TO GO INTO MAX'S KANSAS CITY & THE FEELING WAS INSANE! I HAD NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED IN MY LIFE...IT WAS LIKE WALKING INTO HEAVEN. MY TEACHER KNEW I WAS THE ONLY STUDENT THAT HAD A CLUE OF WHAT I WANTED TO DO & I WAS DOING IT...ONCE I ENTERED THAT WORLD, THOUGH, I COULD NEVER GO BACK...I LEFT HOME FOR THE MOST PART & LEFT SCHOOL & BECAME A VERY HAPPY STREET RAT...THE FEW KIDS I SPOKE TO CAME DOWN TO HANG OUT...BRAD WAS FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD IN QUEENS...THAT'S HOW HE BECAME OUR DRUMMER...

ME: Do you stay in contact with any of the original members?

HOWIE: ON & OFF OVER THE YEARS THROUGH LOTSA DRAMA THAT IS GONE NOW THAT WERE ALL SLIGHTLY SANE.

ME: What are you most memorable experiences that you would want to share from the Blessed days?

HOWIE: JUST THE AMAZING KNOWLEDGE THAT RIGHT NOW HISTORY WAS BEING MADE & WE WERE ALL MAKING IT...IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL & BIZARRE TIME...THERE WERE TIMES LIKE THAT IN MANY DECADES PREVIOUS, BUT THAT WAS REALLY THE LAST DECADE OF PURE CHANGE...TEENAGE POWER...MUSIC TO DIE FOR, LITERALLY.


XOXO JLP
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