Following the demise of the critically and commercially successful Jane’s Addiction project, frontman Perry Farrell and drummer Stephen Perkins formed Porno for Pyros after acquiring guitarist Peter DiStefano and bass player Martyn LeNoble. Farrell named the band after viewing an ad for fireworks in a pornographic magazine. The name has also been connected through song lyrics to the LA riots which occurred in the band’s hometown around the time of Porno for Pyros inception. Prior to releasing their eponymous first album, Porno for Pyros embarked on a nationwide tour to support the new band. By the time the band’s debut album (Porno for Pyros) was released in 1993, anticipation surrounding the project was enough to briefly drive the album to the #3 position on the Billboard top 200 list. Reaction to the album was mixed, with some fans ecstatic and others disappointed. The video for the album’s first single, “Pets,” received heavy airplay on MTV. Following the album’s release, Porno for Pyros continued a heavy touring schedule, including an appearance at Woodstock ‘94. Unlike the relatively straight-ahead rock shows that were the hallmark of live Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros live shows relied heavily on props, extras and special-effects (including, but not limited to, pyrotechnics). For the band’s follow-up album, Good God’s Urge, bass player LeNoble quit after completing the majority of the bass tracks. Ex-Minutemen bassist Mike Watt was brought in to finish up the album tracks and join the band on tour. The album also featured the post-Jane’s Addiction reunion of Farrell with guitarist Dave Navarro, who made a guest appearance on “Freeway,” along with Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bass player Flea. The band again set forth on a heavy touring schedule. On several tour stops Porno for Pyros played “Mountain Song,” a popular Jane’s Addiction tune, and was a foreshadowing of the later Jane’s Addiction reunion efforts. Further touring by the band was scuttled when DiStefano was diagnosed with cancer in 1997. Perkins and Watt subsequently formed the punk jazz improvisation group Banyan and, along with DiStefano, occasionally perform sets of The Stooges cover versions in the Los Angeles area under the band name Hellride. The Jane’s Addiction/Porno for Pyros book Whores (by Brendan Mullen) states that a third Porno for Pyros album was penned but never recorded. In April 2009, the original lineup of Farrell, Perkins, DiStefano, and LeNoble performed at Farrell’s 50th birthday party. |
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