Porno For Pyros

Porno For Pyros Artistfacts

  • 1992-1998, 2020-2024
    Perry FarrellLead vocals
    Peter DiStefanoGuitar
    Stephen PerkinsDrums
    Martyn LeNobleBass1992-1995
    Mike WattBass1995-1998, 2020-2024
  • Perry Farrell and Stephen Perkins formed Porno For Pyros after their band Jane's Addiction split up in 1991. Jane's Addiction's guitarist was the highly acclaimed Dave Navarro, who later joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Pyros guitarist Peter DiStefano was largely unknown and didn't want to join the band at first, fearing comparisons to Navarro, but when they jammed together with a DJ and used jazz loops to build tracks, he realized they would have a distinct sound.

    "I didn't want to be the world's most hated musician," he told Songfacts. "Jane's Addiction was impeccable at that point. They were at the peak - they were like Los Angeles Led Zeppelin - so I was scared. But then when I saw we were doing something different, I was like, 'Yeah, let's do it.'"
  • A functionary with the band named Stuart Ross came up with the band name. Perry Farrell was looking at a fireworks catalog, and Ross said it was "like porno for pyros," the kind of thing pyromaniacs would get very excited about. Farrell decided that would make a great name for the band.
  • Porno For Pyros never played Lollapalooza even thought Perry Farrell founded it. They did play Woodstock '94, where they were on just before Bob Dylan.
  • In 1996, Perry Farrell had grand plans for a new festival to rival Lollapalooza called the ENIT Festival, its name taken from the festival in the 1970 book Cancer Planet Mission by Ludwig Pallmann. Farrell dissociated himself from Lollapalooza that year when it went more mainstream, with Metallica headlining. ENIT, with Porno For Pyros headlining, he envisioned as a return of the weird, an eco-friendly merging of rock and rave cultures. Love And Rockets were on board but bowed out when it became clear the festival was in disarray. The Orb, Sun Ra, and Lady Miss Kier of Deee-Lite ended up on the bill, but crowds were sparse and reviews were brutal. The festival ran just three dates before it was canceled.
  • In 2013, Martyn (pronounced "Mar-Teen") LeNoble married the actress Christina Applegate, who starred in the sitcoms Married... with Children, Jesse and Samantha Who?.
  • The band's demise is often attributed to Peter DiStefano's cancer diagnosis in 1996, but it was really his drug problems that torched the band. "I got cancer and then I went to eight drug rehabs," he explained to Songfacts. "I had a really hard time. So they got back on Jane's Addiction and I didn't die. I pulled it together and got sober from an out-of-body white light experience. I'm still following that that spiritual experience."
  • Porno For Pyros regrouped in 2020 to play Lolla2020, a virtual concert held during the thick of the pandemic. In 2023 they released a new single, "Agua," and planned a tour that didn't get underway until 2024. When they finally hit the road, they billed it as their reunion/farewell tour.

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