Where Did Porno for Pyros’ Name Come From?

How did Porno for Pyros get their band name? What does it mean? Do you know where it comes from?

Because Porno for Pyros is such a blaring, suggestive, eye-catching moniker that its origins must come from some rock 'n' roll netherworld where all killer band names originate. Right?

Or is the story behind the name simpler than that?

Either way, how did lead singer Perry Farrell dream up the band name that set apart Porno for Pyros, the Los Angeles alt-rock offshoot that he founded with fellow Jane's Addiction member Stephen Perkins in 1992? (Porno for Pyros formed after Jane's Addictions' first breakup in 1991.)

READ MORE: Porno for Pyros Share Intimate Backstage Rehearsal Video

Similar to many other stories surrounding notable band names, a couple of alternate and overlapping answers are floating around. With Porno for Pyros, however, they mostly point to a single origin.

Porno for Pyros Band Name Meaning

Around the release of Porno for Pyros' self-titled debut album in 1993, many mentions of the group tied their name to the Los Angeles riots that occurred the year prior after a jury acquitted four LA police officers charged with using excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King.

An EW article from May 1993 posits that Farrell "didn't name his new band Porno for Pyros for nothing" after the singer saw "his town igniting in flames after last year's Rodney King verdict seems to have left him literally hot and bothered."

Some early Porno for Pyros song lyrics directly drive home this connection. And undoubtedly, the magnitude of the riots impacted Farrell and Porno for Pyros. Still, the band name may not be a direct reference but more like a retrofitted analogy.

READ MORE: Porno for Pyros Working on Their First New Album Since 1996

Farrell likely got the name from a completely different source, yet he subsequently used the name as an artistic device to frame some of the shared emotional trauma that resulted from the riots.

"The group's name comes from a fireworks ad that Farrell spotted in a dirty magazine," Time reported the same month as the EW piece. "On the album, the phrase porno for pyros is also used as a lyrical description of last year's LA uprising."

That seems the most likely answer, and it's the one that often gets repeated when one is seeking out how Porno for Pyros got their band name.

Maybe Farrell saw the fireworks ad and immediately thought of the riots? Maybe he conjoined the two ideas at a later time? Only the musician himself knows for sure. Regardless, it seems he was intent on using shocking or contrasting imagery.

Now you know the story of Porno for Pyros' name.

And rock music fans can rejoice because now we can see the newly reunited Porno for Pyros when the band ends a long touring hiatus with a 30th anniversary U.S. tour in 2023.

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Porno for Pyros, "Pets"