Pennywise

(b. Jason  Matthew Thirsk,  25 Dec. 1967; died 29 July 1996)

Jason  Matthew Thirsk, the former bassist and co-founder of the California punk band Pennywise died 7/29/96 of a gunshot wound/suicide.  Here’s something his brother wrote about the great bassist: Jason…was born on Christmas Day 1967.  He lived in Hermosa Beach his entire life…In his 8th grade year some of his older friends had him listen to some punk and Oi! records including bands like BLACK FLAG, BAD BRAINS, THE DAMNED, COCKNEY REJECTS …  He started his first band with three of his friends a few months later. They called themselves the JUVENILE DELINQUENTS, or JD’s. They were straight ahead three-chord sloppy punk rock with such songs as “Fuck You Teacher” and “Turtle Back Graw.” After the JD’s, Jason formed the SYNDICATE and then went on to form the really popular local band P.M.A…[who] played mostly punk covers, but Jason soon grew tired of playing other peoples songs. So he quit and in 1988 he teamed up with his friend Fletcher to start a band who was later to be named PENNYWISE. From the start of PENNYWISE Jason wanted to make it a positive band with positive, uplifting lyrics and more melodic music…From 1988 to 1996 Jason…used his music and writing as a form of therapy to help him get over his own problems and addictions…Through 1995 and 1996, his addictions were getting the best of him and eventually they took his life… –Justin Thirsk