Below please find Stacey Finney nee Gold’s tribute to Howard Saunders, which she wrote exclusively for this blog. 

Many thanks to Stacey for taking the time to write the piece and for being an active supporter of and participant in the L!F!P! project. You can find Stacey in her own interview, as a guest in the recent interview with Jesse Townley (aka Jesse Luscious), and in an earlier blog posting that appeared shortly after her interview was posted. 

I never met Howard. However, as Stacey writes, he was on a list of people I hoped to talk to for this project. While the list grows ever longer and I’m always relieved when I can cross someone off upon interviewing them, losing a name from the list due to attrition is terribly unfortunate. I am pleased to at least present Stacey’s tribute to the man.

Stacey Finney nee Gold:

“You may have known him as Howie, Fat Howard, BungaBooshEye, Cosmo, Cosmic Commander or just plain Howard Saunders (though he was never just plain). You may have even seen his band, Fat Howard’s Army. Whether you actually knew him or not, if you are reading these words and ever attended hardcore shows, he had an influence on you. Howard was one of the early DIY guys who set the stage for years to come in music promotion, offering a space and place to expose punks of all kinds to a myriad of sounds that would blow young minds forever.

LOUD! FAST! PHILLY!, the behemoth undertaking by Joseph A. Gervasi, showcases the many voices of people whom contributed to the almost forty-year history of the hardcore punk music scene. Howard was to be one of those voices showcased by L!F!P! In August, Howard suffered a horrific motorcycle accident that ended tragically after three weeks of fighting for his life. That interview was never to be. Howard took with him a library of historical music knowledge that will never be heard. He was an icon of the early ’80s scene and a tremendously larger than life, in your face character. He won the hearts of all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

BungaBooshEye Productions consisted of Howard, Steve Eye and Bruce Momich. The three amigos hosted shows with fervor at Love Hall, located at Broad and South Streets. Their reign of music terror lasted only a short time (1983 - 1985), as Love Hall ultimately burned down. However, the legacy of this monumental landmark lives on in remembrance, pictorial and video history.

Howard and his crew fully supported the local scene, hosting bands like: Sadistic Exploits, Informed Sources, Ruin, McRad, F.O.D., Initial Attack, and YDI, to name a few. Along with Steve and Bruce, Howard brought in outside acts such as: The Misfits, Husker Du, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, The Meat Puppets, Circle Jerks, and so many more. As Love Hall came to an end, Howard moved on to different life thrills. He became the wrestling manager known as the Cosmic Commander. He was the father to three beautiful children whom he adored. As Cosmo, he was known as the Tattoo artist who owned Cadillac Tattoo, which then became Rhumi. To Philly punks, he’ll always be known as Fat Howard of BungaBooshEye.

Howard brought a DIY attitude to the scene that paved the way for years to come. His work in the music scene put the little town of Philly on the map. While DC, NY, and Boston had a stranglehold on the east coast, Philly burst its way onto the scene legitimizing our town as a place for great music, finally getting the recognition it deserved. Through BungaBooshEye productions, a door was opened. A Pandora’s Box unleashed. The bands that flocked to play at Love Hall packed the house on any given weekend, exposing youth to amazing music they might never have had the opportunity to hear and see. For local bands, it was a way to showcase Philly talent and provide a forum to play out and be heard before branching out to other towns.

The opportunity to see shows and know Howard personally had a major impact on my youth and hundreds of other kids as well. He was a great friend. Brutally honest, full of brash opinions, and in the words of Iggy Pop, he had a “lust for life.” Whether you knew him or not, take a moment to appreciate where much of the Philly hardcore scene began and know that you can impact others with the DIY philosophy just as easily. Hosting shows in a basement, frat house, warehouse, or wherever you may find space isn’t so difficult an undertaking. Just look around. Forty years and somehow the hardcore punk scene continues to thrive.

Peace out, brother.

(Howard Saunders, January 13, 1962 - August 18, 2013)”

The photo is Howard Saunders as the Cosmic Commander. It's from the Antiseen website. Photographer unknown.