Jesse Malin (born January 26, 1967) is an American rock musician, guitarist, and songwriter. He began his performing career in the New York hardcore band Heart Attack, and rose to prominence as vocalist of D Generation. Since 2015[update], he is a solo recording artist, having recorded numerous albums including the Lucinda Williams-produced Sunset Kids. Over the course of his career, Malin has collaborated with Bruce Springsteen, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Ryan Adams and numerous other musicians.[1]
Biography
Early career
Born January 26, 1967, Malin began his music career, at the age of 12, as the front-man for the seminal New York City hardcore band Heart Attack. The band auditioned at CBGBs but were denied because they couldn't bring in a drinking crowd to the bar. Following the demise of Heart Attack in 1984, Malin worked on several other projects, including the band Hope, before joining the band D Generation for which he was the lead singer. As one of New York City's most noted bands of the 1990s[citation needed], D Generation released three albums, including the critically acclaimed[citation needed]No Lunch, before eventually disbanding in April 1999.[2] The band reunited and released its fourth album, Nothing Is Anywhere, in 2016.
Malin didn't stop writing music and went on to form two other projects, PCP Highway (with former D Generation bandmates Howie Pyro and Joe Rizzo) and Bellvue (also named Tsing-Tsing for a brief time); the latter band released one album, To Be Somebody, on Goldenseal Records. The album included versions of songs that would later be reworked for Malin's first two solo albums, including "Solitaire", "Basement Home", "Brooklyn" and "Downliner".[3]
Solo career
Malin spent the next two years working on a fresh sound. Former Whiskeytown front-man Ryan Adams, who'd been a friend of Malin since the D Generation days, was impressed with Malin's new material[citation needed]. Adams offered to produce Malin's debut album despite the fact that he'd never produced a record before. The two headed into Loho Studios in New York in January 2001 and made an album in just six days. A deal with Artemis Records soon followed. The Fine Art of Self Destruction appeared in the United Kingdom in October 2002. The lead off first single, "Queen of the Underworld" was a moderate hit[citation needed] and the British press quickly hailed Malin's debut as one of the year's best.[citation needed]
Stateside fans were eventually able to purchase the album The Fine Art of Self Destruction in January 2003. Tour dates followed, both in America and the United Kingdom. Malin contributed to two cover albums, first he covered "Hungry Heart" for Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen, and then he recorded a cover of The Clash's "Death Or Glory" on the tribute White Riot Vol. 2: A Tribute to The Clash. He also picked up a nomination for the Shortlist Music Prize.
By November 2003 he was back in the studio recording tracks for his second album, The Heat, which was released in June 2004, accompanied by a string of tour dates on both sides of the Atlantic.
Malin has also collaborated with Ryan Adams & Johnny T to form the band The Finger (the pair adopted the pseudonyms "Irving Plaza" and "Warren Peace" respectively) who released two EPs which were later collected into the album We Are Fuck You.
Malin released a 'live in the studio' album, Love It To Life in November 2007 on the One Little Indian label for sale in the UK. Recorded live at Gigantic Recording Studios in New York City, it featured songs from his previous albums. He used the title again in 2010 for an album of new material.[4]
In 2010, Malin formed a band called Jesse Malin and the St. Mark's Social and released a new album called Love It To Life; the title comes from a quote by Joe Strummer. (The title was previously used on a 2007 UK release of live material on the One Little Indian label.) Featuring a more rockier approach, the album's first single was "Burning The Bowery" and next single was "All The Way From Moscow."
Malin was also a judge for the 9th annual Independent Music Awards.[5][6][7]
In December 2010, Malin, along members of Green Day, formed the band Rodeo Queens. They released one song, along with a video, called "Depression Times".
Malin has also done some film work and he had a role in Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out The Dead (1999).[8] He did the music supervision on the documentary Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB[9] and he was associate producer with Bad Brains from DC.[8] In addition he hosted the show "New York Nights" on Sirius XM's Spectrum with John Varvatos from 2011 to 2014.[10] Malin released New York Before The War in March 2015 through One Little Indian / Velvet Elk Records.
Since 2019, Malin has been a DJ on Litte Steven's Underground Garage. Malin released his eighth studio album Sunset Kids in August 2019. The album was produced by Lucinda Williams and Tom Overby, and features performances by Lucinda Williams, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Joseph Arthur.[11] On April 10, 2020, Malin released the single, "Backstabbers", which was recorded during the sessions for Sunset Kids and appeared on his 2021 double album, Sad and Beautiful World.
Personal life
On June 14, 2023, Malin announced that he suffered a rare spinal stroke on May 4, 2023 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Malin and friends were commemorating the one year anniversary of the passing of his D Generation bandmate Howie Pyro when he felt a burning pain in his lumbar region that slowly migrated down his hips, through his thighs, and into his heels. Malin then collapsed onto the floor of a restaurant and has been unable to walk ever since. Malin was carried by Murphy's Law singer Jimmy G from the restaurant into the hallway of a nearby apartment where an ambulance was called to take him to Mount Sinai Hospital.[12] Malin said the doctors do not understand his condition and are not sure of his chances of walking again. Malin said "The reports from the doctors have been tough, and there's moments in the day where you want to cry, and where you're scared. But I keep saying to myself that I can make this happen. I can recover my body." Malin has undergone various spinal procedures and his days consist of three rounds of physical therapy and rehabilitation with a short-term goal of teaching him to move his body without the use of his legs. Due to extensive medical bills, his manager and various friends have set up a donation campaign to help him pay for his medical expenses.[13]
On December 11, 2023, Malin gave an update to Rolling Stone on his health saying that "I have a lot of anxiety and insomnia. Your mind goes into some dark places. But I just have to keep a positive outlook and believe." Malin said that he has been undergoing a strict daily rehabilitation routine that combines hours of intense physical therapy with stem-cell treatments at a clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Malin made the grueling 12-hour flight from New York to South America after being admitted to a facility that offers what he calls an "alternative road" to recovery. Malin said he wanted to preserve his privacy, disappear from public life, and focus solely on his recovery saying "But everyone's been so great and supportive that I felt it was time to let people know what's up" and cited the donations made to his recovery fund and the proceeds from special merch drops that are helping to pay for his medical and living expenses. "I am getting some strength back in my legs, but it moves a lot slower than I would like. I don’t want to portray it like I'm ready to do the James Brown splits onstage. I definitely have a long way to go, but I'm blessed and so grateful for the amazing fans and friends that I have", Malin said.[14]
^"John Varvatos to Host 'New York Nights…Direct from the Bowery' on Sirius XM". Hollywood.GreekReporter.com. July 31, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2015. ... , with his co-host, acclaimed New York musician Jesse Malin. ... Listeners will also hear Jesse share stories about his memorable experiences as a musician (D Generation and solo).
