Byzon Iz Pyzon
Byzon Iz Pyzon
About Dean: through the eyes of his daughter
He was born Dean Michael Mancuso on December 14, 1965. He's a total Sagittarius and is a vegan, hot sauce making dad. Currently, he works as an Audiologist at Columbia Presbyterian. He's married to Samiris Sostre for a little over 30 years. He has two brilliant and stunning daughters: Gabriela (his oldest) and Pinky (the one writing this...) He is also a pug dad to Nugget.
This bio section is not so biographical and is more of a reflection of who he is to me. I believe this will give you a better grasp of his character than some written timeline of his life anyways.
I think naturally my understanding of my father has evolved as I have gotten older. Of course there was a time before my memory can recall. A time when he was the man that answered my cries when I needed to be changed or when I was hungry as a baby. Reaching as far back into my memory now, my father is burned into every feeling of autumn I have. To me thats his season and no one elses. Pumpkin patches as a kid when hay would get stuck to my fleece jacket. Hot apple cider and marathon bread. Carving pumpkins and trick or treating are moments that are purely dad in nature. He always is a little bit more excited about apples and the farmers market at that time than most people...
Dean being a freako in his kitchen
...I think for a long time, I have seen him as someone that holds the rites of passages in my life. Every year he would watch Halloween for Halloween and I would leave after the jack-o-lantern in the opening credits appeared on screen. I was too young and too scared. But I would try year after year because I so badly wanted to sit with him. I dont even think I cared about the movie as much as I cared about sitting next to my dad and proving to him that I could hang. Eventually I sat and I watched it and it felt like I had entered a new era of my life.One where I was a little more fearless and embraced some of the darker things in life.
He in his nature has a way of doing that, embracing the darkness of life in a way that makes it feel less scary and actually kind of cool. Horror movies and heavy metal, eyeliner and hes never been known to shy away from the color black. Another rite of passage was getting to the age where I formed a taste in music and started grasping my personal style. I remember being about eight years old and I loved fish and I particularly like barracudas. At that time I was probably listening to whatever was popular on the radio because… I was eight. I remember him telling me that he had a song he wanted to show me and he played Heart. My mind was blown that music could sound like that, or be like that. From then on I had a period where the music I listened to and the way I dressed was all based off what I thought my dad would think was cool.This included my “Cyndi Lauper Era” where I was wearing a lot of tutus, animal print and arm warmers. Whether or not he thought that was cool I dont know but he was nice about it. Eventually this turned into wearing all black, band tees, flannels and combat boots. My dad of course introducing me to Doc Martens and blowing my mind yet again. Still I tried to meet a standard of what I thought my dad would think was cool. During this time I was about 12-14 so I dont think I ever told him that he was my standard of good music. I couldnt let him know that I thought he was cool even though I wanted to be like him. So I tried to pick up instruments. Piano and drums… I never really stuck to either but he was thrilled when I wanted to. He drove me to my lessons at woodside and I would be so anxious that I never wanted to show him any of the progress I made. At least I can keep a beat and know some chords now...
Mr. Wonderly (shaped Deans young mind)
When I went off to college I knew I wanted a piece of him with me. I liked telling people about my parents and about how my dad is some vegan rockstar dude. How his hair is longer than mine. How hes really talented. I got Byzon Iz Pyzon tattooed on me just so when people ask what it says (which they always do) I had an excuse to bring him up to people.
can you find young dean-o?
image tattoo is based off of
Now as I have built this website my idea of him has changed yet again. For the first time I am seeing my dad for who he was outside of the context of me. Who he was before I was born. I have cried so many times during this process seeing pictures of him Id never seen before and hearing stories I had never heard. Learning what kind of friend he was and what kind of brother he was before I came around.
Dean and Dawn
His sister, my aunt Dawn told me about their Garbage Can Band:
“ When Dean and I were little, we would dress up like Kiss, face makeup and all. We called ourselves the Garbage Can Band as we would play the drums on a large metal garbage can. We actually practiced. Our pychotic neighbor Mr. Coons would yell at us and we were terrified of him and we would run in the house.” Dawn...
..For so long my father was witness to me and my sisters performances where we would choreograph dances and sing. I had never considered that maybe we got it from him. Ten fold now I see so much of him in myself and I am even more proud of it.
Yearbook note to Dawn
Sometimes I forget that he is not just my father but a full human being with his own inner world. Seeing him in high school in almost every extracurricular that had to do with music knowing that his connection to it is so pure made me realize that he is also a brother, a son a friend and of course a musician. A real true musician who holds reverence for the practice and a love that stems from the heart.
A part of me always wants to ask him to start a band with me but I know I would be dead weight compared to this legend.
When I asked my aunt Dawn to talk about when my dad first started getting into music she said this:
“ I can't remember a time music wasn't a part of his life. He practiced guitar all the time. He wouldn't play sports with me ever, for fear of injuring his hands. He was involved in every way he could be with music in school and I never remember a time he wasn't”
.