At the age of nine, Steve got his first really big break in show business, headlining at Caesar's Palace with his Sabre-Tooth Walrus act, now legendary. Sid Caesar said of Steve, "What a geek." However, the commute to Las Vegas from Steve's hometown of Wilmette, Illinois, proved to be too much. At fifteen, Steve was learning how to play the guitar, and by age seventeen had gotten four of the strings on. In college, Steve formed a neo-punk bubble-fusion group called Imperial Trout Farm, which landed a record deal with a small but well-respected Cambodian label.

But 1995 found Steve floundering, unsure, and smelling pretty bad. His spirits were low, his health was failing, and his car was getting only four miles to the gallon. Steve heard the voices, and they were saying, "Get into comedy before you run out of gas money." In 1996 Steve moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he became a regular at Zanies. His bizarre humor kept the audiences begging for more liquor, which made the club owners grin. The road was calling, and Steve was ready to answer: "What? Are you talking to me?" he asked.

Road work paid. In 1997 Steve was ready to move on. He chose Los Angeles, having heard so many good things about the freeway system. Smoky nights at the Improv and feverish days contemplating homelessness started a fire in his creative soul. A quick dip in the pool took care of that. Irresistibly, Steve's dreams began to take shape. "Yup," he nods, "that's about right."