Close your eyes. Visualize a man on a stage, resting on a bar stool, a microphone in front of him, a cherry-red Alvarez Songwrite 5220 acoustic guitar propped in his lap. He strums his guitar skillfully, the chords introducing a soft ballad, a lullabye. He opens his mouth to sing, and a voice that is every choir teacher's dream flows out. At first listen, the lyrics are innocent and tender: "Hush, little girl, sweet baby, don't cry tonight. Daddy is here and he'll sing you a soft lullabye." Suddenly, the innocence is no more, and the lyrics make a sharp 180 degree turn, revealing the real reasons why Mommy left: "Daddy likes porno and ten dollar whores."



Who is this man, you ask? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Stephen Lynch.



Born in 1971, Stephen Lynch was raised in Saginaw, Michigan, where he resided before coming to New York via Los Angeles in 1996. In college, Stephen studied to become an actor but ended up becoming a comedian, using an acoustic guitar as an accompianment to his hilariously twisted ballads. His guitar playing dates only back to his college years, where he picked up the talent from his college mates. He and his friends began writing twisted songs, contesting to see who could come up with the most repulsive yet amusing material. Stephen apparently had a natural talent for doing so. It was only after a friend asked him to perform at a comedy night at a local theatre that Stephen's career was jump started. His first performance gained him some recognition, and eventually booked more and more gigs, which lead up to his career today.



Spots on popular radio shows such as the New York-based, now defunct drive-time Opie and Anthony show and the slightly less raunchy Bob and Tom show have helped gain Stephen a loyal following. Television appearances on Comedy Central and VH1 have also boosted his fame.



Since that first performance during college, Stephen has acquired a large following, and a definite die-hard fan base. He has been featured on Comedy Central in his own thirty-minute show, performing to a live audience (Comedy Central Presents: Stephen Lynch. The station repeats this performance from 2000 every so often; check your local television listings to find out when you can catch it. Also, some quick trivia: in early 2003, Stephen's special was rated #1 in a "Stand-up Showdown" contest by Comedy Central). Other television credits include Comedy Central's Premium Blend 1997, Hi-Fi Party, World Comedy Tour 2002, Metro TV's Naked in New York, VH1's Street Games, and, most recently, NBC's Last Call With Carson Daly.



In 2000, Stephen released his first debut album, A Little Bit Special, after producing an estimated 1,000 copies of his demo, Half A Man (which, unfortunately, is no longer available. But, fret not..all of the songs from this album were re-recorded and put onto ALBS). In October of 2002, a second CD, entitled Superhero was made available for purchase at Stephen's live shows and through his record company, What Are Records?. This album of live recordings was put out on the market in early 2003 and can be found at a handful of music retail stores.