Stephen Lynch (musician)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Andrew Lynch is an American
stand-up comedian, musician
and Tony Award
-nominated actor
who is known for his songs mocking daily life and popular culture. Lynch has released two studio album
s and two live album
s along with a live DVD
. He has appeared in two Comedy Central Presents
specials and starred in the Broadway
adaptation of The Wedding Singer
.
, Pennsylvania
. His family later moved to Saginaw
, Michigan
. Lynch would perform in community theatre
and musical theatre
while attending Arthur Hill High School and The Center for Arts and Sciences. He stayed in Michigan until he graduated from Western Michigan University
with a B.A.
in drama
in 1993. At Western Michigan University
, he began to write comedic songs.
Considering himself a musician first and a comedian second, Lynch cites singer/songwriters Paul Simon
and Joni Mitchell
as his childhood inspirations, rather than comics. He was inspired to go into show business after seeing the mockumentary
This is Spinal Tap
. The first song that he wrote was a country
song titled "Beefy Burrito".
, Lynch moved to New York City
in 1996 with the intention of becoming an actor. Upon his arrival, a friend at the West Bank Cafe on 42nd Street suggested Lynch play, for an audience, some of the comic songs he had written while attending university. He soon found success in comedy clubs and other venues around the city (notably Catch a Rising Star
and Caroline's
), and became a regular on radio shows such as Opie and Anthony
. Lynch spent his early years in New York City
doing what he called "totally mindless work" as a temp worker. He quit such temporary jobs permanently, signing with What Are Records? in 2000 and Vision International in 2002.
Over the next few years, he toured colleges, universities and nightclubs around the country, avoiding as much as possible the comedy club
circuit, which he has stated is not to his taste. He periodically returned to Michigan to do summer stock
. During his March 6, 2009 appearance on The Bob and Tom Show, Lynch mentioned "Steel Toast" as the name of the band in which he first performed. As of the start of his 3 Balloons tour in Spring 2009, Agency for the Performing Arts
books all of his concert dates.
, The Town Hall
and the esteemed Carnegie Hall
). He gained great national exposure with his Comedy Central Presents
special in 2000, one of the highest rated in the network's history. He has made appearances on Comedy Central
s Premium Blend
, The World Comedy Tour and The World Stands Up. He has also made four appearances on Last Call with Carson Daly
, and has performed at the prestigious Just for Laughs
Comedy Festival in Montreal
, Canada
.
Lynch has opened for comedians Jay Mohr
, Jeff Foxworthy
, Steven Wright
, Bobcat Goldthwait
and Lewis Black
. In the summer of 2004, he went on a tour co-headlining with Mitch Hedberg
. The tour was such a success that they added an extra leg and ran into 2005. This was Hedberg's last tour before his death.
He has also appeared in five short films, including The Love Seat in 1999 and The Confetti Brothers in 2001. Both films were written and directed by Kirker Butler. The Confetti Brothers, a satire
, screened to packed houses at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
. It continues to play the film festival circuit.
In April 2006, Lynch starred as Robbie Hart in the Broadway
musical The Wedding Singer
, which ran on Broadway from April 27, 2006 through December 31, 2006 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
. This musical production was based on the 1998 New Line Cinema
film The Wedding Singer
starring Adam Sandler
and Drew Barrymore
. The musical, Lynch's Broadway debut, co-starred Tony
winner Laura Benanti
in the role of Julia Sullivan, played by Barrymore in the film. The April 2006 opening followed a successful preview run in Seattle at The 5th Avenue Theatre
which ran from January 31 through February 19. His performance has earned him nominations for Drama League
and Drama Desk
awards, According to interviews after, he stated that, due to the rehearsals for the show, he had forgotten most of his own songs.
In 2007, Lynch returned to the road again, touring with comedians such as Bob Saget
, Frank Caliendo
, Louis C.K.
, Carlos Mencia
and others on the Opie and Anthony
Traveling Virus Comedy Tour 2007.
Lynch starred in his second Comedy Central Presents
special in January 2008.
Lynch performed on his first Europe
an tours in 2008, headlining concerts in England
, Sweden
, Norway
, Holland, Finland
, Ireland
, Scotland
and Germany
. All but two of the 17 shows sold out, despite never playing a majority of the markets. Lynch attributes this success to YouTube
.
His newfound European popularity resulted in appearances at six festivals in August and September 2008. He played in the UK at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
, headlining the Alternative stage at each site. He also appeared at the Lowlands Festival in Holland on August 17, Edinburgh
Edge Festival (during Fringe) on August 24, The Pimm's Summerfest in Holland Park
, London
on August 28, and Bulmer's Comedy Festival in Dublin at the Olympia Theater on September 1 and 2. He returned to Europe in Fall, 2009 and toured the UK in March, 2010, headlining London's Brixton Academy on March 5, 2010.
That album was released on 10 March 2009, entitled 3 Balloons
. It was Lynch's second studio album, containing "10 previously unreleased songs, including 2 that have never been performed in public."
On March 6, 2011, while replying to a message on Twitter, Lynch announced that he was working on a new CD. When asked if it would be studio or live, he replied "I'm leaning Studio."
in September 2003, and she is generally the first person to hear his original ideas for songs. Her effect upon his material is such that if she does not laugh at the initial concept, he will scrap the idea completely. Dwight recorded a short film while her husband was away touring, called Lynch and Teich in Brooklyn, to show that she missed him. This was included in the extras on his 2004 concert DVD, Live at the El Rey
. She also co-created the cover concept for the album, The Craig Machine
, with her mother, Kalamazoo
photographer Fran Dwight.
Lynch has a younger brother, Drew, who also writes comedic songs. Lynch and his brother occasionally tour together. Their parents are a former priest
and a former nun
. Both parents became teachers. Lynch has stated that religion was not forced upon him growing up, and, although he was raised Roman Catholic, he no longer attends church. His upbringing included liberalism as well as religion, which is reflected through his father's past as part of a singing duo that attended many peace rallies and antiwar protests during the Vietnam War
. Like his sons, Lynch's father was a stage actor as well as a singer, and musical talent and interest runs in their family. Lynch's earliest work in the theater was performing with his father in local community theater productions in Saginaw as a child. The first live musical he saw was Man of La Mancha
, a community theater production in which his father played the role of the Padre.
As Lynch's repertoire of material includes some duets and also a few songs for three voices, close university pals and fellow comedians Mark Teich (of The Second City
) and Rod Cone (of The Rod Cone Situation) are also very frequent guests on his tours, and he rarely tours alone. He has also done shows with former Wedding Singer castmate David Josefsberg.
As of July 2008, Lynch resides in Manhattan
, New York
with his wife.
Lynch's father Leo died October 9, 2009. Although he canceled several performances as a result, Lynch still performed at Central Michigan University
on October 16.
Lynch appeared on The Opie and Anthony Show on Sirius197
XM202 The Virus, on October 19, 2009. He stated he finally returned to his New York apartment after spending the last year in Michigan with his wife.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stand-up comedian, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-nominated actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who is known for his songs mocking daily life and popular culture. Lynch has released two studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s and two live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s along with a live DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. He has appeared in two Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...
specials and starred in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
adaptation of The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer (musical)
The Wedding Singer is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. It is based on the 1998 film The Wedding Singer.-Synopsis:Act 1...
.
Early life
Lynch was born in AbingtonAbington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 55,310 in as of the 2010 census.Abington Township is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities dating back to before 1700 and being incorporated in 1704. It is home to some of the county's...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. His family later moved to Saginaw
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Lynch would perform in community theatre
Community theatre
Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community...
and musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
while attending Arthur Hill High School and The Center for Arts and Sciences. He stayed in Michigan until he graduated from Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
in 1993. At Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
, he began to write comedic songs.
Considering himself a musician first and a comedian second, Lynch cites singer/songwriters Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
and Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
as his childhood inspirations, rather than comics. He was inspired to go into show business after seeing the mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
This is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
. The first song that he wrote was a country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song titled "Beefy Burrito".
Early career
After spending his first year out of college with friends in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Lynch moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1996 with the intention of becoming an actor. Upon his arrival, a friend at the West Bank Cafe on 42nd Street suggested Lynch play, for an audience, some of the comic songs he had written while attending university. He soon found success in comedy clubs and other venues around the city (notably Catch a Rising Star
Catch a Rising Star
Catch a Rising Star is a chain of comedy clubs, founded in New York City in December 1972 and owned by Rick Newman. It has since spread to other areas, such as Las Vegas and New Jersey....
and Caroline's
Caroline's
Carolines on Broadway is a venue for stand-up comedy located in Times Square in New York City on Broadway between 49th and 50th Street. It is one of the most established, famous, and recognized stand-up comedy clubs in the United States. Its marketing slogan is "America's Premiere Comedy...
), and became a regular on radio shows such as Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
. Lynch spent his early years in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
doing what he called "totally mindless work" as a temp worker. He quit such temporary jobs permanently, signing with What Are Records? in 2000 and Vision International in 2002.
Over the next few years, he toured colleges, universities and nightclubs around the country, avoiding as much as possible the comedy club
Comedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
circuit, which he has stated is not to his taste. He periodically returned to Michigan to do summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
. During his March 6, 2009 appearance on The Bob and Tom Show, Lynch mentioned "Steel Toast" as the name of the band in which he first performed. As of the start of his 3 Balloons tour in Spring 2009, Agency for the Performing Arts
Agency for the Performing Arts
Agency for the Performing Arts is a bi-coastal talent and literary agency, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York, and Nashville. They represent actors, comedians, broadcasters, radio personalities, writers, directors, producers and musicians. They represent over 450 clients and staff around 60...
books all of his concert dates.
2000 to present
As a result of the duality of his act, Lynch turned heads in the music industry as well as on the comedy circuit. He attracted extra attention usually not available to comics by playing venues more often suited to music than to comedy (eventually graduating to locations such as the House of BluesHouse of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
, The Town Hall
The Town Hall
The Town Hall is a performance space, located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, in New York City. It seats approximately 1,500 people.-History:...
and the esteemed Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
). He gained great national exposure with his Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...
special in 2000, one of the highest rated in the network's history. He has made appearances on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
s Premium Blend
Premium Blend
Premium Blend was a television show that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005.The program features a well-known stand up comedian as an emcee who introduces four or five lesser known comedians looking for a big break on television...
, The World Comedy Tour and The World Stands Up. He has also made four appearances on Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
, and has performed at the prestigious Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
Comedy Festival in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Lynch has opened for comedians Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
, Jeff Foxworthy
Jeff Foxworthy
Jeffrey Marshall "Jeff" Foxworthy is an American comedian, television and radio personality and author. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which also comprises Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Ron White. Known for his "you might be a redneck" one-liners, Foxworthy...
, Steven Wright
Steven Wright
Steven Alexander Wright is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is known for his distinctly lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical jokes and one-liners with contrived situations.-Early life and career:Wright was born in Mount Auburn...
, Bobcat Goldthwait
Bobcat Goldthwait
Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director. He is commonly known for his energetic, ravenous stage personality, his dark, acerbic black comedy, and his gruff but high-pitched voice.- Early life :Goldthwait was born in Syracuse,...
and Lewis Black
Lewis Black
Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...
. In the summer of 2004, he went on a tour co-headlining with Mitch Hedberg
Mitch Hedberg
Mitchell Lee "Mitch" Hedberg was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and unconventional comedic delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes, mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs...
. The tour was such a success that they added an extra leg and ran into 2005. This was Hedberg's last tour before his death.
He has also appeared in five short films, including The Love Seat in 1999 and The Confetti Brothers in 2001. Both films were written and directed by Kirker Butler. The Confetti Brothers, a satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, screened to packed houses at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. It continues to play the film festival circuit.
In April 2006, Lynch starred as Robbie Hart in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer (musical)
The Wedding Singer is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. It is based on the 1998 film The Wedding Singer.-Synopsis:Act 1...
, which ran on Broadway from April 27, 2006 through December 31, 2006 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
Al Hirschfeld Theatre
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 302 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect G. Albert Lansburgh for vaudeville promoter Martin Beck, the theatre opened as the Martin Beck Theatre with a production of Madame Pompadour on November 11, 1924. It...
. This musical production was based on the 1998 New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
film The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer is a 1998 romantic comedy film written by Tim Herlihy and directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler as a wedding singer in the 1980s and Drew Barrymore as a waitress with whom he falls in love....
starring Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
and Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
. The musical, Lynch's Broadway debut, co-starred Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
winner Laura Benanti
Laura Benanti
Laura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:...
in the role of Julia Sullivan, played by Barrymore in the film. The April 2006 opening followed a successful preview run in Seattle at The 5th Avenue Theatre
5th Avenue Theatre
The 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theater building located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land is owned by the University of Washington and was once part of the original campus...
which ran from January 31 through February 19. His performance has earned him nominations for Drama League
Drama League Award
The Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing...
and Drama Desk
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
awards, According to interviews after, he stated that, due to the rehearsals for the show, he had forgotten most of his own songs.
In 2007, Lynch returned to the road again, touring with comedians such as Bob Saget
Bob Saget
Robert Lane "Bob" Saget is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Although he is best known for his roles as Danny Tanner in Full House, host of America's Funniest Home Videos and Future Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother, Saget is also known outside of television for his blue...
, Frank Caliendo
Frank Caliendo
Frank Caliendo is an American comedian and impressionist, best known for his work on the Fox Network television series MADtv, and as the in-house prognosticator for Fox NFL Sunday. In 2007 and 2008, he performed his impersonations on his own show, Frank TV, which aired on TBS...
, Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.
Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...
, Carlos Mencia
Carlos Mencia
Carlos Mencia , born Ned Arnel Mencia, is a Honduran-born American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race, culture, criminal justice, and social class...
and others on the Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
Traveling Virus Comedy Tour 2007.
Lynch starred in his second Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...
special in January 2008.
Lynch performed on his first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an tours in 2008, headlining concerts in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Holland, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. All but two of the 17 shows sold out, despite never playing a majority of the markets. Lynch attributes this success to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
His newfound European popularity resulted in appearances at six festivals in August and September 2008. He played in the UK at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
, headlining the Alternative stage at each site. He also appeared at the Lowlands Festival in Holland on August 17, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
Edge Festival (during Fringe) on August 24, The Pimm's Summerfest in Holland Park
Holland Park
Holland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London, England.Holland Park has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on August 28, and Bulmer's Comedy Festival in Dublin at the Olympia Theater on September 1 and 2. He returned to Europe in Fall, 2009 and toured the UK in March, 2010, headlining London's Brixton Academy on March 5, 2010.
That album was released on 10 March 2009, entitled 3 Balloons
3 Balloons
-Personnel:* Stephen Lynch – acoustic guitar, vocals* Dean Sharenow – drums* Ivan Bodley – bass* Rich Campbell – piano* Erik Della Penna – electric guitar, cigar box guitars* Jonathan Dinklage – violin, viola, string arrangements...
. It was Lynch's second studio album, containing "10 previously unreleased songs, including 2 that have never been performed in public."
On March 6, 2011, while replying to a message on Twitter, Lynch announced that he was working on a new CD. When asked if it would be studio or live, he replied "I'm leaning Studio."
Personal life
Family and friends prove to be an important influence on Lynch's work and career. He married Erin Dwight on a private beach on Lake MichiganLake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
in September 2003, and she is generally the first person to hear his original ideas for songs. Her effect upon his material is such that if she does not laugh at the initial concept, he will scrap the idea completely. Dwight recorded a short film while her husband was away touring, called Lynch and Teich in Brooklyn, to show that she missed him. This was included in the extras on his 2004 concert DVD, Live at the El Rey
Live at the El Rey
Live at the El Rey is the only currently existing concert DVD featuring comic singer-songwriter Stephen Lynch. It is a live recording of one of Lynch's concerts at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles during December 2003....
. She also co-created the cover concept for the album, The Craig Machine
The Craig Machine
The Craig Machine is a live album by comedian Stephen Lynch released on October 4, 2005 on What Are Records?. The CD was recorded live at Symphony Space in New York City on May 9 and 16, 2005...
, with her mother, Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
photographer Fran Dwight.
Lynch has a younger brother, Drew, who also writes comedic songs. Lynch and his brother occasionally tour together. Their parents are a former priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and a former nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
. Both parents became teachers. Lynch has stated that religion was not forced upon him growing up, and, although he was raised Roman Catholic, he no longer attends church. His upbringing included liberalism as well as religion, which is reflected through his father's past as part of a singing duo that attended many peace rallies and antiwar protests during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Like his sons, Lynch's father was a stage actor as well as a singer, and musical talent and interest runs in their family. Lynch's earliest work in the theater was performing with his father in local community theater productions in Saginaw as a child. The first live musical he saw was Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...
, a community theater production in which his father played the role of the Padre.
As Lynch's repertoire of material includes some duets and also a few songs for three voices, close university pals and fellow comedians Mark Teich (of The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
) and Rod Cone (of The Rod Cone Situation) are also very frequent guests on his tours, and he rarely tours alone. He has also done shows with former Wedding Singer castmate David Josefsberg.
As of July 2008, Lynch resides in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with his wife.
Lynch's father Leo died October 9, 2009. Although he canceled several performances as a result, Lynch still performed at Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
on October 16.
Lynch appeared on The Opie and Anthony Show on Sirius197
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
XM202 The Virus, on October 19, 2009. He stated he finally returned to his New York apartment after spending the last year in Michigan with his wife.
Demo
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| Half A Man Half A Man Half a Man is Stephen Lynch's original demo studio album and is currently out of print.-Track listing:#Half a Man#A Month Dead#Priest#Kill a Kitten#Mighty Hermaphrodite...
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Studio albums
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| A Little Bit Special A Little Bit Special A Little Bit Special is the first album recorded by comedian Stephen Lynch. It was recorded at Park West Studios in Brooklyn, New York in 2000...
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| 3 Balloons 3 Balloons -Personnel:* Stephen Lynch – acoustic guitar, vocals* Dean Sharenow – drums* Ivan Bodley – bass* Rich Campbell – piano* Erik Della Penna – electric guitar, cigar box guitars* Jonathan Dinklage – violin, viola, string arrangements... United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... ) RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : - |
Live albums
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Superhero
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| The Craig Machine The Craig Machine The Craig Machine is a live album by comedian Stephen Lynch released on October 4, 2005 on What Are Records?. The CD was recorded live at Symphony Space in New York City on May 9 and 16, 2005... United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... ) Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... - 129 RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : - New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... in May 2005 |
Compilation
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| Cleanest Hits Cleanest Hits Stephen Lynch's Cleanest Hits album is a collection of already released and edited songs from Lynch's first three albums: A Little Bit Special, Superhero, and The Craig Machine. All the songs were edited to remove profanity...
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Live Show
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| Live at the El Rey Live at the El Rey Live at the El Rey is the only currently existing concert DVD featuring comic singer-songwriter Stephen Lynch. It is a live recording of one of Lynch's concerts at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles during December 2003....
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