His knack for firing off cutting-edge, observational humor at a hyper pace took standup comedian Dane Cook all the way from a small, dingy comedy club where he appeared as Earnest Glenn to Hollywood, Comedy Central, and a headlining gig at Carnegie Hall. The Boston native claims he knew he wanted to be a comedian since his days in diapers, but he was patient. Wanting to be prepared for when his big break came, Cook spent his teens studying comedy, everything from the comics of his day to the classics. He was attending an open mic night hosted by David Cross when things suddenly changed. Cook had no intention of hitting the stage that night, but when Cross called out for "Earnest Glenn" and no one answered, Cook suddenly had a change of heart and presented himself as Glenn. The short set went extremely well and thanks to Glenn's no-show, Cook now had the confidence to take his act public. He strengthened his standup skills by learning the art of improv with Al and the Monkeys, a group Cook described as being "like most improv groups, but funny." His solo act eventually became a local favorite and earned enough positive press to attract late night television producers' attention. Initial appearances on David Letterman's and Craig Kilborn's late night shows were to be the first of many and in 2000 Comedy Central invited Cook to helm his own episode of Comedy Central Presents. From here, Cook's résumé filled up quickly with appearances on the Tonight Show, Crank Yankers, and Suddenly Susan television shows and awards like Stuff Magazine's Coolest Comic of the Year and Comedy Central's Favorite Standup Comedian. Cook has also produced his own short films, including Spiral, for which he won the Internet- and new media-honoring award, the Pixie. In 2003, he released his debut album, Harmful If Swallowed, on the Comedy Central label. Two years later the double CD Retaliation hit the Top Ten of the album chart. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide