Tom Ryan has been a full time stand-up comedian for over twenty years. He has made two appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman. Since he was about 10 years old, Tom wanted to be a stand-up comedian. The first stand-up comedy he ever heard was Bill Cosby's debut album that contained the famous Noah routine. Over the next few years, he also became a fan of David Brenner, Woody Allen and George Carlin. He listened to Carlin's "FM and AM" album over and over again until he had it completely memorized. He used to recite the entire album to whoever would listen.
At 26, he left an insurance job in his hometown of Philadelphia to move to Florida where he got a job at a local golf course. The job lasted only 3 weeks. Ryan says, "Losing that job was the best thing that ever happened to me because it forced me to confront exactly what I wanted to do with my life." He took a job as a doorman at the newly opened Comedy Corner in West Palm Beach. It was the lowest paying but most valuable job he ever had. It provided him with a complete comedy education watching acts such as Jerry Seinfeld, Dennis Miller and Bill Hicks.
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