hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn wˈɪtʃᵻtˌɑːɹ, kˈænzəs, ænd ˈæftɚ kˈoʊɹˈaɪɾɪŋ ænd dᵻɹˈɛktɪŋ ðɪ ˌɪndᵻpˈɛndənt ʃˈɔːɹt fˈɪlm wˈɔːkɪŋ blˈuːz lˈɪvd fɔːɹ sˈɛvɹəl jˈɪɹz ɪn fɹˈæns, wˈɜːkɪŋ æz ɐ tɹænslˈeɪɾɚ ænd fətˈɑːɡɹəfɚ.
He was born in Wichita, Kansas, and after co-writing and directing the independent short film Walking Blues lived for several years in France, working as a translator and photographer.