Rat made his comedy debut on October 5th, 1997 in Boston's Combat Zone (although by then the battle was pretty much over). A few years later he started using the stage name 'Steve Albert' and he continues to fade in and out of the New England comedy scene. His tendency to allow for an organic evolution of character with the occasional creative gimmick thrown in has resulted in his peers being okay with him having the moniker 'The Peripheral Visionary.'