Dropped out of Carnegie Mellon and headed to San Francisco

Signed to Atlantic Records

Released debut album

Had a hit with his song "Dead Skunk"

Appeared on episodes of the CBS series "M*A*S*H" as a singing surgeon

Featured in Hal Ashby's "The Slugger's Wife"

Album "I'm Alright" garnered a Grammy nomination

Second Grammy nomination, "More Love Songs"

Was a musical commentator on NPR, writing and performing several original and topical songs, collected on his 1999 release "Social Studies"

Appeared in the rehab comedy-drama "28 Days"

Released the album "Last Man on Earth" to critical praise

Played Hal, the ever-present father of freshman Steven (Jay Baruchel), on the Fox college-set sitcom "Undeclared"

Cast in Tim Burton's "Big Fish"

Played the Priest in Judd Apatow's "The 40 Year Old Virgin"

Played Orlando Bloom's Uncle Dale in Cameron Crowe's drama "Elizabethtown"