Kliph Nesteroff was born and raised in a rural British Columbia pacifist community, where he developed a strong anti-war upbringing. This upbringing heavily influenced his future career choices and the type of comedy he would perform.
After being permanently expelled from high school for a speech he delivered during a campaign for school president, Nesteroff moved to Toronto and began his stand-up comedy career. He was drawn to underground bars, punk rock clubs, and alternative comedy venues, which allowed him to develop a unique and combative style of comedy.
Nesteroff's stand-up career was marked by his alter ego, Shecky Grey, a character he created that quickly gained a cult following. His performances were so popular that he landed on the cover of several Canadian free weeklies.
After eight years of stand-up comedy, Nesteroff made a drastic career change and became an advocate for the homeless, the mentally ill, and the drug addicted. He accepted a position at an experimental clinic that nursed addicts with life-threatening infections back to health. During his night shifts at the clinic, Nesteroff spent his free time writing about stand-up comedians from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
Nesteroff's articles were frequently published by the web-magazine of free form radio station WFMU. In 2011, Marc Maron began talking about Nesteroff's articles on his WTF podcast, which eventually led to an invitation for Nesteroff to appear on the show.
Nesteroff's appearance on WTF with Marc Maron in 2012 led to a book deal with Grove Press to write the definitive history of 20th Century American stand-up comedy. The book, titled The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy, was released in 2015 and became a best-selling book.
Nesteroff's book led to a television career, and he has since become a frequent talking head on countless programs and documentary films about comedy.
