born into an impoverished vietnamese family as the youngest of sixteen, el dano decided at the tender young age of 4 that he was not one for picking rice in the paddies. so he snuck into an oxen-driven cart and headed to da nang. living on the streets for a few years found him as the leader of the largest band of pickpockets in the city. but at the age of 10, he met Le Thi Luu, a woman whose purse he was trying to steal. it turned out she was an artist who saw something special in the boy, and she took him under her wing. she taught el dano how to paint, and he slowly made a name for himself as the premier artist of the time. unfortunately this also brought the attention of the mafia, who had been wondering where he had disappeared to after he left the streets. they did not take kindly to losing him as a source of income. so once again el dano fled, this time by plane with the ticket courtesy of his teacher. after departing the plane in london he went on a search for the man Le Thi Luu had told him to seek. who was this Baron Colin Renfrew of Kaimsthorn? he went to the address he was given, The British School at Athens, Senate House, Malet Street, London. after much searching around the building he found a tiny neglected office, with an elderly man inside. it was the baron, the man he was sent to live with. under the baron's tutilage, el dano learned much about the cultures of the world, and for a time, life was quiet. he grew into an atheletic and studious young man, carrying out tasks for the baron and accompanying him on excavations around the world. as el dano neared college age, the professor suddenly died, leaving his entire estate to the young man. el dano decided it was time for a new start, and headed to the united states. in los angeles he worked as an artist in the lowbrow scene, working with the likes of mark ryden, tim biskup, and gary baseman. he soon grew weary of the scene, and decide to trek inwards towards the center of th continent. he liked the idea of a "heartland" and thus hitchhiked to chicago. there he joined a hippie commune, and continues to work on his art.