Edward X. Young studied film & television production, acting, and journalism at Seton Hall University; acting and stage directing at Brookdale College; business administration at Monmouth University; and film production at New York University. He honed his acting skills as a member of the R.I.S.K. Improvisational Theatre Group under the tutelage of Fabir Rodriguez-Ammirato. As a young actor, he performed on-stage in the New York Metropolitan Area in productions of "Amadeus," "Dracula," "Children of a Lesser God," "True West," "The Boys Next Door," and "Modigliani." He also worked in the theater as a director, staging productions of "Waiting for Godot," "Hurlyburly," "Lunchtime," and "Wait Until Dark."

While a part of the Downtown New York City art scene in the late 1970s through the early 1990s, he became heavily involved in punk music, befriending members of Johnny Thunders' band The Heartbreakers, Walter Lure's band The Waldos, and Church Pills. He worked as the publicity manager for the band The Suave Elbows, which featured musicians Christopher Clunie and Marty Byk.