Originally a visual artist, he earned a master's degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design before moving to the Bay Area, where he lived most of his life.
Joyce began his Bay Area radio career in the 1970s at KALX, where he worked as an on-air programmer, and produced station IDs, promotional spots and other continuity.
The last episode of The Alternative News included the eco-revolutionary character Thunderman, which led to his producing a multipart serial called Thunderteam for KPFA.
[citation needed] While working at KPFA hosting a more mainstream type music show, he encountered Ian Allen and other members of Negativland.
[2][3] Heavily influenced by Bob and Ray and the Firesign Theater, Joyce developed a number of continuing characters whom he would portray in the more theatrical episodes of Over The Edge.