Downtown NYC cynic, Jesse Hartman, started up Laptop in 1997, making synth-pop about modern life, emotional instability, and questionable decisions. He made three albums for Island Records (1998-2003). Previously, Hartman was a teenage Voidoid (1990) with Richard Hell and made some films before becoming the singer and songwriter of Sammy (1993-1996), releasing two albums (Steve Shelleys imprint, Smells Like Records, Fire Records and Geffen).