Steven M. Krikorian adopted the stage name Tonio K, naming himself for Thomas Mann’s short story Tonio Kroger but shortening it to Tonio K in reference to Franz Kafka’s The Trial and it’s protagonist Josef K. His first album Life in the Foodchain was released in 1978 and became a critical smash. He would release three more albums and an EP in the eighties and then revert to a career as a professional songwriter for other artists.