Dahlquist graduated from Inglemoor High School in Bothell in 1984, and then attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. In Olympia, he continued to develop his interests in writing and performance. To the former, he studied literature, mythology and mysticism, including a summer program at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, where he studied with poets Allen Ginsberg and Philip Whalen. He engaged in all manner of performance-oriented endeavors, from stage design to participation in and study of Fluxus-style art events of the sort pioneered by John Cage and Joseph Beuys. During this time period, Dahlquist had his first experiences as a rock drummer, playing with the bands Flowers for Funerals and Dungpump.