PAUL Ruderman is a nobody. There is no reason you should know who this guy is, but he’s living his dream – and the dream of a zillion kids who ever picked up a guitar – trying to scratch his way up the slippery wall of the music business.

The 33-year-old singer/songwriter has had his share of lucky breaks – and the usual assortment of failures.

This week, he’s on a personal high with the release of his major-label debut, “Wish,” on the Atlantic imprint Q Records.

To those outside the music industry, a CD means an artist has made it – but if you ask Ruderman, he’ll tell you otherwise.

In the 100 steps to stardom, “making a CD is about step 19,” he says. Even so, he’s one of the most promising artists to emerge from the New York club scene in years.

In fact, his song “Madman in Waco,” which chronicles the FBI/Branch Davidian battle in Waco, Texas, is a terrific achievement in both performance and composition, and is the gem on his disc.

Ruderman is gregarious, looks young for his age and lives in the West Village with his wife, Jackie, their three cats and their dog.

His singing career nearly ended four years ago when he developed a polyp on his vocal cords. After an operation and physical therapy, the singer regained his voice.

With the humility of a guy still on his way up, Ruderman says, “When I got my voice back, I discovered discipline. I became really focused and serious about what I was doing. I also realized there are a million obstacles to keep me from my goals.”

Post: There’s a lot of romance about being a singer in a rock band. Is it everything it’s cracked up to be?

Ruderman: It’s like this: I get up in the morning and I expect to get punched in the face. There are a million obstacles in my way and I know I’m going to get knocked down a lot.

Post: What’s the hardest punch you’ve taken?

Ruderman: Although I haven’t taken a real hit on a pop culture level – like all the papers and TV saying, “Paul sucks” – I have a fat folder of rejection letters for my music.

Post: How do you get past that?

Ruderman: Nuggets of good.

Post: What?

Ruderman: Nuggets of good. Even when times are hard, if you’re lucky, you find some good.

Post: How about an example?

Ruderman: Three years ago, I was desperate to play the Mercury Lounge. If you want to be a musician in New York City, you have to play there. And, finally, I got a time – Sunday night at 6:30.

Post: That doesn’t sound like a great time.

Ruderman: It’s awful. So I kept calling the booker and annoying her for a better time. Finally, she snapped and yelled at me that I was ungrateful and that I could forget about ever playing the Mercury.

Post: What did you do?

Ruderman: I called her back. She wouldn’t take my calls. I thought, I’m finished in New York. I grabbed a cab, bought a dozen roses and headed to the club. I never met this woman face to face, but when she saw me, she knew who I was. I could tell she wanted to stay mad at me, but she took the flowers and finally smiled and told me to call her later to get another time slot.

Post: What did you get?

Ruderman: It was like a Thursday at 9 o’clock – the perfect time.

Post: That was a lucky break.

Ruderman: It doesn’t stop there. A week later, she calls me up and says John Mellencamp is doing a showcase at the lounge and asks if I can open for him. It left me thinking, wow, how fast things can turn around.

Post: What’s that saying about the music industry – is it all luck and fate?

Ruderman: Yes. It’s also about taking the punches and doing whatever you have to do to overcome the obstacles and get to the next step.

Post: Music is a hard life. Is that what you always wanted?

Ruderman: No way. I wanted to be Dave Kingman.

Post: Of the Mets?

Ruderman: I wanted to be a baseball player in the worst way.

Post: What happened?

Ruderman: Eighth grade comes around and I try out for the school team. I think I’m real good, I’m going to be a star. After I tried out, I didn’t make the team. I remember that day. I’m a kid, and until that day, I really thought I was going to play ball. I couldn’t even make the team. It was in high school that I found myself again and began playing guitar and eventually writing songs.

Post: This isn’t what you’d expect from a guy who keeps coming back after getting punched.

Ruderman: Good point, but there was finality about not being able to make the eighth-grade baseball team. In music, there was always a nugget of good. It isn’t a string of successes for me in music, but there has always been a little good that has kept me coming back for more.