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Puddles Pity Party
American singer and entertainer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Michael Geier, better known as his Pagliacci-inspired clown alter ego Puddles Pity Party, is an American singer and entertainer based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[1][2] Geier now performs almost exclusively as Puddles, and he also refers to Puddles in third person when speaking about the character.[3]
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Early life
Geier was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, the fifth of seven children of "Big Oz" and Peg Geier.[4] He says that he "grew up in a houseful of giants", with his two brothers and four sisters all growing to at least 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) in height. Geier is 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall. He grew up in Richmond, Virginia.[4]
Career
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Geier, known as Big Mike Geier, fronted the band Useless Playboys in Richmond.[5] He moved to Atlanta in 1995 and formed the band Kingsized soon after.[6] The band performed swing, rock, and soul covers.[6] Other entertainment projects he founded in Atlanta included Dames Aflame, a burlesque revue that became a part of Kingsized shows.[6] Elvis Royale was an Elvis Presley-themed act fronted by Geier with Kingsized as the band.[6] Other projects were Bogey and the Viceroy, the Kingsized Jazz Trio, and Tongo Hiti.[6] He originated the Puddles character in the band Greasepaint.[6]
Puddles Pity Party
In 1998, Geier decided to found a clown-themed band with several other Atlanta-based musicians. Having named himself Puddles in the band, this collaborative project eventually broke up, but laid the foundation for his solo project Puddles Pity Party. Puddles' original appearance was mostly nonspecific, but eventually developed into donning a whiteface clown costume.[7] Geier refers to Puddles in third person while speaking about the character, and will also refer to himself as Mike in third person while performing as Puddles. Like Geier himself, Puddles has a baritone singing voice, and sings mostly covers of songs. Puddles has a depressed persona and refrains from speaking on stage or giving interviews.[8][9][10] His shows include a mix of silent prop comedy, mime, and audience participation with songs interplayed throughout creating a narrative structure.[11] Puddles Pity Party's first performance as an independent act was an experiment for Aqua Teen Hunger Force's 2010 tour. Initially skeptical if his singing clown character would be well-received, Geier stated that his wife convinced him to continue with the act after his premiere performance garnered an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience.[12]
In 2011, Geier appeared regularly at the Manderley Bar in New York's immersive theater show Sleep No More. In 2012, he moved to Seattle to appear in a European-style vaudevillian cabaret, Teatro ZinZanni. In 2013, he opened for Eels during their U.S. and European tour.[13]
Since 2014, Geier has toured the world, playing concerts in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, and Australia.[14]
In 2017, Geier, as Puddles, participated in season 12 of the reality series America's Got Talent.[2] He advanced to the quarterfinals at the Dolby Theatre, where he performed his version of "Royals" and received an "X" from Simon Cowell. He was ultimately eliminated the following night.[15] In October 2017 Geier, as Puddles, made an appearance in a Cartoon Network ad promoting new episodes of Teen Titans Go! and OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.[16] Geier previously collaborated with Cartoon Network's Sunday Pants series writing music for the show as well as playing the Slacks' band leader in the live action segments.[17]
In January 2019 Geier, as Puddles, began a headline act residency at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada.[18]
In 2022, Geier, as Puddles, made a guest appearance on the season 4 season finale of The Conners.[19]
In April 2024, he performed with A Perfect Circle, singing the song "The Hollow," as part of Maynard James Keenan's Sessanta tour.[citation needed]
In August 2024, Puddles toured as an opening act for nine dates with Primus and Coheed and Cambria, and at some shows joined Primus onstage as a guest to sing "Holy Diver" by Dio.[20]
In September 2024, it was announced that Puddles would be touring as a special guest with "Weird Al" Yankovic on his "Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour".[21][22]
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Discography
With Postmodern Jukebox
- 2014: Clubbin' with Grandpa, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, "Chandelier"[23]
- 2015: Top Hat on Fleek, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox: "Mad World" and "Viva la Vida"[24]
- 2016: The Essentials, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox: "Royals"[25]
- 2016: Squad Goals, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, "Stressed Out"[26]
- 2017: Fake Blues, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox: "All the Small Things"[27]
As Puddles Pity Party
- Albums
- Live at Joe's Pub (Puddles Pity Party self-released), 2015
- Holiday Jubilee (Puddles Pity Party self-released), 2018
- You Down? (Puddles Pity Party self-released), 2018
- Unhappy Hour at the Loner's Lounge (Puddles Pity Party self-released), 2020
- Songs That Got Me Through the Plague (Puddles Pity Party self-released), 2021
- Singles & EPs
- "Royals" (Postmodern Jukebox, featuring Puddles Pity Party), 2014
- "The Shadow of Your Smile", Insect Queen Music, 2015[28]
- "Space Oddity/Life on Mars", Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2019
- "The Spy and the Liar" (Puddles Pity Party self-released), 2021[29]
References
External links
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