| Mike Geier | |||||||||
| Alias: | Puddles Pity Party (performer) | ||||||||
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Occupation: | Singer, performance artist | ||||||||
| Years Active: | 1990s–present | ||||||||
| Module: |
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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 garnered international fame as Puddles in the 2010s when he collaborated with Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, in which a cover of Lorde's "Royals" went viral, and he was dubbed "The Sad Clown with the Golden Voice". Geier as Puddles has toured North America, Europe, and Australia; and has released content under the Puddles moniker since 2013. Geier is well known in the Atlanta entertainment circuit, having garnered a reputation for himself through his Elvis Presley-themed Christmas shows and charity events.[3] Geier now performs almost exclusively as Puddles, and he also refers to Puddles in third person when speaking about the character.
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 in height. Geier is tall. He grew up in Richmond, Virginia. Living in, and based in Atlanta, Georgia since 1995, Geier is married to his business partner, Shannon Newton.[5]
In the early 1990s, Geier led a touring "Swing Noir" band, The Useless Playboys, before settling in Atlanta in 1995. Around this time, Geier started up an Elvis tribute band, Kingsized. Several years into Kingsized, Geier began experimenting with a clown-themed side project called Greasepaint, which laid the foundation for his later alter ego, Puddles.
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 non specific, but eventually developed into adorning a whiteface clown costume.[6] 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.[7] [8] [9] His shows include a mix of silent prop comedy, mime, and audience participation with songs interplayed throughout creating a narrative structure.[10] Puddles Pity Party's first performance as an independent act was an experiment for Aqua Teen Hunger Forces 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.[11]
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.[12]
In October 2013, Geier recorded a cover of Lorde's "Royals" with Postmodern Jukebox on YouTube., the video has been viewed over 33 million times. Lorde declared his cover to be her favorite cover of "Royals".[13] Two more versions of Royals, in a "punk" style and in a "new-wave" style appeared in the later part of 2020.
Since 2014, Geier has toured the world, playing concerts in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, and Australia.[14] In September 2014 his live performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, was described by HuffPost as "a strange kind of beautiful".[15] A film of the performance, made by Gary Yost, had received over 9.6 million views on YouTube by January 2024.[16]
In 2017, Geier, as Puddles, participated in season 12 of the reality series America's Got Talent. 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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]
In January 2019 Geier, as Puddles, began a headline act residency at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada.[20]
In 2022, Geier, as Puddles, made a guest appearance on the season 4 season finale of The Conners.[21]
In April 2024, he performed with A Perfect Circle, singing the song "The Hollow," as part of Maynard James Keenan's Sessanta tour.
In August 2024, Puddles performed Dio's "Holy Diver" with Primus at shows in Big Flats, NY, Saratoga Springs, NY, Portland, ME, Richmond, VA, and Birmingham, AL - videos of which became almost immediately viral on YouTube.
Music composed and performed by Geier has appeared in television shows including iCarly and Victorious.[24] [25] In 2022, Geier's cover of blink-182's "All the Small Things" was featured on the John Lewis Christmas TV commercial in the United Kingdom.[26]