Mike Geier

Michael Geier (born March 12, 1964), known as Big Mike Geier, is a singer, entertainer, and leader of the band Kingsized, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Geier's most critically acclaimed act is his alter ego: a Pagliacci-type clown named Puddles Pity Party. As Puddles, Geier has appeared in YouTube videos since 2013, including some with Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox. Geier now performs almost exclusively as Puddles, but he also refers to Puddles as a completely separate entity from himself. Likewise, "Puddles" also won't acknowledge himself as Geier.

Biography
Geier was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, the fifth of seven children of "Big Oz" and Peg Geier. He says that he "grew up in a houseful of giants", with his two brothers and four sisters all growing to at least 6ft 0in in height. Geier is 6ft 8in 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.

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.

Puddles Pity Party
Originally, Puddles was a Shriner clown, but eventually developed into Puddles Pity Party, wearing a whiteface clown costume. Geier considers himself and Puddles to be separate people, and he refuses to break character. 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. His shows include a mix of silent prop comedy, mime, and audience participation with songs interplayed throughout creating a narrative structure. Puddles Pity Party performed in Aqua Teen Hunger Force's 2010 tour.

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.

In October 2013, Geier recorded a cover of Lorde's "Royals" with Postmodern Jukebox on YouTube. , the video has been viewed over 29.4 million times. Lorde declared his cover to be her favorite cover of "Royals". Two more versions of Royals, in a "punk" style and in a "new-wave" style appeared in the later part of 2020. Geier, in the persona of Puddles, has collaborated with Bradlee on YouTube several times since.

Since 2014, Geier has toured the world, playing concerts in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, and Australia. On September 27, 2014, his live performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, was filmed by director Gary Yost and was later described by HuffPost as "A Strange Kind Of Beautiful". the video on YouTube had received over 8.7 million views.

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. 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. 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.

In January 2019 Geier, as Puddles, began a headline act residency at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2022, Geier, as Puddles, made a guest appearance on the season 4 season finale of The Conners.

With Postmodern Jukebox

 * 2015, Top Hat on Fleek, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox: "Mad World" and "Viva la Vida"
 * 2016, The Essentials, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox: "Royals"

As Puddles Pity Party

 * Albums
 * Holiday Jubilee, Not On Label (Puddles Pity Party self-released), 2018
 * You Down?, Not On Label (Puddles Pity Party self-released), 2018


 * Singles & EPs
 * Royals (Postmodern Jukebox, featuring Puddles Pity Party), Not On Label, 2014
 * Space Oddity/Life On Mars?, Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2019

As Mike Geier
Music composed and performed by Geier has appeared in television shows including iCarly and Victorious.