The turning point was 2017. That was when an international audience of 12 million viewers witnessed Puddles Pity Party perform on season 12 of “America’s Got Talent.” And even though the gloomy-faced clown and his cabaret act didn’t bag the grand prize, the lumbering but gentle giant with the baritone voice captured the hearts of fans around the world.
Soon, he saw his name in lights as a headliner in Las Vegas. The glitz of Caesar’s Palace, celebrity elbow-rubbing and the blinding stage lights of television appearances were all a far cry from the dank dives and hipster bars he’d been playing only a few years earlier. Ever since his emotive vocals went viral on the video of Postmodern Jukebox performing Lorde’s “Royals” in 2013, the pensive entertainer with a crafty knack for cover tunes has been steadily climbing up the rickety ladder of success.
But before there was Puddles, there was a soft-spoken and wildly creative musician named Mike Geier. By the mid-90s, the singer-songwriter-actor and vaudevillian had begun to cast a giant shadow on the Atlanta music scene. The multi-hyphenate entertainer, encased in a towering 6-foot, 8-inch vessel of humanity, was frequenting Atlanta clubs with his swanky Richmond, Virginia-based band the Useless Playboys.
Courtesy of Mike Geier
Courtesy of Mike Geier
“As often happens, we went our separate ways and I moved out to Austin, Texas, for a while,” Geier, 60, recalled during a recent chat in his Avondale studio. “But I knew all the gang in the Little Five Points area — the guys at the Star Bar, The Point, the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, all those folks, so I thought I’d come down here and check it out. Then I just stayed.
“There was something about the pure Georgia gravity of the Atlanta scene that really drew me in,” he said. “Now I’ve been here longer than anywhere, so I really do feel like I have red clay in my feet.”
He quickly immersed himself in the burgeoning music scene of the era.
“I’d put a band together for a little burlesque show, at the beginning of that whole thing. We wore suits and all and that became known as Kingsized. The Star Bar had been doing an Elvis tribute show and we started doing it. Things just grew fast. We’d put 200 people in that room, and it was supposed to hold a hundred. Then it grew from the Star Bar to the Echo Lounge — where it became known as the Elvis Royale show — and then on to the Variety Playhouse. It was just an amazing time to be singing and playing music in Atlanta.”
Chris Dunn / cdunn@ajc.com
Chris Dunn / cdunn@ajc.com
Concurrently, an improbable wave of clown mania began to envelop the L5P area. To Geier’s surprise, he landed in the middle of it all when Puddles emerged.
“I was workin’ the bar downstairs at the Star Bar,” recalled Geier. “A clown named Puddles just kinda showed up one night. Pretty soon, we were inseparable. Sometimes, he’d even be workin’ there in place of me. I could just check out and Puddles would take over.”
Soon Puddles began to perform with a band called Springfield, Illinois as “sort of a carnival, Tom Waits-type thing.” Around this time, musician-artist-restaurateur Jim Stacy arrived from Athens, bringing his own alter ego-style carny character, Reverend Uncle Laffo.
“We all got together to do a show at the request of Katharine Whalen of the Squirrel Nut Zippers,” recalled Geier. “From that offer came the Greasepaint band. Puddles and Laffo and the guys sorta hammered out a bunch of tunes. It kinda became a big thing for a while.”
By the late ‘90s, Little Five Points had become a thriving haven for carnival acts.
“It was clowns and monkey girls and cotton candy machines,” Geier laughed. “It was just a nutty scene. And Greasepaint started touring out of town a bit. One of our first tours was a short run opening for Tenacious D in 2001.”
The more shows Geier and Puddles had under their belt(s), the more the Puddles back-story developed, though Geier is adamant: “Puddles isn’t a character. He’s a living, breathing person. Like meeting someone, the more you get to know them, the more you learn. We’re both discovering new things, so it’s mutual. Sometimes it seems to happen without my knowledge. Puddles does things I don’t even know about.”
Touring regionally as the Puddles Pity Party, the act took off after an appearance on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force tour in 2010. “It was just an unannounced little thing with them,” said Geier. “But the crowd went bonkers and the Aqua guys really liked it.”
The appearances led to a residency in Seattle in 2012 and ultimately a tour with the Eels in 2013.
EMily Butler Photography
EMily Butler Photography
“So much was going on around that time,” Geier laughs. “I think it was around then that Puddles met Scott Bradlee, the musical director of Postmodern Jukebox. He was trying to do a YouTube thing, taking modern songs and making things seem old-timey.”
The result was a soaring rendition of Lorde’s “Royals.” The video went viral and the rest is an ever-expanding puddle of success for the clown — and his pal.
“It was insane,” said Geier. “Puddles’ website crashed from the traffic. It was crazy and fast, and it all just sort of happened in the moment at Scott’s apartment in Astoria, New York. Puddles just let it fly and went for it, as he always does. It took him to a much higher level, quickly.”
Despite the sudden success, Puddles remains humble. “He’s pretty grounded,” said Geier. “I think Puddles is oblivious to success. He’ll just walk down the street and get a cup of coffee any old place, with that same expression on his face.”
Speaking of his expression, Puddles is often described as a “sad clown,” but that’s not how Geier sees it. “He’s not so sad, really. The world is a sad and beautiful place, so all these things coexist equally to him.”
After his high-profile run on “America’s Got Talent,” Puddles saw a dramatic increase in bookings.
“It was exciting and scary, and it also introduced him to a much wider, global audience. After that appearance, Puddles started getting correspondence from people from all over the world and he started touring everywhere.”
Since Geier is along for the ride wherever Puddles goes, he had to give up his popular Tongo Hiti tiki-themed residency at Trader Vic’s in Atlanta.
“We had a real good run,” Geier sighed. “But I was on the road with Puddles so much, I was missing shows and life was just too hectic to do it all. Puddles can’t drive very well, so somebody had to be there for him.”
Geier’s wife [former burlesque artist] Shannon Newton also gave up her 9-to-5 job to help keep Puddles on the road.
“The whole thing has been a labor of love, and to see Puddles headline Caesar’s Palace was worth all the hard work,” said Geier. “It was surreal. Celebrities were coming to the show and even townies, who’ve seen it all, were packing the place.”
Though decidedly hard-earned, success came as a pleasant surprise for Geier.
“Success with anything has never been a goal for me or Shannon — or Puddles,” he explained. “I just cannot get over the places he gets to go, the things he gets to do and the folks who want to meet him.”
EMily Butler Photography
EMily Butler Photography
A few years ago, at a Writers Guild Award show, Geier said Puddles was sitting in the greenroom. “Ron Howard comes over, and says, ‘Hey, you’re pretty funny.” That was just an incredible moment. Bob Odenkirk is a fan, as is Kevin Costner. It’s so weird how many famous people are acquaintances of Puddles. He even got to meet the President of the European Union.”
This summer, Puddles was on tour with the iconoclastic rock band Primus. The result yielded another viral video of Primus and Puddles covering Dio’s “Holy Diver.”
“Puddles says yes to everything, so he did it,” said Geier.
In addition to recording a new album, Geier said there are Puddles Pity Party movie scripts and television show concepts in the works.
“We just keep cranking stuff out. I think that’s the fun part, seeing it all happen. Puddles was good friends with Paul Reubens, and his advice was to always keep making stuff, so that’s what we do. If they fizzle, we’ll just go on to the next thing.”
In the immediate future, the next thing for Puddles is a hometown show on Sept. 7.
“It’ll be sort of full circle for Puddles to play the Variety in Little Five Points,” said Geier. “He’ll bring his suitcase and lantern and that voice.”
When asked what concertgoers can expect from the show, Geier said, “Just leave your expectations at the door and enjoy the musical fellowship. There’ll be comedy and singalongs and audience participation in the best of ways. We always encourage people to dress up and help bring the circus to the show. Then Puddles will do the rest.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Puddles Pity Party. 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. $39-$60. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. 404-524-7354, www.variety-playhouse.com.
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