Geier, known as
Big Mike Geier, fronted the band Useless Playboys in Richmond. 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. His shows include a mix of silent prop comedy, mime, and audience participation with songs interplayed throughout creating a narrative structure. 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.
2010s 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. Since 2014, Geier has toured the world, playing concerts in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, and Australia. In 2017, Geier, as Puddles, participated in
season 12 of the reality series ''
America's Got Talent. 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.
2020s In 2022, Geier, as Puddles, made a guest appearance on the season 4 season finale of
The Conners. 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 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. 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". On 1 April 2026, Puddles made a surprise appearance at the
Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC, during the penultimate song of
Puscifer's set on their ''Normal Isn't'' tour. He was accompanied by opening act comic,
Dave Hill, on guitar. They covered
Van Halen's ''
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love'' backed by Puscifer. Despite the strict "no phones" policy that Puscifer enforces at their concerts, frontman
Maynard James Keenan permitted the audience to record the event in order to "document" it. Typically, only the final song of the set is permitted to be photographed. ==Discography==