Towering clown to host unusual ‘pity party’ at music hall
TROY, N.Y. » All are invited to attend a rather unusual performance called Puddles Pity Party on Friday in the Collar City.
Puddles, a seven-foot-tall singing clown, will appear at 8 p.m. on Friday at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
This clown first came to the hall’s attention when he worked with Postmodern Jukebox on a cover of pop artist Lorde’s hit song “Royals.”
It was nearly 20 years earlier that Puddles caught the attention of bartender Big Mike Geier, when he wandered into the Star Community Bar in Atlanta, Ga., motioned for a soda water and sat there staring at his drink.
“There was a heaviness about him,” said Geier, in a press release, about when he first laid eyes on the sad, silent clown. “I could tell he wasn’t in the mood to chat, so I pretty much left him alone except to pass him the mustard when he pulled an onion and a heel of bread out of his pocket. A couple weeks later, he came by the bar and gave me a flyer to a show he was doing at a flea market. The sound system was crap, but his voice was something else. I’ve been in my share of bands and wasn’t expecting much from a clown singing karaoke from a boombox. But I’ll be damned if his singing didn’t get me all choked up.”
The two soon became close friends, with Big Mike acting somewhat as a confidant as the pair travel all over with Puddles Pity Party, Mike speaking on behalf of Puddles since the clown chooses to stay silent.
Originally from River City before kicking around Atlanta, the sulking serenader gained momentum after hitting the road as guest performer on the 2010 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live tour and 2013 Eels tour, making special appearances at Seattle’s Teatro ZinZanni and New York City’s Sleep No More.
It was Halloween 2013 when Puddles then teamed up with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox to record an epic version of Lorde’s hit song “Royals,” which instantly went viral on YouTube, having received nearly 20 million views.
The “sad clown with the golden voice” captivated audiences and media from around the world, building a fanbase of more than 222,000 on Facebook.
Puddles has since performed all over the planet, garnering rave reviews at festivals like Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Perth Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Fest and Belgium’s Gent Fest. He was a feature performer in La Soiree’s 2014 Southbank show in London, which won the Olivier Award. He was handpicked by Neil Patrick Harris to perform Just for Laugh’s “Circus Awesomeus,” gala filmed for HBO Canada. And Jack Black selected Puddles to perform at the 2015 Festival Supreme.
Today, the softhearted crooner continues to wander the world with melancholic pop anthems and free hugs for all the party people.
“Puddles gives an emotive performance that resonates with all kinds of folks,” Geier said in the release. “The crowd really responds to him. There’s something about a giant sad singing clown that comforts us, lets us know it’s ok to feel, to show our feelings. It’s a sad and beautiful world, and we’re all in it together, even when we’re totally alone.”
More information, including a video showcasing Puddle’s talents, can be found online at www.puddlespityparty.com/.
Tickets to Friday’s local show cost $34.50 or $29.50 and are available online at www.troymusichall.org, via phone at (518) 273-0038 or at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Box Office.