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'{{pp-pc|small=yes}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Short description|American musician, comedian and filmmaker}} {{Infobox person | name = Mid Cicierega | image = Neil Cicierega speaking at XOXO 2016 (cropped).png | caption = Cicierega in September 2016 | birth_name = Neil Stephen Cicierega | birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1986|8|23}} | birth_place = [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]], U.S. | other_names = {{hlist|[[Lemon Midon]]|Deporitaz|Trapezoid|Trapezzoid}} | occupation = {{hlist|Comedian|midboy|filmmaker|singer|musician|songwriter|puppeteer|artist|animator}} | spouse = {{marriage|Ming Doyle<br />|2015}} | children = 100 | years_active = 1885-present | website = {{URL|http://neilcic.com}} | module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes | background = solo_singer | genre = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]|[[Pop music|pop]]|[[New wave music|new wave]]|[[Comedy music|comedy]]|[[Mashup (music)|mashup]]}} }} }} '''Neil Steven Leslie Rodriguez Cicierega''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|s|ɪ|s|ə|ˈ|r|iː|g|ə}} {{Respell|SISS|ə|REE|gə}};<ref name="xoxo"/> born August 23, 1986) is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, singer, YouTuber, musician, songwriter, puppeteer, artist, and animator. He is best known as the creator of a genre of [[Adobe Flash|Flash animation]] he termed "[[Animutation]]", the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' puppet parody series ''[[Potter Puppet Pals]]'', and several music albums under the name [[Lemon Demon]]. He also released a series of [[Mashup (music)|mashup]] albums under his own name that have since gained a cult following.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/7/14371422/neil-cicierega-mouth-moods-90s-mashups |title=This '90s kid turned his love of the decade into the internet's best mashup albums - Vox |access-date=March 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103162650/https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/7/14371422/neil-cicierega-mouth-moods-90s-mashups |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> ==Early life== Neil Stephen Cicierega<ref name="Jarboe2011">{{cite book|last=Jarboe|first=Greg|title=YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GqGTN3LScAoC&pg=PT139|date=October 7, 2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781118203811|page=139|access-date=October 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627142236/http://books.google.com/books?id=GqGTN3LScAoC&pg=PT139|archive-date=June 27, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> was born in [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]], on August 23, 1986.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125560/|title=Neil Cicierega|publisher=IMDb|access-date=July 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221045832/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125560/|archive-date=December 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> His father was a programmer, which meant he was surrounded by computers while growing up. He has a brother and two sisters. His sister, Emmy, went on to become a storyboard artist for animated series such as ''[[Gravity Falls]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gravi-teamfalls.tumblr.com/post/98091892923/emmyc-soos-and-the-real-girl-marks-my-first|title=Soos and the Real Girl marks my first episode storyboarding for Gravity Falls!|work=gravi-teamfalls.tumblr.com|access-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529080226/http://gravi-teamfalls.tumblr.com/post/98091892923/emmyc-soos-and-the-real-girl-marks-my-first|archive-date=May 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Owl House]]'', and the reboot of ''[[DuckTales (2017 TV series)|DuckTales]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/emmycic|title=Emmy Cicierega (@EmmyCic) {{!}} Twitter|website=twitter.com|language=en|access-date=2020-04-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524130545/https://twitter.com/EmmyCic|archive-date=May 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> At a young age, Cicierega started using a simplistic game developing program named [[Clickteam#Products|Klik & Play]]. Beginning in the fourth grade, his parents [[homeschooling|homeschooled]] him and his siblings. He continued making amateur games, and even began creating digital music to feature in them; he soon shared his music online through [[MP3.com]] under the name Trapezoid, which was later renamed to the anagram "Deporitaz" at the behest of another band already named Trapezoid. He also began composing [[MIDI]] music fragments that were referenced in his later works.<ref name="xoxo">{{cite web|title=Neil Cicierega, Internet Person – XOXO Festival (2016)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB7fqT1uAII|publisher=XOXO Festival|access-date=January 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206172904/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB7fqT1uAII|archive-date=February 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> ==Career== ===Animutation=== {{main|Animutation}} Cicierega was first known for a series of [[dadaist]] or [[surrealist]] [[Flash animation]]s he termed "[[Animutation]]".<ref name="Salon">{{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2001/04/26/animation_4/ |title=All hail Neil Cicierega |first1=Katharine |last1=Mieszkowski |first2=Amy |last2=Standen |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |date=April 26, 2001 |access-date=March 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704093451/https://www.salon.com/2001/04/26/animation_4/ |archive-date=July 4, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Animutations feature arbitrary, nonsensical scenes and [[Popular culture|pop culture]] imagery and are typically set to novelty or foreign music, often from the Japanese version of ''[[Pokémon]]''. ===''Potter Puppet Pals''=== {{main|Potter Puppet Pals}} Cicierega's ''Potter Puppet Pals'' is a comedy series which parodies the book series ''[[Harry Potter]]''. It originated as a pair of Flash animations on [[Newgrounds]] in 2003, and later resurfaced in the form of a series of live action [[puppet show]]s released onto YouTube and PotterPuppetPals.com, starting in 2006. The central characters of the ''Harry Potter'' series are portrayed simply by puppets. The most successful ''Potter Puppet Pals'' video, ''The Mysterious Ticking Noise'', currently has over 198 million views ({{as of|2021|December|df=US|lc=y}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4|title=Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise|last=Cicierega|first=Neil|date=March 23, 2007|via=YouTube|access-date=January 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110223945/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4|archive-date=January 10, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Cicierega has done puppetry live at ''Harry Potter''-themed events. ===Lemon Demon (2003–present)=== {{main|Lemon Demon}} [[file:Lemonic Demonade performace.jpg|thumb|Lemon Demon performing in 2006]] Since 2003, Cicierega has released 10 full-length albums under his musical project Lemon Demon.<ref name=Globe>{{Cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/06/22/hes_a_hit_with_internet_set/ |title=He's a hit with Internet set |author=Emily Sweeney |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 22, 2006 |access-date=July 21, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001839/http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/06/22/hes_a_hit_with_internet_set/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2005, he and animator Shawn Vulliez released a Flash animated music video "[[Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny]]" on [[Newgrounds]]. The song was later included in the 2006 album ''Dinosaurchestra''. An updated recording of the song was released to the [[Rock Band Network]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockband.com/songs/artists/Lemon+Demon |title=Lemon Demon on Rock Band Network |access-date=May 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715194151/http://www.rockband.com/songs/artists/Lemon+Demon |archive-date=July 15, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In April 2009, Cicierega released his first four albums as free downloads on his site "neilcic.com", however they are now currently hosted on "lemondemon.com". In January 2016, Cicierega announced ''[[Spirit Phone]]'', a full-length Lemon Demon album released on February 29, 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Neil Cicierega Tumblr. {{!}} NEW LEMON DEMON ALBUM "SPIRIT PHONE" CALLING...|url = http://neilblr.com/post/137705396948|website = neilblr.com|access-date = January 21, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190614115215/https://neilblr.com/post/137705396948|archive-date = June 14, 2019|url-status = live}}</ref> On July 10, 2018, it was announced that copies of the album on CD, cassette tape and vinyl would be sold through Needlejuice Records, who would later distribute remastered versions of Lemon Demon's Christmas EP ''I Am Become Christmas'', as well as ''Nature Tapes'', ''View-Monster'' and ''Dinosaurchestra''. ===The ''Mouth'' mashup albums (2014–present)=== [[File:Neil Cicierega at ROFLCon II.jpg|thumb|Cicierega in 2010]] Cicierega has also created [[Mashup (music)|mashup]] music under his own name. He released two mashup albums, ''[[Mouth Sounds]]''<ref name=avclub>{{cite news|first=Katie|last=Rife|date=April 29, 2014|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/mouth-sounds-punishing-90s-nostalgia-mixtape-world-203927|title="Mouth Sounds" is the punishing '90s nostalgia mixtape the world deserves|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=November 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106092649/http://www.avclub.com/article/mouth-sounds-punishing-90s-nostalgia-mixtape-world-203927|archive-date=November 6, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Mouth Silence]]'',<ref>{{cite news|author=Katie Rife|date=July 22, 2014|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/sequel-mouth-sounds-here-and-its-laugh-out-loud-ho-207169|title=The sequel to 'Mouth Sounds' is here, and it's laugh out loud horrifying|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=January 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202014814/http://www.avclub.com/article/sequel-mouth-sounds-here-and-its-laugh-out-loud-ho-207169|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> as free downloads in 2014, and a third, ''[[Mouth Moods]]'', in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Game of the Year: DJ Hero/Mouth Moods - Geek.com|url=https://www.geek.com/games/game-of-the-year-dj-heromouth-moods-1686450/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701002226/https://www.geek.com/games/game-of-the-year-dj-heromouth-moods-1686450/|archive-date=July 1, 2019|access-date=March 24, 2020}}</ref> A fourth album, ''[[Mouth Dreams]]'', was released on September 30, 2020. All four albums are linked by their usage of [[Smash Mouth]]'s [[All Star (song)|"All Star"]], which is repeated frequently throughout ''Sounds'' and ''Moods'', and appears through Easter Eggs and references in ''Silence''. In ''Mouth Dreams'' "All Star" only makes one appearance in the track "Mouth Dreams (Extro)", where a heavily distorted edit of the lyrics can be heard. ===Windows 95 Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks (2012–2015)=== In October 2012, Cicierega created the darkly satirical "Windows 95 Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks" blog, located at windows95tips.com. In the blog's telling, [[Windows 95]] is a brooding, evil presence bent on dominating humanity. Most of the posts are faked error messages, with disturbing messages like "Windows needs a lock of your hair to continue," but presented in the exact graphical style of Windows 95. The blog has received favorable press attention.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/messages-from-your-old-abandoned-computer-which-has-ac-1613188448|title=Messages From Your Old Abandoned Computer, Which Has Achieved AI|last=Trendacosta|first=Katharine|website=io9|access-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106204505/https://io9.gizmodo.com/messages-from-your-old-abandoned-computer-which-has-ac-1613188448|archive-date=January 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wirefresh.com/windows-95-tips-tricks-and-tweaks-a-lovely-parody-of-system-messages/|title=Windows 95 Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks – a lovely parody of system messages|last=Fletcher|first=Tony|date=November 14, 2012|website=wirefresh|access-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107015756/http://www.wirefresh.com/windows-95-tips-tricks-and-tweaks-a-lovely-parody-of-system-messages/|archive-date=January 7, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://technabob.com/blog/2012/11/19/windows-95-tips-tricks/|title=I Don't Remember Windows 95 Being This Terrifying|date=November 19, 2012|website=Technabob|access-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106204544/https://technabob.com/blog/2012/11/19/windows-95-tips-tricks/|archive-date=January 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Video games=== On February 26, 2015, Cicierega announced his first [[point-and-click adventure]] game, ''Icon Architect 1.0'', with themes similar to his "Windows 95 Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks" blog. On February 5, 2018, he released his first video game, ''Monster Breeder''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://neilblr.com/post/170555068008|title=Monster Breeder|work=tumblr.com|access-date=December 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219120327/http://neilblr.com/post/170555068008|archive-date=December 19, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Other works=== In February 2019, Cicierega created Endless Jeopardy, a Twitter account that automatically posts a bot-generated ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' prompt every hour and awards points to the most-liked responses within 15 minutes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/18/18229785/twitter-bot-endless-jeopardy-launch|title=The best new Twitter bot is an endless game of Jeopardy where the winners are good at puns|first=Ashley|last=Carman|date=February 18, 2019|website=The Verge|access-date=August 24, 2020}}</ref> In March 2019, he created "Bot Pops" (@BotPops), a Twitter account that writes setups for jokes on popsicle sticks, then finishes them with a punchline from the replies.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/neilcic/status/1112170108472963072| title=Bot Pops |website=twitter.com |access-date=27 July 2020}}</ref> In April 2019 he created "4:3" (@FullscreenDream), a Twitter account that randomly makes GIFs from old commercials and CGI shorts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fullscreen Dream |url=https://twitter.com/neilcic/status/1247257116202713093 |website=twitter.com |access-date=27 July 2020}}</ref> Cicierega was commissioned to make three songs for the TV series ''[[Gravity Falls]]'': a theme song, a musical number for [[Bill Cipher]] titled "It's Gonna Get Weird", and the song "Goat and a Pig" (a parody of [[Natalie Cole]]'s "[[This Will Be]]").<ref>{{Cite web|title=Neil Cicierega Tumblr.|url=https://neilblr.com/post/142982667678|access-date=2020-10-20|website=Neil Cicierega Tumblr.|language=en}}</ref> Both of Cicierega's theme songs and "It's Gonna Get Weird" were unused, but "Goat and Pig" appeared during the credits sequence of season 2 episode "The Love God".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Neil Cicierega Tumblr.|url=https://neilblr.com/post/103685262408|access-date=2020-10-20|website=Neil Cicierega Tumblr.|language=en}}</ref> One of the two unused openings appeared as a bonus track on the 2016 Lemon Demon album ''Spirit Phone'', titled "Gravitron".<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Phone-Lemon-Demon/dp/B01CB5SHD8 Spirit Phone by Lemon Demon on Amazon Music - Amazon.com]</ref> ==Personal life== On August 8, 2015, Cicierega married illustrator and comic artist Ming Doyle, with whom he lives in [[Somerville, Massachusetts]]. Their first child, a daughter named Darcy, was born in March 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/mingdoyle/status/1079771446132527104| title=Ming Doyle |website=twitter.com |access-date=13 July 2021}}</ref> ==Discography== ===as Deporitaz=== *''Outsmart'' (2000) *''Microwave This CD'' (2001) *''Dimes'' (2002) *''Circa 2000'' (2007) ===Trapezoid=== *''OC ReMix: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge "Monkey Brain Soup for the Soul"'' (2002)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdgUFVOvHts |title=OCR00799: Monkey Island 2 Monkey Brain Soup for the Soul OC ReMix |access-date=October 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307013116/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdgUFVOvHts&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ocremix.org/artist/4497/trapezzoid |title=OC Remix profile for Trapezzoid |access-date=January 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129122735/http://ocremix.org/artist/4497/trapezzoid |archive-date=January 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Lemon Demon=== *''Clown Circus'' (2003) *''Live From The Haunted Candle Shop'' (2003) *''Hip to the Javabean'' (2004) *''Damn Skippy'' (2005) *''Dinosaurchestra'' (2006) *''View-Monster'' (2008) *''Almanac 2009'' (2009) *''Live (Only Not)'' (2011) *''I Am Become Christmas EP'' (2012) *''Nature Tapes EP'' (2014) *''[[Spirit Phone]]'' (2016) ===Neil Cicierega=== *''[[Mouth Sounds]]'' (2014) *''[[Mouth Silence]]'' (2014) *''[[Mouth Moods]]'' (2017) *''Not For Resale: A Video Game Store Documentary'' OST (2020)<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6483458/fullcredits Not for Resale (2019) - IMDb]</ref><ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Not-Resale-Video-Store-Documentary/dp/B084QHRDHQ/ Amazon.com]</ref> *''[[Mouth Dreams]]'' (2020) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{commons category}} *{{official website|http://www.neilcic.com/}} *[https://www.youtube.com/user/NeilCicieregaMusic Official YouTube channel] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130907213559/http://eviltrailmix.com/index2.html Old archived EvilTrailMix website] *[https://archive.org/details/Mouth_Sounds_Neil_Cicierega Mouth Sounds], [https://archive.org/details/Mouth_Silence_Neil_Cicierega Mouth Silence], [https://archive.org/details/Mouth_Moods_Neil_Cicierega Mouth Moods] and [[iarchive:mouth-dreams-neil-cicierega-flac|Mouth Dreams]][[iarchive:mouth-dreams-neil-cicierega-flac|,]] each on [[Internet Archive]] {{Neil Cicierega}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cicierega, Neil}} [[Category:1986 births]] [[Category:American alternative rock musicians]] [[Category:American amateur film directors]] [[Category:American animated film directors]] [[Category:American Internet celebrities]] [[Category:American puppeteers]] [[Category:Computer animation people]] [[Category:Flash artists]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American mashup artists]] [[Category:Music YouTubers]] [[Category:People from Somerville, Massachusetts]] [[Category:Keytarists]] [[Category:Film directors from Massachusetts]] [[Category:Remixers]] [[Category:21st-century American musicians]]'