Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, composer, voice actor and record label owner, affiliated with a number of groups but best known as the lead vocalist of Faith No More.
He's been a notable and influential artist over the years for his vocal proficiency (possessing the single widest known vocal range of any singer in popular music at six octaves), diverse influences and techniques, versatility in outputs, eccentric public image and outspoken contempt for the music industry.
Patton started out as frontman for his high school band Mr. Bungle before his joining FNM catapulted him to fame. Since then, he has become insanely prolific; apart from the aforementioned large number of groups he's been a part of, he collaborated with a huge number of other artists (such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Serj Tankian, Massive Attack, The Qemists and Björk of all people).
In 2007, he started working on various projects in voice acting, mainly as crazy-ass demented characters, such as the eponymous Darkness in The Darkness, the Anger Sphere in Portal, zombies in Left 4 Dead and creatures in I Am Legend. From this, you probably think that he exclusively does insane gabbling in weird voices, and you'd be right... if he hadn't also voiced the main character in Bionic Commando. He also provides the voice of the Lemony Narrator of Bunraku.
Notable groups associated with Mike Patton:
- Mr. Bungle
- Faith No More
- Tomahawk
- Fantômas
- Peeping Tom
- John Zorn
- Moonchild
- Mike Patton Mondo Cane
- Lovage
- Nevermen (with [[Music/Clouddead Doseone]] and Tunde Adebimpe)
- Dead Cross
Tropes associated with Mike Patton:
- Big "SHUT UP!": The infamous Mondo Cane concert
where he yelled "Shut the fuck up!" at a disruptive crowd member mid-song. He also did the exact same thing to Stone Sour during Rock in Rio in 2011, although the latter instance seems to have been more of a joke. - Careful with That Axe:
- At least half of Mike Patton's discography has him screeching out ear piercing screams. Here are some examples:
- From his project Tomahawk the song Malocchio starts out with Patton screaming 'CHEW IT!! CHEW IT!! CHEW IT TO SPIT IT OUT!!'.
- Fantômas' cover of the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me theme is sort of an interesting case because it contains a scream that's not actually performed by Mike Patton at all: It's a sample from the final episode of the TV series, which is scarier if you've seen the episode in question.
- The end of the bridge to Mr. Bungle's "Goodbye Sober Day" has one section in which Patton, unaccompanied, screams "CHAK! CHAK CHAK CHAK CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA CHAK CHAK CHAK!" If you've never heard the song before, and it comes on while you're asleep, be prepared to wake up in terror.
- His numerous collaborations with John Zorn are almost exclusively comprised of screaming
- At least half of Mike Patton's discography has him screeching out ear piercing screams. Here are some examples:
- Cloud Cuckoolander
- Cover Album: Mondo Cane, which features covers of mid-century Italian pop.
- Deadpan Snarker
- Even the Guys Want Him: If this is any indication. During a late-era performance with Mr. Bungle, he decided to invoke this trope as a joke.
- Game-Breaking Injury: Averted. During his third performance with Faith No More, he accidentally cut himself on a broken bottle, which severed the tendons and nerves in his right hand. While he can still use it, that hand is now permanently numb. (Strangely, this is the exact opposite of what his doctors expected to happen: they expected him to regain feeling in the hand but be unable to use it.)
- Genre Roulette: His various projects cover a number of styles, including Alternative Rock, Pop, Heavy Metal, Hip-Hop, Funk, Jazz, Trip Hop and Experimental Music.
- Insufferable Genius: Notoriously arrogant and standoffish in person.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Very much so in his younger days.
- Man of a Thousand Voices: He has a six-octave vocal range, making him by far the singer with the widest range on record. (For the record, the second singer on the list, Corey Taylor, was three whole notes behind him). The artist who comes the closest to Patton's singing versatility is Kyo, the singer of Dir en grey, who is regarded as the Japanese Mike Patton.
- Rap Rock/Rap Metal: Early pioneer of this.
- Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: Averted. He's been known to be very critical of the infamous rock star lifestyle, and the only "drug" he's ever been on is caffeine. Ironically, the lyrics to Peeping Tom's song "Mojo" perfectly showcase his attitude towards this way of living by playing the trope completely straight. The song and its lyrics are a blatantly cynical look at drugs and partying in general, as well as people who regularly indulge in them as a major part of their lifestyle.
- Troll: Very often in his early years, especially during interviews. (This being a prime example)
