Unipiper
The Unipiper entertaining a crowd gathered in front of the Bagdad Theater during the 2015 Hawthorne Street Fair in Portland, Oregon
Birth nameBrian Kidd
Born (1983-04-29) 29 April 1983
Colonial Heights, Virginia
NationalityAmerican
Websitewww.theunipiper.com

The Unipiper (born Brian Kidd; April 29, 1983) is a Portland, Oregon unicyclist, street performer, bagpiper and internet celebrity.

Life and career

Brian Kidd moved to Portland, Oregon, from North Carolina in 2007.[1] The Oregonian newspaper wrote in 2017 that he came up with the act that he would later name the Unipiper "shortly before he moved to Portland", but developed it in Portland,[1] where he was influenced by the city's receptiveness to quirky characters. He named his character the Unipiper when he moved to Portland.[2]

The Unipiper is an American performance artist whose work regularly combines unicycling with playing the (sometimes flaming) bagpipes. The Unipiper first found Internet fame in 2012 when a video of him performing The Imperial March went viral.[3] The video featured the Unipiper wearing a Darth Vader mask, while riding a unicycle and playing the bagpipes, and was subsequently featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[2] His other mainstream media appearances have included America's Got Talent and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[4] He has since branched out into performances referencing non-Star Wars fictional elements, including Game of Thrones, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,[5] and Pokémon.[6][7] His antics as Uncle Sam have attracted international attention.[8]

In 2019, the Unipiper helped organize Weird Portland United, a non-profit dedicated to promoting artists and creatives in the Portland metropolitan area.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Turnquist, Kristi (June 21, 2017) [first published online June 19]. "Unipiper pops up in 'Gong Show' revival". The Oregonian. p. B16. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Chris Higgins (January 6, 2014). "Brian Kidd is the Unipiper: the unicycling bagpiper". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  3. ↑ Darth Vader and the Imperial March on Bagpipes and Unicycle - The Unipiper, retrieved 2023-05-03
  4. ↑ Pete Cottell (May 27, 2016). "Bike Guide 2014: The Unipiper--Behind the Darth Vader mask of Portland's one-wheeled mascot". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  5. ↑ Edar Campuzano (March 22, 2016). "Watch: Unipiper presents 'Batman v Superman' in a theme song battle for the ages". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  6. ↑ Bonnie Burton (August 21, 2016). "Musician balances on Pokeball while playing Pokemon theme on flaming bagpipes". CNET. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  7. ↑ Sophia June (August 23, 2016). "The Bagpipe Unicycle Guy Dressed as Charmander and Played the Pokemon Theme Song". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  8. ↑ Vin Shahrestani (July 13, 2015). "How many tricks can one unicyclist do? Brian Kidd, also known as the Unipiper, uses his flamethrowing bagpipes to deliver a classical score atop a unicycle". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  9. ↑ Andy Prewitt (January 6, 2014). "One of the City's Most Popular Local Celebrities Has Started a Nonprofit Dedicated to Keeping Portland Weird". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  10. ↑ KGW (January 22, 2019). "The Unipiper starts 'Weird Portland United' to make Portland even weirder". KGW. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
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