We’re looking forward to introducing you to Professor B. Miller. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Professor B., thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I tend to lose track of time when I’m solving problems… creative ones, especially. Whether it’s programming quests for our video game or finding just the right texture in a recording, that process of experimentation draws me in completely. I love the tinkering process. It’s a mix of science experiment and scavenger hunt… you never quite know where the next breakthrough will come from. It’s not about perfection as much as curiosity: following a thread, testing ideas, and discovering unexpected connections. The best moments are when I forget I’m “working” and realize I’ve been completely absorbed in building a little world from scratch.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, once described as “if Kurt Vonnegut was in DEVO,” is fronted by a 6’4” robot with delusions of grandeur and backed by the mad scientist who built him. Together, we deliver high-concept albums that blend music, satire, and performance art into transmissions from a parallel universe. With hundreds of original songs and a catalog of themed vinyl releases packaged like artifacts from another dimension, we’ve tried to rewrite the rules of what a band can be… equal parts storytelling experiment, social commentary, and absurd comedy.
Right now, we’re in the middle of releasing 20 themed albums on vinyl. Our newest release, Press Start… the 11th installment… is all about video games. It comes with a fully playable game where you control us, plus a strategy guide, arcade tokens, and tickets for good measure. Musically, it’s a love letter to the golden age of gaming: chiptune-inspired tracks that sound like vintage consoles come to life, with lyrics that use video games as metaphors for real-world experiences.
Behind the scenes, we already have music recorded for albums 12 through 16 and are currently recording #17. Each one has its own universe, and connecting them all feels like building a strange, ever-expanding mythology that keeps us both entertained and slightly bewildered.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I grew up with Pong, the Atari 2600, NES, and eventually Super Nintendo. But nothing could top the thrill of an actual arcade… playing the latest games, the cha-ching of pinball machines, skeeball tickets piling up, and walking away with a switchblade comb. It felt like stepping into another dimension, a virtual escape where the rules of everyday life didn’t apply.
The music from that era seared itself into my subconscious. To this day, the melodies from Super Mario Bros., Castlevania, and Mega Man still play on a loop in my head. When paired with a level I was stuck on, just hearing those songs again triggers anxiety or adrenaline. Those early games didn’t just shape my taste in music… they shaped how I see the world: as a series of strange levels to explore, challenges to outsmart, and hidden Easter eggs to uncover.
Our new album and companion video game, Phantom Quests, is a tribute to all of that nostalgia. It’s our love letter to the arcade era, but with the usual SPO twist… layers of satire, social commentary, and existential humor, now delivered through a chorus of bleeps and bloops.
Our very first songs as a band in the mid-90s had a chiptune feel. We’ve always blurred the line between man and machine, art and experiment, reality and simulation… so diving into the world of video games felt like coming home.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I think a lot of people are afraid of failing… afraid of losing, afraid of getting something wrong. But for me, every mistake adds another data point, another clue pointing toward the right direction. Failure sharpens your vision in a way success never does. You learn what not to do, which is often the most valuable information there is.
Video games are great teachers of that mindset. You can’t beat the big boss by hiding in the corner. You have to take your shot, study the pattern, and adjust. Each “Game Over” is just feedback disguised as defeat. Eventually, you realize that progress and failure are really the same process, just seen from different checkpoints.
You only really lose when you stop pressing ‘continue.’
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
There’s a quest in our video game where you have to fill the moat around a castle. The choices are water, birds, hippos, gators, purple people eaters, and salesmen. Naturally, there is only one right answer. I thought it was obvious. Apparently, very few players agreed with me.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m in a satanic, robot-fronted band. Just like my great-grandfather, and his great-great-grandfather before him. Ours is a long lineage of unholy musical collaboration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.satanicpuppeteer.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/satanicpuppeteer
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/satanicpuppeteer
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/satanicpuppeteer
- Other: https://store.satanicpuppeteer.com/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3725750/Satanic_Puppeteer_Orchestra_Phantom_Quests
Image Credits
Becky DiGiglio, Matt Alioto, Adam Gimbel, Michael Buchmiller
