30 Most Fascinating Things Every Fan Should Know About Deadmau5

Joel Thomas Zimmerman, famous by his stage name "Deadmau5" (pronounced as Dead Mouse), is currently one of the highest paid electronic music producers in the world. He was born on January 5, 1981, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Here are 30 interesting facts about the Canadian record producer and DJ:

1. Zimmerman was awarded the International Achievement Award by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada at the 2012 SOCAN Awards in Toronto, on June 19, 2012.
2. The name "Deadmau5" originated when he was in his teens. It was during a friend's visit that he happened to find a dead mouse inside his computer, which led to everyone calling him "dead mouse guy." He embraced the moniker and shortened it to "deadmau5" as "dead mouse" was too long for online chat rooms.
3. The most popular song "The Veldt," which was named as one of the "Top 50 Songs of 2012," by Rolling Stones magazine, had vocals from a fan's tweet.
4. Just as he released “while(1<2),” he tweeted that his seventh album - two-disc, twenty-five track release, is what he will call as an album, as it's put together more like an album and just not a compilation.
5. The idea of the iconic wearable Mau5head was actually given by his friend Jay Gordon of the L.A. band Orgy. Gordon, after seeing a photo of the logo placed on his head as a joke, advised that Zimmerman should consider wearing headdress during gigs so people would remember him.
6. He is known for his social media rants that has often sparked feuds with most of the people from Tiesto to Arcade Fire. He once blasted David Guetta's "two iPods and a mixer" sets in Rolling Stone and even subtly hinted that he is being overpaid.
7. He had been in an on-and-off relationship with American tattoo artist and TV personality Kat Von D, since September 2012. The duo have several matching tattoos, like two black stars underneath their eyes. They have tattooed the day they met as "289m3d22h" on their arms.
8. He proposed to Von D on December 15, 2012 via Twitter and the couple announced that they would tie the knot in August 2013 with an aquatic themed wedding. However, Von D announced in June 2013, that their relationship has ended citing Zimmerman's alleged infidelity as the reason.
9. He prints 3D items at his residence in Canada with the use of a MakerBot Replicator, and also documents all his creations on his Instagram account.
10. He is a playable avatar in the video game "DJ Hero 2," released in October 2010. Zimmerman was also featured as a secret unlockable character in the "Goat Simulator." A virtual version of his mau5head is an available accessory in "Rocket League."
11. He once sparked feuds with fellow DJs, when he posted a subsequent Tumblr post titled "We All Hit Play," in which he claimed an EDM star's artistry lies solely in their production skills and "given about 1 hour of instruction, anyone with minimal knowledge of ableton and music tech in general could DO what doing at a deadmau5 concert."
12. Marcus Schössow, Maor Levi and DJ Eco created "Deadrat6," in December 2007, as a joke on Zimmerman, and claimed that his tracks sound mostly alike. "Sinterklaa5," is another similar faux project that was created in the same intention.
13. Deadmau5 performed live at the conclusion of the "Dota 2" competition "The International 5 (TI5)", at KeyArena in Seattle, on August 8, 2015. The TI5 held by Valve is considered to be the largest ever tournament in eSports to date.
14. Zimmerman is a cat person and has two cats as pet at his residence - a tuxedo cat named Professor Meowingtons and a Russian Blue named Miss Nyancat.
15. He had a Ferrari 458 customized with sky blue car wrap inspired by the internet meme, Nyan cat, and called it "The Purrari.” There was also the words "douchebags coming through," referring to himself and Tori Belluci of MythBusters, his driving partner in the Gumball 3000 rally from Miami to Ibiza.
16. However, Zimmerman had to remove the wrap, when the Italian car maker sent him a cease and desist letter. But that did not do enough to stop him, as replaced it with a Lamborghini Huracan, and named it "Nyanborghini Purracan."
17. He was involved with a trademark dispute with The Walt Disney Company, for over a year, as the company filed a request in March 2014, as it felt the mau5head emblem's resemblance to the figure of Mickey Mouse, might cause confusion because it is "nearly identical in appearance, connotation, and overall commercial impression" to Disney's trademark Mickey Mouse. However, in June 2015, Zimmerman's attorney stated that he and Disney had "amicably resolved their dispute."
18. Deadmau5's several tracks have been featured in various video games including "DJ Hero 2," "Need for Speed: Shift," "FIFA 13," Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars," "The Sims 3," "Need for Speed: Most Wanted," "Asphalt 8: Airborne," "Dota 2," "Wipeout 2048," "Saint Row: The Third," "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit," "GoldenEye 007," "Grand Theft Auto IV," "Sound Shapes," "Midnight Club: Los Angeles," and "Test Drive Unlimited 2."
19. During a January 2014 show, when he got to know that a Montreal venue, New Gas City, was charging $100 plus hefty fees, he quickly got the ticket prices slashed in half and even added a second night. He broke a self-imposed Twitter hiatus to inform his fans that he has fixed the situation.
20. He was listed in the Forbes "World's Highest-Paid DJs 2012" at #6 with the figure of $11.5 million. However, presented a counter-argument in his interview with Reuters. He recalled the moment saying "I called my manager and was like, ‘Yo, what the f—? I’m nine million short, dude!,’”
21. Zimmerman began on a tour named "Lots of shows in a row," with his new "Cube 2.1" stage set on March 26, 2017, to promote the release of his album "W:/2016ALBUM." The tour will conclude on October 31, 2017.
22. He has launched a website for his fans - Deadmau5 Live, in collaboration with Upfront, with the focus to interact more intimately with his fans and also keep them updated on what's happening with his life.
23. While performing at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2010, he collapsed on stage, suffering from exhaustion and vomiting, resulting in the cancellation of the rest of the show, along with nine more shows following the event.
24. Zimmerman bought a $5-million home, a 14,000 square foot mansion with 4 bedrooms, in the Campbellville area of Milton, Ontario in October 2014.
25. In the year 2012, he played as a DJ on TV shows "Gossip Girl," in which he is seen working the decks during a fashion show and on "CSI" again while a shark attacked a pool party.
26. In the year 2015, Deadmau5 attempted to register a trademark for Professor Meowingtons, the name of his pet cat. But it was rejected due to a pre-existing Meowingtons trademark held by an online retailer, which sells accessories and clothing for cats. He petitioned again citing his preexisting uses of the name, and that the site was named after his cat as the trademark was registered only in 2014.
27. As a response, he was sued for trademark infringement and unfair competition by the owner of the online retail, who argued that the site was not specifically named after the cat. Following this, he filed a counter-suit against Bassiri in May 2017, with the intention of seeking forfeiture of Bassiri's website and domain name. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he claimed that he was trying to find a way to resolve this situation amicably, but now he had been forced to "litigate this woman out of existence."
28. In the year 2011, he along with Talenthouse, held a contest for his fans to design his next mau5head. The winner of the contest was the "Cheese Head," a yellow mask with holes and indentations designed to look like Swiss cheese, with a white mouth and eyes that lit up. Deadmau5 debuted this mau5head during his performance at the New York City’s Roseland Ballroom.
29. A 2011 episode of the supernatural drama "Grimm," featured a shady DJ character named Retchid Kat, sporting a cat head, was based on Deadmau5.
30. He has six Grammy Award nominations to his name for his works including "The Longest Road," "Rope," "Raise Your Weapon," "4x4=12," ">Album Title Goes Here<," and "while(1<2)."
31. Deadmau5 – Joel Zimmerman Net Worth: $12 Million