Brian Joseph Burton was born in White Plains, New York. He spent much of his childhood in Spring Valley, New York. Burton moved to Stone Mountain, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, where he attended and graduated from Redan High School. He lived in Athens, Georgia, where he pursued a degree in telecommunications at the University of Georgia on scholarship, and where his trip hop works (The Chilling Effect (1999), Rhode Island (2000), and Pelican City / Scanner - Pelican City vs. Scanner (2002)) were released while he was a student. While at the University of Georgia he was introduced to Nirvana, Pink Floyd, and Portishead, and came to know the indie rock scene in Athens, remixed work by several local artists, including Neutral Milk Hotel, and DJ'd for University of Georgia radio station WUOG-FM. From 1998 to 2003, Burton created a series of remix CDs and records under the stage name Danger Mouse. He performed in a mouse outfit because he was too shy to show his face, and took his name from the English cartoon series Danger Mouse."An American musician and producer, Brian Burton, created remix CDs under the stage name Danger Mouse, which he took from the television series." Associated Press, "Mark Hall, 75, 'Danger Mouse' cartoonist," The New York Times, November 20, 2011.
