Floyd Vivino
Floyd Vivino | |
|---|---|
 Vivino in 2009 | |
| Born | Floyd Vivino October 19, 1951 Paterson, New Jersey,U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | TV & radio host, musician, actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | Guinness Book of World Records- longest time playing a piano |
| Website | unclefloyd |
 | This inlineneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2023) |
Floyd Vivino(born October 19, 1951), known professionally asUncle Floyd,is an American television, film, and stage performer primarily known for his comedy/variety TV showThe Uncle Floyd Show(1974–1998).
Early life
[edit]Vivino was born inPaterson, New Jerseyto Jerry Vivino Sr., a jazz trumpeter, and Emily Vivino. He grew up in Paterson,Point Pleasant,Island Heights,andGlen Rock.He attendedGlen Rock High School[1]where he produced a musical revue starring the school's janitorial staff. Vivino began his live performance career working as a child tap dancer in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and began his broadcast career over a friend'spirate radiostation while in high school.
Vivino is the older brother ofJerry VivinoandJimmy Vivino,who were members of theBasic Cable Band,formerly known as theMax Weinberg 7.Vivino is also the uncle of musical theater actressDonna Vivino.
Career
[edit]The Uncle Floyd Show
[edit]The Uncle Floyd Showaired in New Jersey and New York from 1974 to 1998. It can be read as a children's show or a parody of a children's show. Much of the humor has a twist aimed at adults, in the style of shows by predecessorSoupy Sales(1950s-1970s), and laterPee-wee Herman(1980s). The show featured character comedy, puppetry, some audience participation, musical guests, and Vivino's piano playing. One of Vivino's puppet sidekicks – actually aventriloquialfigure – was named Oogie. His on-air interaction with off-camera staff and sidekicks is somewhat in the style of whatHoward SternandChelsea Handlerwould later do. Local bands such asThe Smithereens,The Shades, andR. Stevie Moore,along with such well-known performers asThe Ramones,Tiny Tim,Benny Bell,Bon Jovi,Jan and Dean,Peter Tork,Squeeze,David Johansen,Blue Öyster Cult,Joe Jackson,andCyndi Lauperalso appeared on Vivino's program.
The show made its debut onUA-Columbia Cable TVof New Jersey, now part ofCablevision,on January 29, 1974. Beginning in November 1974 it aired on UHF-TV stationWBTB-TV,Newark,broadcasting on channels 68 and 60, which later became WTVG, then WWHT, as the station's ownership changed.
The show's first cast members in 1974 included Pat Cupo, Bob D. Caterino – known for his Groucho Marx skits, and Marc Nathan, the cameraman. Later members were Scott Gordon, Craig "Mugsy" Calam, Richard "Netto" Cornetto, Jim Monaco, Art "Looney Skip" Rooney, Charlie Stoddard, David "Artie Delmar" Burd, and Clark the Wonder Dog. A phonograph album based on the show,The Uncle Floyd Show Album,was released onMercury Records,and a number of 45 rpm singles on the Bioya label were released around 1979–83. Vivino has also released a few CDs as a solo artist.
In 1982,The Uncle Floyd Showwent into a small syndication circuit which included 17 markets, among themWNBC-TVchannel 4 in New York, thenWTAF-TVchannel 29 inPhiladelphia,WPWR-TVChannel 60 inChicago,WSBK-TVChannel 38 in Boston andWHCT-TVChannel 18 in Hartford. It aired right afterSCTVon WNBC. The national syndication deal was seen as a huge step forward for the show, which up until that point could only be viewed in and around New Jersey and New York City on a single UHF channel and, at times, local cable.
From 1983 to 1986,The Uncle Floyd Showran on the statewidePBSnetwork, NJNNew Jersey Network,which consisted of 4 channels: WNJS (Channel 23, Camden), WNJN (Channel 50, Montclair), WNJB (Channel 58, New Brunswick) and WNJT (Channel 52, Trenton).
Starting in late 1986,The Uncle Floyd Showwas then seen on statewide cable channel CTN ( "The Cable Television Network Of New Jersey" ).[2]During this time, the show went through various incarnations with Vivino sometimes hosting a music-only show, showcasing local bands. Vivino also hosted a show calledUncle Floyd's New Jersey,in which he would visit various towns and businesses in the state.
First-run production ofThe Uncle Floyd Showended in 1992, with CTN showing repeats until that channel's demise in 1999.
From 1992 until 1996, cast member Mugsy produced and appeared in a spin-off show entitled "The Eleventh Hour". The show was written and produced in the same vein asThe Uncle Floyd Show.It was broadcast live from studios in Nutley, New Jersey on the statewide CTN cable network, and on two Northern New Jersey public access channels, Cablevision of Oakland and Suburban Cablevision of New Jersey in East Orange (later acquired by Comcast Corporation).
In 1998, production ofThe Uncle Floyd Showbegan in theCablevisionstudio inOakland, New Jersey.One hundred shows were produced and aired on Cablevision systems throughout the region. Musical guests includedMarky RamoneandThe Misfits.Although viewer response was enthusiastic, the show was canceled by Cablevision management after the first cycle of episodes.
Other work
[edit]Vivino has appeared on several television shows filmed inNew York CityincludingLaw & Order,100 Centre Street,andCosby,and was a regular on theSirius Satellite RadioprogramThe Wiseguys Showon Raw Dog Comedy (channel 104) hosted by formerThe Sopranoscast memberVincent Pastore.Vivino performed the jingle of, as well as appeared in the TV commercial for, the frontier-themed amusement park "Wild West City", located inNetcong, New Jersey,a jingle that is still used today by the park. He has also had parts in the moviesGood Morning, Vietnam,Crazy PeopleandMr. Wonderful.[3][4]He also shot a scene forOne-Trick Ponywhich was deleted.[citation needed]In 2000, Vivino played the bit part of an announcer in theInsane Clown Possemovie,Big Money Hustlas.[5]
From 1987 to 2013, Vivino broadcast onWVIP-FM93.5 radio fromNew Rochelle, New York,where he played a wide range of Italian music on his Sunday afternoon program,The Italian-American Serenade.He claims to have the largest collection of Italian records in the world. The program was revived on sister station WVOX 1460 AM in September 2018.
In 1999, Vivino set a world record for non-stop piano playing, having played for 24 hours and 15 minutes in a charity event to raise money for a sick child. In more than 40 years in show business, Vivino has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various charities and causes.
In April 2013,Uncle Floyd's Garage Sale Musicbegan onWVOX1460 in New Rochelle, the sister station to his former radio outlet, WVIP. This show features an eclectic variety of records from Vivino's large personal collection, most of which he found in thrift shops, yard sales and curbside garbage piles. The program also features discussion between Vivino and co-host Scott Gordon about the music and artists whose recordings are heard on the show, many of whom Vivino worked with personally during his long career. There are also segments featuring written comments and questions submitted by listeners. Beginning in June 2014, a second weeklyGarage Sale Musicprogram began airing and streaming on Sundays 9:00-Noon overWFDU89.1 FM inTeaneck, New Jersey.The WVOX program ended in September 2018, returning to The Italian-American Serenade format.
In January 2013, Vivino began the internet-based radio programThe Uncle Floyd Radio Showwhich can be streamed twice a week from the show's website and through various SHOUTcast mobile apps and links.
Vivino was selected to be the vocalist on Vince Giordano's 2020 recording of Ain't Misbehavin' but was replaced by Loudon Wainwright III due to a conflicting appearance commitment.[6]
Vivino hosted and starred inThe Last Authentic American Traveling Burlesque Show,a tribute to the lost entertainment style ofburlesque.
Starting in November 2020, Vivino, along with long-time collaborator, Scott Gordon, began live-streaming old episodes and segments from Gordon's archive of 700 hours of video. These can be seen onStageIton the internet atStageIt /SGE-Incevery Tuesday night at 8:00PM Eastern time.
Tributes
[edit]The first band to refer toThe Uncle Floyd Showin a song was the Johnny Gork Band fromFlemington, New Jerseyin the early 1980s, released on a 45 rpm single. Johnny and the band appeared on the show, during which Uncle Floyd said he was honored and humbled to have a band produce a record about the show.
David Bowie,a fan of Vivino's television show, recorded the song "Slip Away" on his 2002 album,Heathen,as a tribute. The lyrics mention Uncle Floyd and his puppets "Oogie" and "Bones Boy". When asked how he had learned of the show, Bowie replied "John Lennontold me about it. "[4][7]He has also mentionedIggy Popregularly watching the show. While in Berlin in 2002 touring for hisHeathenalbum, Bowie said "This is another new song. It's about a television hero in America from '70s that myself, and Lennon and Iggy Pop used to watch in the afternoons. Crazy guy, and we were very addled and used to love fooling around watching this guy Uncle Floyd. And his song is called" Slip Away ".[8]This story is also told in the 2024 documentaryFlipside,which features Uncle Floyd.[9]
The song "Work for Food" byDramarama,on the 1994 albumHi-Fi Sci-Fifeatures theUncle Floyd Showin the lyrics. Footage of Vivino as Cowboy Charlie also appears in the video for the song. The members of Dramarama were fromWayne, New Jerseyand made their first television appearance onThe Uncle Floyd Show.
The Ramones also recognizedThe Uncle Floyd Showin their song "It's Not My Place (In the Nine to Five World)",[10]as well as in various live appearances. Also, Ramones guitaristJohnny Ramonecould often be seen wearing anUncle Floyd ShowT-shirt in pictures of the band, while Joey Ramone often wore anUncle FloydShow button on his leather jacket.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]In April 2022, Vivino revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer in both his bladder and prostate.[11]In July 2023, Vivino suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. A full recovery was expected.[12]
References
[edit]- ^Staff."Uncle Floyd - His TV Program Gathers A Cult - It's So Bad, It's Good",The Philadelphia Inquirer,February 26, 1984. Accessed February 28, 2011. "He studied piano as a child, and like his brothers - Jimmy, an arranger for the vocalist Phoebe Snow, and Jerry, for years a saxophonist for Frankie Valli - began making a living at music soon after his graduation in 1969 from Glen Rock High School in Bergen County."
- ^"Floyd Returns To TV, But Fans Are Irked".The New York Times.October 12, 1986.RetrievedDecember 20,2014.
TheUncle Floyd Showis in its 13th season and, after a three-month production hiatus - it was canceled by New Jersey Network on June 25 after a three-year run on that public-television station - will return on Nov. 3, but on CTN, or the Cable Television Network, a Trenton-based broadcast company with about 1.25 million subscribers....
- ^Floyd Vivino – IMDb
- ^ab"He Said Uncle And Made It Pay".The New York Times.December 8, 2002.RetrievedDecember 20,2014.
But sure enough, Mr. Vivino was cast as one of Robin Williams's fellow disc jockeys in the 1987 movie hit. Since then, he has appeared in 11 films as well as such television programs asLaw and OrderandCosby.
- ^Big Money Hustlas (2000) (V) - Full cast and crew
- ^WFDU Broadcast of Garage Sale Music June 11, 2023, archived at WFDU.FUM
- ^Leafe, Bob."David Bowie at Uncle Floyd Show".Bob Leafe Photography.RetrievedJuly 4,2013.
- ^David Bowie on stage in Berlin, 2002, Heathen tour.
- ^Kuperinsky, Amy (May 31, 2024)."'Flipside' film is a remarkable mix of N.J. record store lore — and Uncle Floyd ".NJ. com.
- ^"Ramones, The - It's not my place lyrics".Archived fromthe originalon September 27, 2007.RetrievedJune 3,2006.
- ^"Uncle Floyd diagnosed with COVID and it reveals 2 types of cancer".April 14, 2022.
- ^"Uncle Floyd hospitalized with stroke; full recovery expected".July 26, 2023.
External links
[edit]
- unclefloyd.net
- officialunclefloydArchivedJanuary 2, 2014, at theWayback Machine
- unclefloydradio
- garagesalemusic
- Floyd VivinoatIMDb
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