Floyd Vivino (born October 19, 1951), also known as Uncle Floyd, is an American television, film, and stage performer primarily known for his comedy/variety TV show ''The Uncle Floyd Show'' (1974–1998).
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...
'', 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." where he produced a musical revue starring the school's janitorial staff. Floyd began his live performance career working as a child tap dancer in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and began his broadcast career over a friend's
pirate radio
Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license.
In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially ...
station while in high school.
Floyd Vivino is the older brother of
Jerry Vivino
Jerry Vivino (born January 8, 1954 in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American musician.
Biography
He was a member of the Basic Cable Band, the house band for the TBS late night program '' Conan''. He was also a member of The Tonight Show Band, ...
and
Jimmy Vivino
Jimmy Vivino (born January 10, 1955) is an American guitarist, keyboard player, singer, producer, and music director. He is best known as having been the leader of Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, the house band for the TBS late night pr ...
, who were members of the
Basic Cable Band
Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band was the house band for Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show ''Conan (talk show), Conan'' from its debut on November 8, 2010 to the final episode of its 60-minute format October 4, 2018. Guitarist and arranger ...
, formerly known as the
Max Weinberg 7
Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band was the house band for Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show '' Conan'' from its debut on November 8, 2010 to the final episode of its 60-minute format October 4, 2018. Guitarist and arranger Jimmy Vivino is th ...
. Floyd is also the uncle of musical theater actress Donna Vivino.
Career
''The Uncle Floyd Show''
''The Uncle Floyd Show'' aired 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 predecessor
Soupy Sales
Milton Supman (January 8, 1926 – October 22, 2009), known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio-television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television serie ...
(1950s-1970s), and later
Pee Wee Herman
Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that q ...
(1980s). The show featured character comedy, puppetry, some audience participation, musical guests, and Floyd's piano playing. One of Floyd's puppet sidekicks – actually a ventriloquial figure – was named Oogie. His on-air interaction with off-camera staff and sidekicks is somewhat in the style of what
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...
and
Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Joy Handler (born February 25, 1975) is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk show ''Chelsea Lately'' on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documentary series, ...
would later do. Local bands such as
The Smithereens
The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drum ...
, The Shades, and
R. Stevie Moore
Robert Steven Moore (born January 18, 1952) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who pioneered lo-fi (or "DIY") music. Often called the "godfather of home recording", he is one of the most recognized artists of the cas ...
, along with such well-known performers as
The Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United St ...
Benny Bell
Benny Bell (born Benjamin Samberg, March 21, 1906 – July 6, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter who reached popularity in the 1940s, with a comeback in the 1970s. He is remembered for his risqué but cheerfully optimistic songs.
Career
B ...
,
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John such qu ...
,
Jan and Dean
Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music style ...
,
Peter Tork
Peter Halsten Thorkelson (February 13, 1942 – February 21, 2019), better known by his stage name Peter Tork, was an American musician and actor. He was best known as the keyboardist and bass guitarist of the Monkees and a co-star of the TV ...
David Johansen
David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...
,
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
also appeared on Floyd's program.
The show made its debut on UA-Columbia Cable TV of New Jersey, now part of
Cablevision
Cablevision Systems Corporation was an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It was the fifth-largest cable provider and ninth-largest television provider in the United States. Throughout its e ...
, on January 29, 1974. Beginning in November 1974 it aired on UHF-TV station WBTB-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 on
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...
, 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 Show'' went into a small syndication circuit which included 17 markets, among them
WNBC-TV
WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo statio ...
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
WPWR-TV
WPWR-TV (channel 50) is a television station licensed to Gary, Indiana, United States, broadcasting the MyNetworkTV programming service to the Chicago area. It is one of two commercial television stations in the Chicago market to be licensed in ...
Channel 60 in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
and
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV (channel 38) is an independent television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS owned-and-operated station WBZ-TV (channel 4). Both stations share studios on So ...
Channel 38 in Boston. It aired right after '' SCTV'' on 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 Show'' ran on the statewide
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
network, NJN
New Jersey Network
The New Jersey Network (NJN) was a network of public television and radio stations serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. NJN was a member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for television and the National Public Radio (NPR) for radio, br ...
, 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 Show'' was then seen on statewide cable channel CTN ("The Cable Television Network Of New Jersey"). During this time, the show went through various incarnations with Floyd sometimes hosting a music-only show, showcasing local bands. Floyd also hosted a show called ''Uncle Floyd's New Jersey'', in which he would visit various towns and businesses in the state.
First-run production of ''The Uncle Floyd Show'' ended in 1992, with CTN showing repeats until that channel's demise in 1999.
From 1992 until 1996, cast member Mugsy (real name Craig "CM" Calam) produced and appeared in a spin-off show entitled "The Eleventh Hour." The show was written and produced in the same vein as The 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 of ''The Uncle Floyd Show'' began in the
Cablevision
Cablevision Systems Corporation was an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It was the fifth-largest cable provider and ninth-largest television provider in the United States. Throughout its e ...
studio in
Oakland, New Jersey
Oakland is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 12,754,Marky Ramone
Marc Steven Bell (born July 15, 1952) is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He replaced drummer Tom ...
and The Misfits. Although viewer response was enthusiastic, the show was canceled by Cablevision management after the first cycle of episodes.
Other work
Vivino has appeared on several television shows filmed in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
including ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...
'', ''
100 Centre Street
''100 Centre Street'' is an American legal drama created by Sidney Lumet and starring Alan Arkin, Val Avery, Bobby Cannavale, Joel de la Fuente and Paula Devicq.
Premise
The show takes its name for the Manhattan street address of the New York Ci ...
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings.
Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially lau ...
program ''The Wiseguys Show'' on Raw Dog Comedy (channel 104) hosted by former ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
'' cast member
Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''.
Early life
Pastore was born to an Italian-Ameri ...
. Vivino performed the jingle of, as well as appeared in the TV commercial for, the frontier-themed amusement park "Wild West City", located in
Netcong, New Jersey
Netcong is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 3,232,Good Morning, Vietnam
''Good Morning, Vietnam'' is a 1987 American war comedy film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed by Barry Levinson. Set in Saigon in 1965, during the Vietnam War, the film stars Robin Williams as a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, wh ...
'', ''
Crazy People
''Crazy People'' is a 1990 American black comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah, directed by Tony Bill, and music by Cliff Eidelman.
Plot
Emory Leeson is an advertising executive who experiences a nervous breakdown. He designs a s ...
'' and '' Mr. Wonderful''. He also shot a scene for '' One-Trick Pony'' which was deleted. In 2000, Vivino played the bit part of an announcer in the
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsl ...
movie, '' Big Money Hustlas''.
From 1987 to 2013, Vivino broadcast on
WVIP-FM
WNVU (93.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to New Rochelle, New York and serving the New York metropolitan area. WNVU is owned by Houston, Texas-based Hope Media Group and broadcasts a Spanish language Christian music format known as ''Vida Uni ...
93.5 radio from
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...
, 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, Floyd has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various charities and causes.
In April 2013, ''Uncle Floyd's Garage Sale Music'' began on
WVOX
WVOX (1460 AM) is a radio station licensed to New Rochelle, New York. The station is operated as a regional community station in suburban Westchester County, the Bronx, Queens, the North Shore of Nassau County, Fairfield County, Connecticut, ...
1460 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 weekly ''Garage Sale Music'' program began airing and streaming on Sundays 9:00-Noon over WFDU 89.1 FM in
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...
. The WVOX program ended in September 2018, returning to The Italian-American Serenade format.
In January 2013, Vivino began the internet-based radio program ''The Uncle Floyd Radio Show'' which can be streamed twice a week from the show's website and through various SHOUTcast mobile apps and links.
Floyd hosted and starred in ''The Last Authentic American Traveling Burlesque Show'', a tribute to the lost entertainment style of
burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
.
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 on
StageIt
Stageit is a web-based performance venue headquartered in Hollywood, California. It hosts paid performances by musical artists who perform live via webcam. Artists choose when they want to perform, for how long, and how much they want to charge. T ...
on the internet a StageIt.com/SGE-Inc every Tuesday night at 8:00PM Eastern time.
Tributes
The first band to refer to ''The Uncle Floyd Show'' in a song was the Johnny Gork Band from
Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington is a borough in and the county seat of Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, a fan of Vivino's television show, recorded the song "Slip Away" on his 2002 album, ''
Heathen __NOTOC__
Heathen or Heathens may refer to:
Religion
*Heathen, another name for a pagan
*Heathen, an adherent of Heathenry
Music
*Band of Heathens, a North American rock and roll band
*Heathen (band), a North American thrash metal band
* The He ...
'', 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 Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
told me about it." He has also mentioned
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...
regularly watching the show. While in Berlin in 2002 touring for his ''Heathen'' album, 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."
The song "Work for Food" by
Dramarama
Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ...
, on the 1994 album '' Hi-Fi Sci-Fi'' features the ''Uncle Floyd Show'' in the lyrics. Footage of Uncle Floyd as Cowboy Charlie also appears in the video for the song. The members of Dramarama were from
Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City and regional commercial hub of North Jersey. ...
and made their first television appearance on ''The Uncle Floyd Show''.
The Ramones also recognized ''The Uncle Floyd Show ''in their song "It's Not My Place (In the Nine to Five World)",Ramones, The - It's not my place lyrics /ref> as well as in various live appearances. Also, Ramones guitarist
Johnny Ramone
John William Cummings (October 8, 1948 – September 15, 2004), better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American musician who was the guitarist and a founding member of the Ramones, a band that helped pioneer the punk movement. ...
could often be seen wearing an ''Uncle Floyd Show'' T-shirt in pictures of the band, while Joey Ramone often wore an Uncle Floyd Show button on his leather jacket.