Uncle Floyd with his puppet sidekick Oogie, in 1977.
Florio “Floyd” Vivino, known to generations of New Jersey comedy and music fans as the madcap, irrepressible Uncle Floyd, has died at the age of 74.
His brother, saxophonist Jerry Vivino, posted on Facebook:
“With a heavy heart I am sad to announce the passing of my brother and everybody’s favorite uncle, Floyd Vivino. After a 2 and a half year battle with ongoing health issues his curtain peacefully closed at 6:05pm on Thursday January 22nd. Rest in peace big brother. You will be missed, but always remembered by friends, family and your loving fans … The family will be holding a private funeral with a memorial celebration of life to be announced at a future date.”
As quintessential a New Jersey artist as Bruce Springsteen or Frank Sinatra, Vivino was a throwback, in some ways, to the vaudeville era. He wore loud plaid jackets and hats, told old jokes, and sang classic comedic songs as he pounded a piano or strummed a guitar (at gigs where a piano wasn’t available). A manic, eccentric oddball, he appeared in nightclubs, theaters and other venues, and filled his long-running TV show “The Uncle Floyd Show” with wacky bits. He had a puppet sidekick, Oogie, and a cast of supporting characters including Scott Gordon, Craig “Mugsy” Calam, Art “Looney Skip” Rooney and David “Artie Delmar” Burd.
It could all be chaotic, but it never stopped being funny.
Uncle Floyd performs, in April 2023.
Proud of his Jersey roots, Vivino often told jokes about the state, and his signature song was “Deep in the Heart of Jersey,” his own version of “Deep in the Heart of Texas” with the words re-written.
“The dumps in June ain’t like perfume/Deep in the heart of Jersey/But it’s my state, I think it’s great/Deep in the heart of Jersey,” he sang.
He was admired by everyone from Robin Williams, in whose 1987 movie “Good Morning, Vietnam” he appeared, to Paul Reubens, who based his Pee-wee Herman persona partly on him; The Ramones, who sang about watching “Uncle Floyd shows on the T.V.” in their 1981 song “It’s Not My Place (in the 9 to 5 World)”; and David Bowie, who mentioned him in his 2002 song “Slip Away.”
“Back in the late ’70s, everyone that I knew would rush home at a certain point in the afternoon to catch the Uncle Floyd show,” Bowie once said. “He was on UHF Ch. 68 and the show looked like it was done out of his living room in New Jersey. All his pals were involved and it was a hoot. It had that Soupy Sales kind of appeal and though ostensibly aimed at kids, I knew so many people of my age who just wouldn’t miss it. We would be on the floor it was so funny. Two of the regulars on the show were Oogie and Bones Boy, ridiculous puppets made out of ping-pong balls or somesuch … I just loved that show.”
Musicians who appeared on the show — in some cases, before they were famous — included The Ramones, The Smithereens, Cyndi Lauper, Squeeze, Bon Jovi, Tiny Tim, David Johansen, Blue Öyster Cult, Dramarama, Marshall Crenshaw and Joe Jackson.
Uncle Floyd with his longtime TV show director Jeff Friedman in May 2023.
Vivino’s friends and fans — those who appeared on the show, or just admired his work — have filled social media, today, with tributes and remembrances.
“He was one of the early champions of our band,” wrote Jim Babjak of The Smithereens. “We appeared on The Uncle Floyd Show 5 times! It was the first time The Smithereens appeared on TV. I thank Floyd for helping to kick start our career in 1980, ‘Deep in the heart of Jersey’!”
“Probably the greatest pure entertainer I’ve ever worked with, could read and respond to a crowd like no one else,” wrote keyboardist and singer-songwriter Ed Alstrom on Facebook. “Could reduce a heckler to dust in seconds. Played the living hell out of stride piano. And hysterically funny too.”
“You were one of a kind and always true to your comedy,” posted comedian Julia Scotti.
“Watching Uncle Floyd was a Jersey way of life way back when … and so local all of your friends would be ON the show,” wrote disc jockey Terrie Carr.
Vivino was a lifelong New Jerseyan who was born in Paterson and went to high school in Glen Rock. “It was on Jan. 28, 1968, and I did a show in the (Glen Rock High School) auditorium and the orchestra was playing ‘Everything Is Coming Up Roses’ and I felt the rush of 600 people clapping for me,” Vivino said in a 2011 Patch.com interview. “It was then and there that I knew I was going to be an entertainer. I did not belong on the basketball court or in the science lab.”
“We got our boot camp and basic training right here,” he said in the 2022 reunion documentary, “Banded Together: The Boys From Glen Rock High.”
Uncle Floyd in the documentary “Flipside.”
The 2024 documentary “Flipside,” about a Pompton Lakes record store, also included footage of Uncle Floyd, who was one of its patrons.
“That was such a wonderful moment,” director Chris Wilcha told NJArts.net film critic Stephen Whitty. “I wanted to do a whole documentary on him but for whatever reason he and his manager were like, ‘We’re not interested in revisiting the past.’ But we ended up with a little mini-doc about Floyd, in a way; he talks about his career, the ups and downs, the mythologizing. He buys some old records. He plays some music.
“That’s the thing about Floyd: He is a working musician, you know? Bar mitzvahs, company picnics, morticians’ conventions — whatever the gig, you hire him and he will be there. And be present, totally.”
Vivino suffered a stroke in 2023 and never performed again publicly, though episodes of his old TV shows continue to be re-broadcast, weekly, on the Internet. He was nominated for The New Jersey Hall of Fame, last year, but was not selected for induction.
In a 2024 interview by his longtime TV show director Jeff Friedman that was published by NJArts.net, Friedman asked him “What are you missing the most during you recovery?,” and he said, “Live performing. I want my audience to know how much I miss doing my live show due to this medical setback.”
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