Uncle Floyd to perform in Stanhope tonight

Comedian and actor Floyd Vivino, known as Uncle Floyd, is a showman. He’s always been one, and it’s his birthright, coming from a line of performers and entertainers.

He plays the piano and spins comedic ditties, engaging his audience in a fashion that makes them forget the real world for a bit.

The Jersey icon will be performing at an equally quintessential Jersey venue Saturday, Feb. 18: The Stanhope House, on Main Street in Stanhope, is one of America’s last true roadhouses. The photos and adornments on its walls attest to the legends who have performed there.

Lost in divorce

Vivino once owned land on Mashipacong Road in Montague Township in Sussex County.

“I was told there was valuable gravel on the property and it was beautiful amid the rolling hills up here,” he said. “Unfortunately, I lost it in one of my divorces. I still have always loved the area and performing here.”

He is 72 years old but has no inkling of retiring soon. In a few months, he plans to release a book that will tell his story and debunk would-be pundits who have tried to defame him.

He hosts a long-running weekly radio show Sunday mornings, and at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, he joins his longtime compatriot, Scott Gordon, to screen vintage episodes and clips from “The Uncle Floyd Show,” which aired in New Jersey and New York from 1974 to 1998.

The online show is live, and tickets to tune in are $5. Of that, $2.75 goes to the producer: Vivino isn’t about the money.

“I’ve spent 55 years performing in small time,” he said. “Not everybody becomes famous. People ask me about all of the years I performed in the Catskills and Poconos and how I never performed with one of the greats. I respond simply, maybe I have.”

’We were different’

Vivino considers himself a success with thousands of loyal fans.

“We were different and not afraid to think outside the box,” he said. “We shook things up and made our acts a different type of comedy and fun.”

There’s a lot of misinformation about him, he noted.

“One author even called me anti-Semitic. That couldn’t be further from the truth as I trace some family back to the 1914 Sephardic Jews in Spain. Also, I hate it when articles have said that I was on public access TV.

“I was strictly a business person. I paid stations for the time, I paid my cast and crew, and I took the rest. No one could question that. God forbid I go on public access. I would die before I did that. On public access, anyone could do or say whatever they wanted on the air. I always operated a clean set. We never drank or smoked pot. We did a good clean show and sold some souvenirs.”

Bowie song

David Bowie wrote a song about Uncle Floyd called “Slipping Away.”

“Guys like Bowie and the bands like Ramones loved us probably because we were rebels,” Vivino said.

He knows the difference between a Wikipedia fan and a real one.

“It’s not the fans that come up to me after a show and basically parrot back what they’ve googled, it’s the real fans,” he said. “My real fans know my shows are different and special and I stick up for the working man.”

One of the ways he does this is with his outfit. He performs in a checkered hat and mismatched checkered sports coat, bow tie and comfortable slacks.

“A lot of people think if, as a performer, you only make $300,000 a year, you’re a bum. You’re not, you’re just like most performers out there. Some people make the big bucks like Jerry Seinfeld, who got somewhere around $250,000 per episode.

“People equate success in this business with making the big bucks. That’s their standard. They don’t see the many, many, many entertainers out there who don’t.”

Vivino, who drives himself the 30-plus miles from Totowa to Stanhope each February, also is a huge proponent of the good old-fashioned newspaper.

“There’s nothing like the physical paper. More and more, you see physical papers either ceasing to exist or you see an article that directs you to the internet if you want to read more. I’m old and my time is limited. I do realize the internet and digital are the wave of the future, but I don’t have the marching blocks to step with it. Give me physical newspaper any day.”

For years, Vivino has written for The Italian Tribune, which has existed since 1931. It’s published every Thursday and is mailed throughout the United States. He also was a ghostwriter for a while.

Nostalgia, history

Vivino loves playing at the Stanhope House for its nostalgia and history. He also draws a sell-out crowd for his annual Valentine’s Day show.

Built in 1974 as a roadhouse, “it’s seen different owners and transitions over the years,” said Stanhope House general manager Ren Giliberti. “It was a local tavern for well over 100 years.”

In the late 1960s or early ‘70s, it began featuring folk music, singer/songwriters and blues greats.

Legends, such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, were reported scrubbing dishes in the kitchen after a late-night gig. Muddy Waters, Mama Wrobleski and the original Hoochie Coochie Man, Willie Dixon, also performed in the distinctively decorated building.

Musician Billy Hector is a huge fan. “It’s just a great place with a lot of history and there’s nothing like it left. I think the wave of the future to bring in budding artists is a great idea.”

That’s what the Stanhope House is aiming to do.

“We have the history and now it’s time to bring in some new artists and their fans to keep things going,” Giliberti said. “We have a nice pub menu and are open on the weekends and welcome budding artists as well as long-famed performers.”

To purchase tickets for Vivino’s show, go online to https://stanhopehousenj.com or call 973-347-7777. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $15. The Stanhope House is at 45 Main St. in Stanhope.