Interview with The Tink of VidDream
MVP: First question for the Tink. Tell us about Vid Dream when did it start, what was the inspiration?
The Tink: Vid Dream TV started 8 years ago, I was on radio and I had publishing going on and it wasn't enough for me, so I decided to make it even bigger than it already was. I needed more coverage, I needed more exposure, I needed to get in the middle even more. Being on the radio is helpful but it still isn't enough. Television reaches much larger audience in 2 mediums visual and audio. So I decided to start it off real rough, my show looked really, really Wayne's World in the beginning. Now the production value is up there with anything on TV as far as I'm concerned.
MVP: This show is seen throughout many different regions, can you run through some of the places Vid Dream is seen?
T: : I call it the tri-state area; it’s actually in three different states. It's in parts of Pennsylvania, parts of New Jersey and all of Delaware, because that's a small state. We’re getting those states right now so I guess you could call that a multi regional show right now, it's in several different regions, it's in the Northeast corridor. The good thing about it is that although it's tiny and seen in only 3 states, it's heavily, heavily populated. So we get a big giant saturation of people.
MVP: It's not unusual when you go out to have people say hey I've seen your show, what do you consider to be the average or say most typical Vid Dream viewer
T: In television there's no way of gauging, there’s no statistic and there's no way of telling what a viewer looks like until they actually do come up to you. So I've had couples come up to me in their mid 20s and 30s, I've had older people come up to me and say thanks for doing the show, you're representing the older people. And there's a lot of kids who love the show because the videos are aimed towards them, even though I'm personally driven to a different audience. So there's no really saying how it happens, because the TV is a very personal thing. You go home you take your clothes off, you sit there in your underwear and you turn the thing on and you watch it. We don't know what you look like out there; we haven't reached that part of science fiction where I can see what's going on out there. For me to know what's going on. I can only gauge the people who come up to me and it's been everything from little skater, thrasher freaks to older individuals hopping around like myself with my crutch. So I've actually spanned that much. So there's no real demographic, it's a feeling, it's the music and the feeling I portray during the show that sells it. So I don't really have a demographic..
MVP: Do you consider Philadelphia you’re stomping grounds and how has the scene changed over the years?
T: The infamous scene question. The scene is like the home; wherever you hang your hat is home. That's where the scene is. You carry the scene with you, you are the scene. When you go out you go to a show, you are the scene. So anybody who goes out and sees a lot of shows that's the scene. Wherever there are live shows and wherever promoters are willing to take them and put them on live and have live music there. It's getting better with the advent of video games and DVDs and all these things that are just destined to try and keep you home in front of the TV, people still go out and seek live touch, feel. You can't beat going to see a live show and getting excited about the bands and leaving all sweaty, hot and satiated at the end of the evening. You might see somebody you know; you might knock into somebody and have a good night.
MVP: What’s in store for the future of Vid Dream?
T: The store of Vid Dream is open right now, the merchandise store it's called MOP merchandise operating page. It’s open right now for sweatshirts, t-shirts (diabolical laughter). You said store, off I go into that area. All we can do is further hit more roads and have more people come onto the show and do more things. We have reoccurring characters, we need more characters. We have this guy called Bosco Booth who's a local criminal type; he's a bad guy he should be on the show more. There’s other people like Zolam Stuff who have yet to be on the show. These are reccurring characters but we need. Our movie reviewer - well known people have actually told me that they want to do tattoos of him. His name is Vito Fricorini. He's a very well liked, he's our raconteur, he goes after those groupies and he does a thing on the show called 5 plus flick. Which, 5 plus flick means, flick is a movie and it's at least 5 minutes in length. And usually the show is, on most shows there's band interviews, which we seek to do constantly. I'm always out there in the field with my camcorder talking to bands.
MVP: You get a lot of videos. Curious what is coming to you that's getting exciting and what are some of the dos and don'ts for people who send you videos?
T: The don't is don't send the wrong format. Don't send it with postage due. Don't send it in bad packaging where it crinkles up and please send the right format. The dos are, oh boy something heavy came this is gonna be a big video. Or when we're watching, previewing we something we don't know like Flyleaf. There's a band named Flyleaf that just came out, with a lovely little singer in it. And that was a nice little video and we enjoyed it. It was kind of like a garage band type, it was nothing really extravagant, but it was a comfortable little video and we enjoyed that. We like it when there's big excitement, like the new one from Judas Priest just came in. It's a rock show, it's a big production, crowds are cheering and all that kind of stuff. So we like it all as long as it has a metal edge to it.
MVP: You know how on the old Daily Show Craig Killborn used to ask 5 questions? We're gonna do the 5 questions with the Tink. Alright, are you ready? Alright 5 questions. First question for the Tink, sugar or splenda?
T: Equal
MVP: Wrong. OK, question number 2 during the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr who made it out alive?
T: Gypsies, cause they stole the wagon.
MVP: Correct. Three. Your favorite interview; where, when and with who??
T: Hasn't happened yet, I hope to be alive for it. Because Zappa's dead so I can't think of anybody else who would be a favorite interview. I've had a bunch that are really good, but as you know, if you know anything at all about doing an interview, the guy who's doing the interview is the one who makes it go. So if it's going to be a good interview, the interviewer has to do it.
MVP: Correct. Question number 4. Captain Beefheart’s real name??
T: Clyde Kressler.
MVP: : Incorrect. (The correct answer is Don Van Vliet.)The fifth and final question for the Tink. Hubert Humphrey was the democratic candidate in the 1968 election. Who did he run against?
T: I believe it was Barry Goldwater.
MVP: Well that was very fun, that was the interview with the Tink. Alright thank you Tink.