PipemanRadio Interviews Vicky Hungerford at Bloodstock 2023

0:04 Hey, you leveland to such sure four se Wow, wake up of America. It's time for the adventure. So pipe Man on w f C come West Palm Beach is number one internet radio station. Here's your host, the pipe Man. This is the pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man w FORC Y Radio and I'm here with Vicky Hungerford. Let's talk festival nice one of my favorite festivals. And I do like I'm leaving here and I'll have a festival every weekend till the end of November. I don't know how you do that. I do not know how you do that. My daughter says that too, like, okay, my youngest daughter, and she's the youngest.

0:58 I'll bring her sometimes to a festival all half day into the first day. She's like, I'm done. I don't know how you do this every weekend and I'm there from morning night. Yeah, she's right, Like we're doing a four day event. I've been here for five days. I'm exhausted. I'm blaming age and the fact that I don't know what I'm blaming, but I don't know how you do it. You're inspiring me to do better. Well, see, there you go, and you know, it's funny you to mention the four days, because I was talking about that yesterday, like Live the US festivals have been changing to four days instead of three days. Yeah, that one day makes such a huge difference. You know. We went to five days after the pandemic to try and give the funds an extra day. We nearly died in the process. Yeah, because I got to two days in where technically I was like, we should be at the end now, and I was like, we haven't really started. And I was like, whose idea was this? We five days and I did last year. I did Heal Fast seventy No. No, I want to do heal Fast so badly, but no, seven days would kill me. And you know, hell fest it's pretty much all night long. Like yes, it's like I can't do that. There's one festival I used to do in Florida I won't do any more because of this. Four days, twenty four hours a day. Oh wow. I had artists say, and can you do my interview at three am? I sets at two. Wow. Yeah, we won't be doing that. Head. I'm very pleased that the UK has these curfews right, that we have to have a bandoff at eleven,

2:29 which works great for my sleep home. That's great, and we have that in the States too, except that if you're in the middle of nowhere, yes you know. But I love doing your festival in specifically for several reasons. Okay, One is I absolutely love love love this component, right, isn't that? Isn't that great? See, the Sofa Lancaster Foundation is every It's a hot and soul and it's so sad that we have to be involved for the reasons that we're in right. Obviously, Sophie was a young girl that was killed because of the way she looked. If anybody doesn't know that, so we support the foundation, which her mom set up to raise the awareness of something out prejudice. So it's sad that we have to have the affiliation because it shouldn't be there exactly, but the fact it is is something that we will always support and it's such a heart and soul with the festival and especially like nowadays, I mean in the two thousands in general, like I remember in the eighties, like I was a teenager and living at the Sunset Strip in the height of the eighties medals. Wow, yeah, but we were all underground, so like in my high school there were maybe five of us, yea, and the jocks used to always kick the crap of us, and the punks too. And I remember when my friends had like

4:00 and earing from his ear with chain towards nose, and like when it wasn't popular way when and the fire red mohawk and the jocks did a similar thing. Yeah, and they ripped out its mohawk ripped his chain. And it's like, we shouldn't still be dealing with that. No, we shouldn't. And you know it's a horrific thing. I mean, you still see it now. Unfortunately, it's still a thing. This is why we're so adamant that the festival keeps needs to keep raising the profile of the problem. I mean, I remember it. I'm mid forties now. I remember as a kid, I was the really unpopular kid at school. I was bullied because I was different. I wasn't popular, I didn't dress fashionably. I listened to grunge and metal. That was my thing, right, And I still love it now as much as I did back then. But we shouldn't be dealing with this now in twenty twenty three. To think that people are still going through this there are. In the UK. We're seeing so many attacks that still happening that are in the news where people are being beating up, attacked abeus in the streets because they look different. I even see it at concerts and festivals in the States unfortunately, like oh wow, you know how you have those dudes. Usually it's the big dudes. I think they're tough that jump into the marsh bit, not because they're metal heads, not because they're marshers, because they want to hurt and name people and they don't realize what the marsh bit's all about. Yeah, you know, And it kind of piss us me off because it's like, you know what, this is our world. Yeah, Like it's bad enough you do it out there,

5:32 now you're going to come into our world. And that's the South thing and you know what we are. So we pushed this message to the fans, and I like to think that if someone was in the marsh bit here and they fell over, you would have ten people picking you up exactly and looking after you. And that is what the community should be. So to hear stories, and we do hear it at events or in the street where people are abused or it's just horrific. Yeah. So like at Download this year, I was in a pit and there was this dude, huge, dude, like huge, he was doing just that. Here's the great news.

6:13 Everybody in the pit jumped on him and took him out of the pit. And then there was this one really big dude that he was like on our side, and he went up to him and he's like, you better leave now or else I'm going to take you out. And the dude the rest of the time was out. Didn't come back in because boys are chicken shits, and you know what, that's sometimes what needs to happen. You need someone to stand up to that person. You know, it's not acceptable and people shouldn't ignore it. You know, if it happens at a gig and you're on your own, reported to security, I say to people, don't accept it, that's okay when you're at the festival. We have security everywhere at gigs, the security go and tell purity inform. People don't think it's okay, Well, we have a thing. I don't know if they do it here, but we have a thing in the States. You do this, okay. If there's something like that going on all the attendees or raised and that's the securities, Like that's their cue that there's help needed. Right, that's brilliant and I think that whether I don't think we have that such in the UK, but I mean the fans are normally so on it, like you've just expressed with the download thing, So we don't tolerate it, we see it, We nip it in the body. Absolutely, they don't belong. No, No, that's not what this is about. And that's the beauty of our music and festivals like this is there are no outcasts.

7:45 Yes, we're anybody can be who they are, what they are. We're all one big family. Absolutely, that's why people look metal yet community. And then here at your festival because hards of paying homage to Sophie, I love how many people I see here wearing pink, you know, because we're known for wearing black absolutely, and even like so many guys dressing up like a golf girl. Yes for you know, like if you look as an outsider, you wouldn't realize what it was for. It's just to support that cause, yes, and you know it's the greatest thing that at a metal festival to see so much pink. It just proves exactly that I've seen some of the biggest dudes, bless them, that have gone to such effort to dress head to tone pink. Sil Sophie loved pink before she got into her golf and her metal. Her mom's Sylvia said how much she loved pink, and it was Sylvia her mom's favorite color as well. So that's the reason we do it, because yeah, so this is the thing. So this is why Sylvia always pushed out the pink side of things, blessed before she passed. It will always be the hot and soul of the festival. And you even have the cool pink and black nails. I did go full out yesterday because yeah, our pink day was yesterday. I went full head to tone Bobby pink, which is quite appropriate because we've got the Bobby movie heavily trending at the moment. Yeah, right, we got ahead of the game.

9:16 We're pink already. There you go. So, like I tell you, I have a song stuck in my head since last night. Michelle was laughing because I said, thanks a lot. Now, I've had this song stuck in my head because I was out there for the announcement yes and what the architects will be here. So that's the song that was stuck in my head. For whatever reason, that song and entered into my head and it's even doing the interviews last night, that's all I was hearing was that song, you know. But man, what a lineup? And I love most of all is that there's so many UK exclusive Yes, I'm a big one for Locky Down. I will be honest, as many exclusives as we can get because I look at it that I want it that you want to come to Blood Stop firstly, but secondly, what reason have you got to come?

10:11 Right? There can't be a better reason than you can only see this band at Bloodstock right or they're doing a special set or so I'm a bit of a one that I like my exclusives. I love it too, And I even had I was thinking myself after do that because normally you announced like I'm Sunday, you know, oh no, we go in Friday. Now we like Friday. So I had this theory, no truth theory, just my theory. I'm like, hmm, somebody else didn't make an announcement yet and there's all these exclusive UK I bet that's why we're doing it on Friday. But there's a better reason, I think, because all these people are here right now have their first opportunity before anybody else to get their tickets.

10:56 Absolutely, so we the way I look at its, people want. They're parting with money, good money, and it cost living crisis. Where you've got to be, where where you're spending your money is important. So buying a ticket on blind faith, even though people know who're going to pull off a good bill. I like to be able to throw as many bands out there on the weekend of the current festival as we can, so when you're buying a ticket, you at least know a headliner or two and a bunch of of the bands. And yesterday the announcement went so well, oh, everybody was cheering after every single band. It was like the whole crowd roared. I was, oh my god, that's amazing. Yeah. And what I love too is about the exclusive part. As somebody that does all the festivals and the States. There's some bands I get get sick of seeing because they're at every single festival. Like in their bands I like, but it's like, okay, if I can quote their words, not the songs, but what they're saying I'm over it, like, yeah, it's funny, it's going to be an unbarbed your opinion. But there was one festival I did last year that I left during the headliner. I never leave during a headliner. The headliner was tour okay, but I had already seen them like six times, yeah in a row. Yeah, like okay, I don't need to see it again. And you do get that. And this is why. You know, like a band's gone on a tour. So if you've got a band playing your festival, especially high up the bill, and

12:26 they've just finished a UK tour and then they've just done a couple of other headline shows or they've just had a couple of other festivals, people do get bored. They're like, well, I've seen them, and I've seen them too much. And there is that. So when when I'm booking bands, I look at the factor. We'll hang on a minute, When did you last play the UK? When are you next playing the UK? You know, how long have you been out of the market, have you got any new material? There's so many factors that go into it, and that's why exclusives work, because you know, attracting a band to an event where that is the only time you can see them. It sells sickets. I also know something else too, that you do. It's like I was here last year, I'm here this year, and it's like fresh and new. Most of the festivals I seen in the United States, it's the same headliner every year, the same band every year. Yeah, and it's difficult. I mean, I wouldn't like to be booking a festival for one hundred thousand people because I have this theory that when you're booking, let's say a huge hundred thousand cat festival, there's only a small pool of bands, right you can go to. So you've got your slip Knots, your Maidens, your Ramstein's, you know, your Metallica, But then you've not got so many bands that you can pull from. So with blood Stock, the good thing we could do and the festivals that are maybe a smaller capacity, is you can bring bands up with rants and you've got a much bigger pool of bands to pull from. And that's not it's not easier, but it makes more sense.

13:58 It's a more strategic plan. Yeah, And you know what, I think also makes it better for me and but for the attendees too, is that if bands are playing that you want to see on every stage, it's not a big deal. It's not like people on the States at some of the festivals and some of the big ones. Here, it's like you make a choice because I'm not walking that all the way to that other side of the festival, you know. I mean. This is the other thing that people like about a more intimate festival experience is nobody likes a huge walk. Now. I don't drink, but I know if you've had a few beers and you've got to walk a mile from one stage to the next, right on a hilly environment to just see one of the bands you like, it's going to put you off. I might go, yeah, I might not go exactly. And the people always say we have the strangest questions come in from fans that have never been They say, well, how far is it to walk from the campsite to the stage, and how far is it from one stage to another? And these are all questions that, yeah, they do mean something to people because people don't want to have to walk, you know, yeah an hour? Yeah, because I like I clock it most of the festivals I do. I'm walking like in a weekend, like twenty thirty miles. Yeah, it's huge, and it's like, yeah, but that's fine if you're into that and you're fit and all the rest of it.

15:22 Sometimes you don't want to have to do that right exactly, you know exactly. And then even as press, it was quite nice that I can just go right there, yeah and not missing interview. Like sometimes it's like, yeah, I can't go see that set because I'll never get back in time for my interview. But we even get it with bands. So a lot of bands ask me, well, I want to do a signing session, but how far have I got to walk from the dressing room to the signing tenant? When I tell them it is a thirty second walk, but it's like, oh yeah, okay, we'll do a signing. Yeah, that's great, right, that's how it works. So it's even the same with bands as it is with fans. It's fine you should say that because there's one festival I do that. Last year they had the artists walking through ga to get to catering. Oh that's weird or what I wanted if I was in the artist, I'm like, I'll eat my own food and that's what we have to do. Yeah, and it's difficult depending how your festival they out is, but we do it so that the band because we need to make it as easy on them as we can. So from your dressing room to your main stage it's thirty seconds. From here to press or to signing, it's thirty seconds. So everything you need as a band is close by, so you have got to walk through a guest area. That's a great point too, because a lot or its won't come to impress down.

16:36 For that reason, I have a live RS I'll say to me, come to tour bus because it's like, yeah, yeah, it is. They're going to walk through people and they're gonna get stopped or bothered. Not that they don't want to be, but if you if you've been traveling and you're tired, if you're hungry and you just want to chill, you want to make it as easy. And that's why I think we get a lot of bands interacting with the signing sessions because when we explain to them how close everything is, how the fact that the funds really want it. We're one of the only festivals in the UK that do a signing session. A lot of the other festivals don't do it right, but we've done it for so long and it's so important for us. So the funds can interact with their favorite bunds. Yeah, and so to focus on that, how artists and press are treated, this is a big thing for me. Michelle and I have talked about it a lot. That's why I come over here. Yeah, because you guys treat press an artists the way they should be treated, even at an artist yesterday they interviewed and they went on and on about how they are treated as an and our American band, So they were talking on and on how they get treated here at Bloodstock compared to any festival they do in the US. It's like they sent straight out. In the US, we get treated like shit. Yeah, I mean it's disappointing to hear that.

17:57 And don't get me wrong, we get is wrong. You know, were perfect. Everyone does and you learn from it. Yeah. But I like to think that when a band arrives, for example, I go and make myself known to the band. I let them know that anything they need they can come to me. They never have a you know, they've got a problem or they're upset about anything or because you know, when a band comes into your festival, they're tired traveling, they're hungry, they just want to get things set up. You know. It's if fans are always realize if it's an exhausting thing to be traveling all the time. You know, you know, even as punters going from festival to festivals tiring, So imagine being on the road all the time. Exactly the way I look at it is what would I like if I was going to a festival? How would I want to be treated as cliched as that sound. It's so smart because that's how I do my interviews. It's like every interview every Horrors have done, like over two thousand, ninety nine percent cent. Oh my god, that's the most fun interview I ever had. Yeah, because I think about it as if I'm the artist. Do I want to walk around this room and hear the same question thirty times? Do I want to see somebody with script that doesn't even know what they're talking about? Or do I want to talk about something that nobody asked me about? Yes? Like an example, when I interviewed Lacy Sterm one time, there is something that she does. She was a suicide teen so her and Sonny from Pod and some other rs were like going on tour for a while doing shows based on helping suicide teens.

19:26 Nobody ever asked her about this. They just asked her about the Wikipedia shit that everybody knows anyway. Yeah, and so I started talking about that, and you could see her eyes laid up, and then you know, I had a hard ten minutes for the interview. Ten minutes comes by and the tour manager comes over and starts pointing as watch as they do she shoot them away. Oh wow. And she sat with me for like a half an hour, and afterwards she gave me a big hus She's said thank you so much. Nobody ever asked me about that, And it's a huge passion of ours, Like how many times does she have to say, well, how did I get my start? You know? How many times did she have to answer stuff like that? The things that are like the stock questions that any interview, like the Janet and John questions of interviewing. And it sounds awful even I say it. And you know, when I'm interviewed normally, I'll get the same And it's nice to get the questions that you don't normally get right. You know people, but you're probably that person that can know when to I suppose to reach out and push a little bit further than a lot of interviewers will. Well, it's a good thing. And by having, like I told you, in them a gaining conversation, the interview takes a life of its own. And see, you could do all the research in the world, but I think the best research is talking to them and they will tell you something yes, and then it's like, oh, I'm going to focus on that yes, and that is a skill set. So but you know what it's like. And we get artists like that where they're like shy away from interviews because they're like, well, I don't want to

20:57 answer. I used to me and my husband met through let me and let me, or chuse to say to me, my other half was let me's pa. Let me introduced us, and that's how we got married in the end. Very cool and but let me used to say he hated interviews, whether they were stock questions. He was like, you've interviewed me and I've been asked for forty years the same questions and let me and I would have such in depth conversations about this and he was just like, Vick, I love it when I'm asked a question. It's so left field that they were petrified to ask it. But in the end, that's exactly what I want to hear, no doubt. He feels like he used to say, if you ask me a stock question, go and read my fucking books. Yeah, and like it's funny in that same realm. I interviewed Doyle one time in the public said to me, don't ask them any you know, one word answer questions, because that's all you're going to get. And I never do that, but apparently a lot of the reviewers do. But if it's boring from me, it's going to be way more boring for that. And so that is boring, Like how'd you get your band name? Yeah, exactly like freak. How many bands are then on autopilot and I'm just telling you, well, and then they go through that and they're not even paying attention to the interview, right, Absolutely, I got a great story for you on that. So a lot of times when I do the interviews, I tell people I'm like, just like I told you, I just do my interview like we're having conversation, no rules, just be yourself, have fun. Those are any only rules. And I say, I don't ask

22:30 anything. I wikipedia, I don't unless it's something like it's bullshit. You know. I don't ask you how you got your band name. He goes, well, then you're lucky because we mess with every single person that does it. It was the band August Burns Red. Yeah, and he goes, see that girl next to you. He goes. We make up a different story every time, and we keep a straight face. She asked us, and we said, well, you know, when we were teenagers, my my sister got a dog and we named it August. And one day we were out partying in the street and we decided to be funny to light the dog on fire and watch it run down the street. Ergo August Burns Red. They're like, the look of horror on her face was priceless.

23:18 But that's what you get, right, That's what you get. That's how you teach them a lesson. Yes, But the thing is, what can the interview even say to that, right exactly? I think I need to take a leaf out of that. I think maybe what I need to be doing is when I'm asked the question, the stock questions come out with a shocking answer, right, but they were not expecting. Oh I would love that. That's so me because I'm originally from New York and New Jersey, so I'm like that anyway. I'm a little bit like that, So I have to be careful. If I was being interviewed, I would do that. Like if they ask me stupid questions, I am gonna get stupid answer. Oh yeah, So I always wonder. I am like in AWE because I always wonder about the behind the scenes of booking bands at a festival.

24:06 It's hell, yeah, that's what I think. Yeah, so I imagine you have some great stories. Oh god, that yeah, twenty years of them. To be mean, I've seen everything. Bands will be nameless, obviously, but I've seen bands refusing to come to the event unless we funchway their rooms a certain degree. We've had the most ridiculous riders. I've had bands that have insisted their crew guys get blow jobs. Not even the bands. I mean, I the book that I will be writing about the backstage things that happen in the in the events world. I've had artists where they won't go on stage unless we provide howel to hide their face because they didn't want anybody back stage to see them close up until they got to the stage.

25:03 I mean, the list is endless. I'm sure you know. I've seen a lot at myself, Like when it comes to photographers some of the things that they have to do for some of these bands, like you can't do any close ups. Yeah, you have to shoot from the sound stage. Yeah, we get all of this. And we had a band headliner that asked us to wood chip a pathway from their dressing room to the stage steps. And when I say, it was less than a thirty second walk and you've seen where the dressing rooms are to where the stage steps are. They want today a wood chip pathway making specifically for them and nobody was allowed to walk on it except the band, so you couldn't even cross it.

25:52 You had to jump. So we had a security guy making sure no one stood on this wood ship. I mean, where do you what do we even do with that? That's like I don't even know what to do with that here. And I mean, but you know, so when we get things, nothing shocks me. I always say that have I seen everything? No? Well, I I smile now when seleness comes in because it's just half the time. I wonder when fans request certain things, are they just doing it to see if you'll facilitate it? Right? How far can they take it? Yeah? Children? Yeah, like playing a game? Yeah, like how far can we go? I think the one blowjob? I think that's it. Oh yeah, I mean that's way worse than that.

26:40 But I'm just trying to keep it fairly tame. Oh, you don't have to keep it tame, but I know that you go through that. That's why I one of the stories. There was one festival I did a few years ago, right before COVID that one of the artists, the headliner, he didn't like smoking, which I'm cool with that. He made the whole backstage no matter even if it wasn't close to him. Nowhere could anybody smoke, including artists bigger than him. Wow. I mean, and they accommodated. They accommodated him. I mean that's crazy. But this is the thing, how do you This is the question, how far as a promoter do you go to accommodate something. I don't know. If I was a promoter, I'd be like, yeah, good luck with that. Yeah, but then you have to I mean, we get things where I go. That's not going to happen. What you're asking is unreasonable and it's a no, and it's a hard no. So I'm pretty direct with that. If it's something that is so insignificant, it won't affect the festival or all the people around. Okay, yeah, if it's your thing, let's it makes you happy, it's fine. But if you're going to start being ridiculous and you're being unreasonable and what you're asking silly, no, that's not that. You know. We're at festival and some things I understand because I don't see it happen year. But in the States there's a lot of people in the press tent that shouldn't be pressed. And then it becomes like a meet and greet, like anybody comes with me to work with me. I have two hard

28:11 rules. Don't ever ask for a selfie or anoy graph. Period. This is their safe zone. We're pros back here. We're not fan boying or fan growing now, you know. And I mean just two stories. An example, one time Zach while was back there and all the press people were like stand online to get autographs and pictures. And he's a nice guy, so he did it finally the tour manager. And it's a shame that tour manager asked in this all right, come on, guys, this isn't a meet and greet. We're working here. It's enough. And then there was one time where like, I'm friends with Phil and I was hanging he was back there and he was doing the same thing, given some OI graphs and pictures, and I was hanging with his wife and she says, can you to me a favor? He'll never say no to these people go up to him and tell him we gotta go. Yeah. So I went and whispered into here, I'm like, your wife's getting a little pissed. We need to go. Yeah, And you know what, they need that sometime, right, and he whispered something in my ear okay, which was more about to set or something. And then afterwards, these people are so ridiculous that they're like coming up to me, what do you say? What do you say? I come on, people, we're supposed to be prosy. But that's the thing. I think that that line isn't that that has interviewers as well? You know that true? Right? You know, you get people that are less experienced and fans a lot of bands we work with, and

29:44 a lot of bands you'll know, I won't say no, no, We're really accommodating, so they'll sit here and do selfies with you and all the rest of it. It's knowing. I think the line like you say, it's their safe space. So I say, when you're being interviewed or you're here at the festival, you're not going to get mivid. You're not going to get bothered. You don't need that, you don't want that. And normally everyone we having the press tense amazing, but that's what specialism of other events, you know, not naming anyone, but I see things that I sort of think that wouldn't that wouldn't fly at Bloodstock, right, you know that's not I see it all the time over there. That's why I like doing it here, Like I feel like so I feel safe here. Yeah, you know. It's even to the fact of the first year I was I was friends with a photographer and he took off and left all his equipment there. I'm like, you're gonna leave your equipment there? He's like, yeah, we all watch out for EA journal we all take it. In the States, other photographers will steal equipment when you walk out, like, what the hell? They can't even afford it to begin with. And you you know what, I love the fact that people feel safe enough to lead their equipment out. Yeah. It just goes to show that you are all a family. So yeah, absolutely, so, yes, it's totally a Bloodstock family. And I love your festival, love everything you do. Last thing I want to talk about is tell everybody that doesn't know how to connected with Bloodstock and the soul Shoals in the web, but most importantly, how they can buy their tickets for next Yes, these are the key questions now we're talking. So Bloodstock sort a website Bloodstock uk dot com, so you

31:15 can go there buy tickets. We've got a Facebook page Blustock Festival, We've got Instagram Blustock Open Air, and we've got a TikTok. We're down with the kids now we have to get a TikTok. Everyone's got a TikTok, you know. So you can go on any of our socials constantly updating things, follow us on Instagram or any of the social media. If you don't like socials, just on the website. Nice, so you know, and next year is going to be huge. We've been lucky this year with the weather. Yes, we've had a nice and you will agree, we've had a nice weekend of weather, so boot it's always looks out on the weather. So I'm saying this now, aren't I'm putting it out there, put it in the universe. I'm you know, what's I'm willing it in.

31:56 So yeah, Now, anybody a tier can obviously buy tickets now, but tickets officially go on sale on Monday and then VIP on Wednesday, right, correct, We do a delay because BIP cells out so quickly, So we've done a two three day delay to give people a chance to get home because people were trying to buy in their cars on the way home for the festival last year with no service. No service. We've got a little bit criticized for that. So they go will say Wednesday VIP nine o'clock Monday morning, tickets gone sale twenty twenty four. Well, it's been an absolute pleasure, and you you are one of my favorite festivals in the whole world. And I do like, I don't know, twenty of them a year or some crap like that. Everything all the way down the line is run beautifully.

32:38 Some of my favorite media people are here at this festival, so I won't come back every year. I don't care what. Very welcome and thank you, thank you, thanks for being on the Adventures fate Man. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of plate Man n W four CUI Radio