Vanilla Ice, up close and personal
By Jen Pontzer, Staff Writer
Dani Purcell, Staff Writer
April 19, 2007 | 8:52 a.m.
I arrived at the Baker Center to interview Vanilla Ice, shaking with nerves. Three hours later, I was just happy to have an interview at all.
The sound check took a long time and they needed to get back to the hotel to prepare for the show. About five publications were there and we were each given only three minutes to conduct our interviews. He appeared calm and collected during the interview. He is polite and a lot nicer than I thought he would be. Now, it’s your turn to get to know the man who goes by "Vanilla Ice."
Why are you choosing to play at Ohio University?
I didn’t know I chose it. They chose me. It’s not like I threw a dart at a map. I play at a lot of colleges and I hadn’t been here, yet.
Your real name is Rob Van Winkle. Why did you pick Vanilla Ice as your pseudonym?
I didn’t. It was picked by my break dancing crew. You know, they were mostly African and Mexican. They’d be like, “Yo Vanilla, Vanilla!” And I’d tell them to shut up. I didn’t like it at first. It’s just a nickname. I prefer to be called Rob.
When did you know you wanted to work in the music industry?
It’s not that I reached a point and decided on it. Maybe it’s just destiny. I used to graffiti everywhere. When my family found out I told them, “I’m gonna do something.” “Ice Ice Baby” was when I was 16. I started break dancing at 14 and made $40 a day. It was a lot of fun.
Which bands can you listen to on repeat?
System of a Down, Jay Z, Slipknot, [Insane Clown Posse], definitely.
Besides music, what are your other interests?
Motocross, without a doubt. I’ve been doing it since I was 8. I love adrenaline. I like to fly for a minute. I like big jumps.
Who is the most influential person in your life?
Dead or alive?
Either.
Several. Bob Marley to Roger Trapman. You probably don’t know who he is. He made me want to perform. He invented the box with the tube in the throat. Peter Frampton stole that from him. Yeah, Roger Trapman, definitely.
Our interview was cut short when Vanilla Ice's manager, Chuck Quon, informed us that it was time for the next interviewer to take her turn. I was able to get a picture of us before I had to leave. After he finished his interviews, Vanilla Ice and crew went back to his hotel to get ready for his show, which was already running late.
Students had been ushered into Baker Center Ballroom and huddled in a large clump. The Ballroom was adorned with huge, Insane Clown Posse-esque clown puppets. While Bob Marley blared from the speakers, rumors circulated that Vanilla Ice had refused to come out of his dressing room for an hour and was not speaking to anybody.
The truth of the rumors can be neither denied nor confirmed, but the audience members found ways to amuse themselves until Mr. Ice himself arrived around 10:15 p.m.
According to the short interview above, Vanilla may be concerned with preserving his image with the press, but he appears to want to cater to (what he believes to be) his audience’s pastimes.
Vanilla Ice produced bombastic soliloquies that often began with such phrases as, “who here likes marijuana?” and “man, I wish I had some Jagermeister” and “who here likes porno?”
These statements were then followed by professions of faith to the noble vices of weed, alcohol and sex.
While Ice’s image changed drastically, two things still remained: the hits. Though notorious for becoming angry when enticed to sing it, Vanilla Ice sang the “Ninja Rap,” which was shortly followed with his infamous one-hit wonder, “Ice, Ice, Baby.”
Mr. Ice’s performance enticed fist-pumping, rump-shaking and belly laughs. What induced the crowd’s laughter, however, is a matter of personal opinion.