BWB: First of all, I've noticed your last name, Van Blankenstein. What kind of name is that?
BLINK: Well, Blankenstein is German, roughly meaning "pale-colored stone," and Van, of course, is a Dutch term indicating descent. Apparently, my family roots are in the border area of the Netherlands and Germany. I can only trace my name back to the 1950s, but as far as I know our whole family history in the U.S. has been in California. I was born in Pomona, and grew up in Diamond Bar, both quite a way east of Los Angeles. I also spent a lot of time on a farm in Riverside County with an aunt and uncle.
BWB: Describe your dance style.
BLINK: It's called the rhubarb, since that's something I loved to grow as a child. It's part Irish jig, part Appalachian clogging, part New York City tap dancing, and sometimes I throw in some backflips.
BWB: Wow! How long did it take to get the routine down?
BLINK: A number of years, and indeed I didn't really perfect it until I was on America's Got Talent last year.
BWB: What was your reaction when you won that?
BLINK: Humbling. How else can I wrap my head around the fact that this guy from suburban L.A. who always thought of himself as a country boy would make it so big? The thing is, not only did I have to work my butt off week after week, but I also had to be the most popular among the audience watching at home every time. That was not easy. (In real life, the winner was singer Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.)BWB: Have you ever tried to "rhubarb" and rap at the same time?
BLINK: Actually, I did a little rapping in my final performance on AGT and I expanded on that recently when I tried out for The X Factor.
BWB: Which works into a goal of yours.
BLINK: I want to be the first person in history to appear on "game operas" [reality television shows of a competitive nature] on all four major networks in this country. In 2009, I was on Pop Camp [which I originally called The Singing Showdown] on ABC. Of course, AGT is on NBC and The X Factor is on Fox. Then I have three possible options on CBS - Survivor, Big Brother, or The Amazing Race.
BWB: The Amazing Race? I thought you needed someone else to play that game.
BLINK: Yes, but I have a girlfriend now, Alecia Moore.
BWB: Same name as the singer known as Pink?
BLINK: Yes. She's a voice-over character on Little Buddy's Clubhouse [a cartoon series based on Buddy Wayne Barefoot's childhood] and wants to be a sportscaster some day. We met at Richie's Real American, a restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga.
BWB: Getting back to The X Factor: What was it like seeing Britney Spears - namesake of my beloved belle - as a judge?
BLINK: That was surreal, but I had an answer for her. I actually flew Brittany Spears out to my audition in Kansas City, and I challenged her to a singing contest! You'll have to wait until September to see how it all went down.
BWB: Yeah, I know and my lips are sealed too. I can ask you, though, about some comments you have made. Is your act really an escape for you?
BLINK: Actually, Buddy, this is a coping mechanism for me. My aunt and uncle owned a dairy farm. Unfortunately, despite much pleading, they had to sell their farm to developers who were building houses and stores. I came there on the day they left and they had tears in their eyes, and so did I. From that day one [voice breaking down], I promised that though I couldn't change their past, I would celebrate it with my dancing and look toward my future with my rapping. That's what Blinky Blink is all about.
BWB: I'll end it right down before you really break down and cry.
BLINK: Hey, whatever. [Laughing]
Oh, and sorry for the Boy Scout picture. That's the best depiction of Blinky's "face" I could find.
