Sunday, June 28, 2009

Now this is just piling on...



Another huge blow struck to your authors, my friends. Just days after the passing of Michael Jackson, it is being reported that pitchman and generally beardy fellow Billy Mays has passed away at the age of 50, same as Jackson.

Mays was known for his intense sales pitches on TV. Everything he sold, he did so with an incredible enthusiasm and gusto. But what set him apart was that Mays seemed like a good dude. You felt like you could trust him to give it to you straight. Unlike some salesmen, such as Vince Shlomi, you knew that Mays would never beat up a hooker for biting him.

Here's a fraction of the list of products that Mays had successfully sold over the years: OxiClean, Orange Glo, Kaboom, Hercules Hook, The Ding King, Impact Gel Insoles, What Odor?, SIMONIZE Fix It!, and of course, the Samurai Shark.

I, and many others as well I'm sure, have said on numerous occasions "Well if it's good enough for Billy Mays, it's good enough for me!" The familiar strains of "Hi! Billy Mays here for (insert awesome product name here)" will be missed.