Billy Mays RIP

[Sid Viscous]

He couldn't sing, but he sure as hell could dance. How about a little love for the man that took infomercials to the next level.

TBO.com - News From AP

[GordZilla]

Originally Posted by Sid Viscous

He couldn't sing, but he sure as hell could dance. How about a little love for the man that took infomercials to the next level.

TBO.com - News From AP

Amen to this! He will be missed

[Corran]

Very sad :(

He made commercials fun(ny)

I wonder what will happen to Discovery Channel's new series about him?

[PoorGlory]

This is ultra sad. Billy Mays proved to everyone that salesmen and marketing people ARE capable of caring about the products they sell, the people that buy them, and the people that invent them. I was just thinking the other day how he could really be a crossover celebrity into the entertainment biz...

RIP

...and the Shamwow do*chebag is still alive. There is no god.

[JoeyM]

Billy Mays wasn't a guy you'd take to the library (if being quiet mattered), but C'MON, we loved his bravado!

Rest in Peace Billy Mays, we're gonna miss you

[ncoak]

---

[viewingstuff]

rip.........uh oh

[Sounds Great]

WOW, I was just asking my wife the other day who that annoying guy was on those commercials. I ran for the remote as soon as he would come on.

My condolences to his family, however. May he r.i.p.

[Funk Dracula]

He actually sold me on the Mighty Putty. Yeah, I know I could have gone to the Home Depot and bought epoxy... but who could say no to a pitchman like that!

He should have gone to the ER, so tragic. RIP Billy Mays.

I'm just awed at the way the MAN upstairs is mowing 'em down these days. Ed McMahon, Farrah, MJ, Billy Mays: K-K-K-K. Aaaaand the count's 0 and 2 on Walter Cronkite. You can kill them all, God, just remember who's going to have to sort them out.

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by Funk Dracula

He should have gone to the ER, so tragic. RIP Billy Mays.

I'm just awed at the way the MAN upstairs is mowing 'em down these days. Ed McMahon, Farrah, MJ, Billy Mays: K-K-K-K. Aaaaand the count's 0 and 2 on Walter Cronkite. You can kill them all, God, just remember who's going to have to sort them out.

For real. Cronkite has lived a good, long life though. Nobody ever better. He was the Johnny Carson of news broadcasting. thumbsup

[JoeyM]

Originally Posted by Bravo

rip.........uh oh

That's almost spooky, I just finished a Tony Little DVD workout. I'm sure as pitchman, Tony Little knew who Billy Mays was.

Billy Mays will be remembered as the man who gave us Kaboom!, Oxi-Clean, the Grip Wrench, Turbo Tiger vacuum cleaner, a hands-free cell phone device, and the Big City Slider Station. He gave that to you and me.

And what did we give him? Maybe $19.95 plus shipping and handling, but it's not like he asked $59.95 plus shipping and handling.

Serious, reports are that he was poised to become Taco Bell spokesman in the near future.

Wow, more news, Billy's shot at National success was in part because of his generosity in giving a microphone to the founder of Orange Glo, whose mic had broken! This act of kindness led Billy to be National spokesman for that company. Something to think about the next time we see the More free stuff....let's do it again! thread!

[kafka]

Wow. That's really freaky. I never gave Billy Mays a second though before, but once I saw his show I was hooked. Very sad.

[AllAboutTone]

wow, the guy was building a house a few miles from me on Lake Robinson....
I think he was on Leno not long ago as well.

RIP

[Fletcher]

For the past few days I've been wondering if I'm a bad person for feeling more of a loss for Billy Mays than for Farrah Fawcett or Michael Jackson. I realized I'm not as Mr. Mays was a "real" person who achieved fame for actually being honest [even though he was a "pitchman" the reality, at least as I saw it, was that he believed in the products]

It's not that FF or MJ weren't honest, it was more that a "regular" guy became something of a celebrity. Kinda like if Dave Bryce hit big time celebrity most of us would be pulling for him.

I hope to hell they figure out why he passed, and I hope to hell that if the airline was responsible they compensate the family properly. From what I understand he had young children, and something about what he portrayed in his demeanor on TV spoke to me that he was not only a hustler, but also someone with a sense of humor / irony who would [in my perception as a viewer] might have been a great father.

RIP

[Sounds Great]

They're saying it wasn't from the bump on the head. Apparently he had a heart condition and had a heart attack.

r.i.p. Billy.

[LoopQuantum]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

For the past few days I've been wondering if I'm a bad person for feeling more of a loss for Billy Mays than for Farrah Fawcett or Michael Jackson. I realized I'm not as Mr. Mays was a "real" person who achieved fame for actually being honest [even though he was a "pitchman" the reality, at least as I saw it, was that he believed in the products]

It's not that FF or MJ weren't honest, it was more that a "regular" guy became something of a celebrity. Kinda like if Dave Bryce hit big time celebrity most of us would be pulling for him.

I hope to hell they figure out why he passed, and I hope to hell that if the airline was responsible they compensate the family properly. From what I understand he had young children, and something about what he portrayed in his demeanor on TV spoke to me that he was not only a hustler, but also someone with a sense of humor / irony who would [in my perception as a viewer] might have been a great father.

RIP

You just inadvertently compared Dave Bryce to Billy Mays.. Brilliant. The two could be cousins.

[soypancho]

Bearing in mind that most of those amazing products he pushed turned out to be utter crap, he was kind of like the autotune of infomercials. His antics brought smiles to millions though and I respect that. Rest in peace Billy.

[PoorGlory]

Originally Posted by soypancho

Bearing in mind that most of those amazing products he pushed turned out to be utter crap

Example?

[heyman]

Loved the guys personality but damn...


Whoever did the audio for those infromercials should be shot.. Talk about extreme volume..
'

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by heyman

Loved the guys personality but damn...


Whoever did the audio for those infromercials should be shot.. Talk about extreme volume..
'

I think that was the point.

[idylldon]

Never even heard of the guy (haven't watched TV since '87), but from all accounts he seems to have been a pretty genuine guy.

RIP, Billy.

Cheers,
--
Don

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by idylldon

Never even heard of the guy (haven't watched TV since '87), but from all accounts he seems to have been a pretty genuine guy.

RIP, Billy.

Cheers,
--
Don

I dunno, he was a genuine salesman.

Did you watch Seinfeld before you quit TV? Wait, that was way after 87. There was an episode with a "loud talker". Billy was as loud X 10.

[idylldon]

Originally Posted by Sounds Great

I dunno, he was a genuine salesman.

Well, I guess that beats a disingenuous salesman!

Did you watch Seinfeld before you quit TV? Wait, that was way after 87. There was an episode with a "loud talker". Billy was as loud X 10.

I think I've seen one Seinfeld episode, but I never encountered Billy. I have seen some Soup **** clips on Youtube, though, does that count?

Cheers,
--
Don

[donsolo]

Originally Posted by PoorGlory

...and the Shamwow do*chebag is still alive. There is no god.

Before calling him that, maybe do some research: Skepchick » Buy ShamWows! Now!

Disclaimer, I have no opinion one way or the other so don't follow me around in white vans.

[Corran]

Originally Posted by donsolo

Before calling him that, maybe do some research: Skepchick » Buy ShamWows! Now!

Disclaimer, I have no opinion one way or the other so don't follow me around in white vans.

He also went to jail for assaulting a hooker...

[donsolo]

ad hominum attacks...
C'mon.
There's two sides to every story, I'm keeping an open mind both ways.

But attacking the person and not the event is not a valid logical method...

[JoeyM]

Wikepedia sheds some light (if it's true): Vince Offer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Fletcher]

Originally Posted by LoopQuantum

You just inadvertently compared Dave Bryce to Billy Mays.. Brilliant. The two could be cousins.

That was FAR from inadvertent!!!

Been comparing the two for years... and I consider Bryce to be a very tight friend, meaning the commingling was a tribute to Mays.

Peace.

[PoorGlory]

Originally Posted by donsolo

Before calling him that, maybe do some research: Skepchick » Buy ShamWows! Now!

Disclaimer, I have no opinion one way or the other so don't follow me around in white vans.

I've seen his movie. It sucks. Nothing in that article makes me think he's not a d*uchebag. I stand by my earlier statement.

Not to mention the Slap Chop and Shamwow are both ripoffs off existing Billy Mays' products. He's just a loser trying to grab peoples money.

[Vocalvoodoo]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

For the past few days I've been wondering if I'm a bad person for feeling more of a loss for Billy Mays than for Farrah Fawcett or Michael Jackson.

You're definitely not alone on that one. I couldn't even tell you why I was a little bummed about Billy's death, but I was. Myabe it was because he was likable, even though he was a hard sell pitch man. MJ on the other hand, not likable AT ALL, IMO.