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And then there were four:Billy Mays dies...

Started 2 years ago by JanS
Latest reply from cjboffoli

JanS
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/28/mays.death/index.html

Posted 2 years ago #
c@lbob
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Four what?

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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just referring to 4 deaths of celebrities within a week, dear :)

Posted 2 years ago #
cjboffoli
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Probably pushing it to use the term "celebrity" in this case. But I suppose that depends on how important Oxyclean is to you ;-)

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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cjboffoli...

Bill Mays earned his 15 minutes of fame the hard way.. through hard work. You may not have appreciated him .. i admit i changed the channel.. but his energy was an inspiration to many.

If his death turns out to be related to the objects people stuff into overhead compartments that become lethal missiles when the overhead bins pop open.. he will have done a lot more for us than pitch oxyclean.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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I personally couldn't stand the commercials, and of course he's not MJ, so we won't hear much, but I used the term celebrity because he's been very visible on the telly. And he was only 50...and it's someone who probably most of us recognize. Celebrity, in other words...

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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JoB, very true. That overhead thing has been a topic of discussion for a long time.

Posted 2 years ago #
cjboffoli
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Now I'm feeling kinda guilty and wondering if that voodoo doll I made may have anything to do with this guy's untimely demise. I had all of the details right, down to the meticulously dyed hair and beard. But I didn't think it would actually work.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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Let's face it...if I had said that same thing right after MJ died, about him, I would have been lynched. This man was great at what he did, and his history is fascinating. Give the man his due...he just died.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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cjboffoli...

we dabble on the wild side at our own peril...

did you bash his head with anything?

Posted 2 years ago #
Erik
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Sky Saxon died this week too.
Frontman for The Seeds.
.
Here they're doing their 1965 song "Pushin' Too Hard":
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmHTyLBIZ1g&NR=1

Posted 2 years ago #
Jiggers
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Don't forget David Carradine a few weeks ago. Not a good month for big names.

Posted 2 years ago #
Cait
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Jiggers is right - five all together this month. I'm hoping the "three" rule doesn't apply because then we'd be in store for one more...

Posted 2 years ago #
cjboffoli
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JanS: Are you serious? Fascinating? Really? Are we talking about the same person? To me this guy seemed like just another in a long line of snake oil salesmen, screaming his way through thin pitches for over-priced, spurious products of questionable effectiveness, manipulating the purchasing decisions of seniors and a certain demographic of people who would actually sit through infomercials such as his (most of whom were already paying an obscene amount of money for cable TV only to have dreck like that piped into their houses so they'd get sucked into spending more of their hard-earned money on more crap they didn't need). For me this man and others of the same cohort represent perhaps one of the lowest forms of television programming.

I'm genuinely curious as to why you'd find this person fascinating. Was there something about him you found endearing? Was it just that he was on TV and was familiar because his face and persona were beamed into your house? I mean, 'fascinating' is a word one would use to describe people like Eva Perón, Charles Lindbergh or Muhammad Ali. But Billy Mays?

The comedian Billy Crystal wrote something once about the strangeness of fame. He said that if you put a random grapefruit on television and then put it in a window on 5th Avenue in New York, tourists would come and take pictures of the famous grapefruit that was on TV. I'm guessing the appeal of this guy must be related to that theory.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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I have read about the man, have seen interviews about his early life, how he got started, etc. Yes, I found his commercials abrasive, but his early years starting out on the boardwalk on Atlantic City, etc was quite a story. I grew up with those things, and, yes, listening to him talk about what it was like, how his life evolved into what it was in later years is simply that, fascinating - at least to me. No one else has to feel that way, but I don't consider him a low life snake oil salesman either. I don't judge him for how he made his money...he actually was a really nice guy, and even made fun of himself.

You shouldn't judge him, nor the "seniors" (wow) who maybe bought things from infomercials - certainly pegs us older folks as fools, huh. Are ya sure it was just seniors? Really?

And walk through your super markets today, and see how many products have Oxy-clean in them now, from Tide, to different household cleaners, etc.

I think the point I was trying to make, Christopher, is...couldn't you just wait 24 hours after his death to start making jokes? After this past week, and some really cruel jokes about MJ that appeared within minutes of his passing on some even "local" blogs, I guess I'm just totally surprised at the lack of respect that people show regarding someone who just lost their life. I'd like to think we would be better than that.

Posted 2 years ago #
Cait
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AMEN, Jan.

Posted 2 years ago #
alki_2008
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Head injury, leading to death within a day? Remind anyone else of Natasha Richardson's skiing accident?

A sad reminder that being hit in the head is no minor thing...whether it's carry-on luggage or a backpack full of rocks. R.I.P. :(

Posted 2 years ago #
bluebird
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Why does death require us to have magical feelings about someone? To revere them suddenly?

I do understand when you know and admire someone prior to their death, but a pitchman is a just a character isn't he?

And when Al Sharpton gave a press conference the other day, he mentioned that none of this "love" was being shown to MJ prior to his death.

Extreme example, but were we supposed to be kind and respectful when someone like Saddam died? Not meaning any of these people are in that category, just the point that if you didn't like them before they died, does death alone, require you to honor them?

Many people truly believe MJ was a pedophile. And his death was justice for his victims. Are you considering that all the kind words said now, are insulting to them?

I realize MJ was acquitted, but many legal experts were shocked at that outcome based on the evidence presented. At the very least, by all accounts, even his family members admit excessive drug abuse. Where is the outrage over raising children under those circumstances, like there was over Mary Kay just having a drink? The same people who said they are all about the children, all the time, are now saying it's all about the art, the music, the legacy. That doesn't make sense to me.

I don't know who is right. Didn't know or live with any of these people, just think there may be more than one side.

Posted 2 years ago #
Sue
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I loved watching Billy Mays and similar hosts do infommercials. It's like watching a train wreck - I could sit for hours and watch them hawking stuff that I have absolutely no need for, and yet sometimes still buy.

Posted 2 years ago #
alki_2008
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Cait - the 6th could be Gale Storm, from TV in the 50's. She died today as well.

bluebird - good point. Personally, I don't believe that MJ molested kids...and the wishy-washy nature of the evidence from that boy and his mother was a big part of the acquittal (maybe a topic for another thread). There are those that believe MJ was a pedophile, and those that believe he was innocent. Each of those groups can honor his life or relish his death as they please, but there's no reason that either group should shut down the other. IMHO.

I agree it's odd to appreciate someone more in death than in life. Maybe all the recent 'celebrity' deaths will make people appreciate those close to them while they're still alive, because death can strike without warning. :(

Posted 2 years ago #
cjboffoli
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Forgive me Jan. I don't know Billy Mays and I didn't figure that any of his loved ones read the West Seattle Blog. I suppose I was winding you up a bit. I guess I didn't realize how much he clearly means to you. I also didn't mean to associate you with any age group though the folks who respond to those infomercials do tend to skew heavily to the World War II generation. I could bore you for hours telling about all of the crap my 85 year-old granny buys off of TV, much of which requires her to eventually ask me to help her chase down refunds. A lot of it would make a $10 bag of broken glass shards look like a good buy.

Personally, it strikes me as odd that we'd revere such a person, and a complete stranger at that. What's fascinating to me in this case is the bigger picture. Again, think about it: A person pays $75 bucks a month to have cable TV at their house. And that's $75 of after tax income. As if that money is not enough a considerable portion of the programming on that paid television is advertising for commercial products that we could probably do just fine without. We're paying through the teeth for programming that tells us to buy more. But instead of being annoyed and angry about the reality of the consumer culture that gets rammed down our throats, when the infomercial man dies we revere him and are sad about this death. Think about the opportunity cost of all that money and time wasted.

So yes, clearly Billy Mays represents the apogee of Western Civilization. I don't know what I was thinking.

Posted 2 years ago #
Kevin
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cjboffoli...
.
I feel the same as you about late night TV "infomercials" but I think you have to give Billy Mays credit for being an experienced pitchman. And his "style" was entertaining to a point.
.
I mean, he really could make me believe that the Oxy Clean is going to get all the stains out of my clothes. Does it really work? I'm not sure... you would have to ask my wife. We currently have several containers in our laundry room right now.
.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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dear christopher...sarcasm duly noted...enough..have at it. He was no Mark Sanford, though, was he?

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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fwiw..."revere" and "respect"...two different things...not too many people I revere anywhere. And it seems that there are more and more still living that I'm losing respect for..oh, well.

I did not know this man personally, but I appreciated him before his death, and think it's sad that he died at such an early age. I had ambivalent feelings about MJ, but didn't slide into child molesting jokes, or jokes about his looks, or his lifestyle right after his death was announced. Maybe I'm just an old fart..lol..maybe there's no maybe about it...at least I'll admit it. :)

Sorry to hear about Gale Storm, too...I remember her show "My Little Margie"...seems like a lifetime ago...wait..it WAS a lifetime ago...

Posted 2 years ago #
cjboffoli
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Kevin: Having never endured more than 45 seconds of Mr. Mays maybe I'm not the best person qualified to determine if he deserves credit for being an entertaining and experienced pitchman. However, if you consider that his style causes a vast number of people to dive for the remote and change the channel I'd say his record is mixed (save for the demographic that would sit through his high volume (aural and otherwise) pitches).

JanS: Somehow I can't see Billy Mays spending five days of his life crying in Argentina, so no he's no Mark Sanford. But the comparison is adroit if you consider that both men were in professions that required a bit of showbusiness and a bit of ripping people off.

Posted 2 years ago #
Jiggers
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Infomercial pro's Billy Mays and Ron Popeil was/are millionaires. Nuff said.

Posted 2 years ago #
jamminj
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never watched billy mays, but I sure do love my
oxyclean.

Posted 2 years ago #
Cait
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bluebird - we're all human beings. It is not up to us to judge a person particularly not in death. It's not up to us what happens. But don't you think that if Michael Jackson was a pedophile that he's paying for his sins now? And in that case can't we as fellow humans give him the benefit of the doubt (seeing that we don't know his fate OR his guilt/innocence for a fact) and at the very least keep our mouths shut? Enough hatred will be espoused about him after his autopsy is done (I'm guessing, because that's the sick cycle that this crap goes through), can't we just give it a few days to either be respectful or... you know... just not say anything? Sometimes that's the classy option.

And if you DON'T think he's paying for it now, what good does it do to hate him now? About as much good as it does to respect him. His life is over, what we say won't make a difference, so wouldn't we rather just not spend the energy?

The idea of revering someone after death has strong cultural roots and I see it as one of the few areas of decency we have left as a culture - not to speak ill of the (at least recently) dead. Obviously I was wrong though and not everyone holds this sacred anymore. Apparently it's harder to give the benefit on the doubt and be respectful.

I'm glad you realize how ridiculous it is to compare him to Saddam. Jackson was tried in the court of public opinion and the chances that he was innocent are honestly as good as the chances that he was guilty. Saddam was publicly proud of the people he had killed. He is the only person who has died in my lifetime that I didn't try to find the good in. I just kept my mouth shut. He was a maniac and is likely paying for what he did in some afterlife, and if not, he's dead now anyway - what are my puny words next to any of that? Why put negativity out there when death and hatred are so negative anyway and we have it, especially in this country, in spades.

And to say that respect for Michael Jackson is DISrespect for his alleged victims may be understandable. But taking money in the place of putting Jackson away for good to keep him away from touching more boys - that's disrespect for our legal system and for any other potential victims there may have been. It's the fault of the parents, but I'd say the whole thing is a circus that it's not up to us to judge. Believe what you want about what you see in the media but realize entertainment news is a fake media vehicle often times that is used as a cash cow based on making you feel a certain way about a person you don't know. If you want to do that, fine by me, but at least realize that that is what you're doing. You do not know HIM. Someone made the point that they knew the prosecuting lawyer on another thread - yet they only know what we know anyway. It takes knowing the person.

Disclaimer - I'm not religious in the least. I just don't see that as a human that it's my job to judge.

Posted 2 years ago #
Cait
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BTW - I was really sad to hear about Billy Mays. Like him or not, he had an energy about him and instead of irritating me, it always kinda made me happy. May he rest in peace.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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bluebird..

my abuser wasn't in the public eye.. but he certainly still figures in my family's conversation.. and most of the time it isn't as a pedophile.

no person is just one thing... my family can remember him fondly without condoning the sorrow he brought to our family.

i mourn the death of my abuser... and 20+ years later i remember the camping trips as well as the abuse.

If Micheal was guilty, his victim(s) will have to find a way to come to terms with the good and the bad that was a relationship with him.

Nothing is simple.

I don't mourn the death of the man Micheal.. i didn't know him.

But it is difficult when the icons of your youth.. whether they were musicians, actors, pitchmen, athletes, political heroes or perhaps the local person who made the most difference to your life.. die.

Posted 2 years ago #
Dunno
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Anyone thats ever sold something for a living knows how tough it is. To be one of the best is what Billy May's was. I happen to know how hard it is to reach the top as he did. Like him or not, he was the best in his biz. He was responsible for many inventors dreams becoming reality.
To be sure, he no way compares to Jackson. MK was to my generation, what Elvis was to another.
Lets face it, both had lives none of us could ever relate to.
Now, if someone is smart in the Jackson camp, they
will make Neverland a public shrine to MJ, just live Graceland is to Elvis!

Posted 2 years ago #
kg
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Another short expose from a different source about Billy Mays. It's NBC news btw.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/80146/nbc-nightly-news-with-brian-williams-tv-pitchman-billy-mays-dies

Posted 2 years ago #
bluebird
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Cait, I agree with you, on a personal level. I would not speak ill of MJ. I do find it disrespectful. I even lean towards believing in his innocence. But I did not speak ill of him alive either.

I'm commenting more on the phenomena of automatically affording respect based on a death alone, rather than a life lived. I think the jokers/critics, for the most part, are actually more consistent in their behavior is all.

Besides, people react to death in all kinds of different ways, and we do tend to judge based on our own feelings. I'm trying not to.

And JoB, based on my own experiences, I don't understand how you can do that at all. That person in my life, died a slow miserable death, and I was pleased by that. But again, I'm not you, with your perspective.

It's all interesting though. Makes me wonder what the reaction to OJ will be. Another polarizing figure who was acquitted of criminal charges.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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kg..

thanks for the link.. a well balanced report.

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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bluebird...

my abuser died of prostrate cancer and i thought it fitting and i thought he got off easy...

my anger began to die the day i visited him during his last hospital stay to have the last word.. closure for me... and nearly didn't recognize him in the bed.

He was a very small man by then in so many ways. I didn't bother... the person in that bed was not someone worth fighting.

It took a very long time to be able to remember the good man he was along with the bad.

And no.. i still don't allow anyone to tell me how good he was to me.. ever. But i join in the cabin stories that feature him and sometimes in my dreams we are fly casting or camping.

I still despise anyone who endangers children because i know that the price is never fully paid by the victims unless perhaps it ends at death.

but i think now that exposure is the answer... not vilification.

As for OJ.. he was a fine athlete. He is not much of a man. If anyone wants to remember him for the good he did people through sports.. i will be glad to remember him that way.

Whether he killed their mom or not... and i am of the opinion that he did... the damage he did his children will last them a lifetime.

All we can ever hope is that once the damage is done that it ends with those victims... that they don't go on to perpetuate that kind of behavior with another generation of children.

this is why exposure matters.. why talking about abuse matters... why standing up for children matters... at least, it's why it matters to me.

Posted 2 years ago #
kellym
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They say celebs die in threes. leave it to Billy Mays to throw in one extra ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Posted 2 years ago #
JoB
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:)

Posted 2 years ago #
Cait
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bluebird - I'm glad we could agree a bit. Honestly, I don't see it as inconsistent to speak well of someone that you wouldn't have normally because they have passed away. Like I said, I see it as an opportunity to find the good in people when I wouldn't normally and any chance I get to change my views towards positivity, I embrace. At the very least we can admit that we're all human. I've always found it great that people are willing to change their way of thinking about people - I just wish people wouldn't wait until death to do it... but it's as good an excuse as any...

Posted 2 years ago #
Dunno
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kellym,

Got a good laugh, and I know Billy would too.

You left out, "But Wait, There's More!"

I feel for his family, 50 is too young. BTW, I really enjoyed his new TV show on Discovery. I know people who worked with him and really liked the guy.

Posted 2 years ago #
JimmyG
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Threads are started about celebrities none of you knew personally and you want to debate the merits of the lives they lived or their importance to the world.

The cult of personality continues to grow.

Posted 2 years ago #
Dunno
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Jimmy,

There's nothing wrong with people giving feelings about these performers and how they impacted their
lives good or bad. When you perform for a living,
you are putting yourself out there, if you can't stand the heat, don't come into the kitchen. I love the other old saying, be careful what you wish for.
Many of our celeb's were dying for the fame they now shun. I've been in the entertainment biz most of my life and love it.

Posted 2 years ago #
Cait
Member Profile

Their private personas are not something we are claiming to know. Their importance to the world I think we ARE knowledgeable about.

Seeing that... Oh lord... Here I go...

"We ARE THE WOLD. WE are the chilllldren"

Posted 2 years ago #
OlMom
Member Profile

I was just curious how there could be so many posts about Billy Mays. Good golly. Too bad the blog was not around when Mr. Whipple died or the first lonely Maytag repairman or perhaps, Madge the manicurist who used Palmolive. All I can say is all these "celebrity' deaths and not one hit for my dead pool.

Posted 2 years ago #
WSB
Member Profile

Damnedest thing, my 13-y-o won't shut up about Billy Mays. Michael Jackson=meh, Farrah=who? but he keeps talking about Billy Mays. And I had never heard the guy's name till he died. Finally saw a photo and realized I'd seen him on infomercials a time or two. Actually my first reaction when co-publisher Patrick broke the news to me the other day was, "Billy Mays? Isn't that the Tae-Bo guy?"

(Billy BLANKS)

Oh, and I'm personally more broken up about Fred Travalena. Maybe it was the years of living in Vegas.

Posted 2 years ago #
pigeonmom
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Fred Travelena is dead? Oh man, I loved him on TV in the '70s. :-(

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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Most people I've mentioned Fred Travelena tohave responded with "who?"...glad someone besides me knows who he is. Hasn't been a very good week, huh...

Posted 2 years ago #
Dunno
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Just a FYI for those of you that have yet to see Billy Mays TV show, there is a marathon on Discovery, channel 8 on Comcast cable all day Wednesday.
Wasn't the 70 year old actor Fred K on Lost in Space?

Posted 2 years ago #
pigeonmom
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*pops popcorn for marathon*

Posted 2 years ago #
cjboffoli
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I just learned that the coroner's toxicology report indicates that Billy Mays' regular cocaine use exacerbated his heart problems. I guess Oxyclean wasn't the only white powder Mr. Mays was enthusiastic about.

Posted 2 years ago #

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