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As a good lot of you know, I spent the better part of the last few years working various night shifts. When I got home from the nightly grind, I would take my spikes off, unlace my boots and turn on my TV. And every night, like clockwork, Billy Mays would be on my screen.
At first, the unrelenting nature of his pitches is what caught my attention. With a booming projected baritone, warm, reassuring smile and emphatic gesturing, he presented his products with all the power and passion of a Wagnerian Opera. As time went on, seeing him on my TV became as much a part of my post-work routine as any of the activities I normally do.
“What have you got for me today, Billy?” was oft the first thought to cross my mind as the oh-so familiar backdrops came to full view and he would walk up, product in hand, saying his trademark greeting of “Hi, Billy Mays here…”
As soon as I heard that he was going to be doing a show called “Pitchmen” along with Anthony Sullivan, I was already sold. I was fascinated with the idea of seeing the man behind the products. From the first episode on, I was hooked. Billy and Sully worked incredibly as a team, even when they picked on and joked with each other. But, most of all, we were shown what kind of man Billy Mays truly was: a warm, hard working, giving family man who truly cared about people and loved his fans. Never have I seen a man be so honestly philanthropic through advertising. He honestly did make a lot of peoples’ dreams come true: a true motivator ‘til the end. He truly showed that if you work hard, you can achieve. The world needs more people like that, especially in these trying times.
From what I have observed, he left an indelible mark on the entire industry he worked in. He shifted the paradigm by not only selling products that worked, but by trying them out himself and standing by the products he pitched for. He was unlike anything we had ever seen coming from late-night, or any, advertising: he was honest. If we saw Billy Mays, we knew it was good.
Upon hearing about his passing, I was shocked and crestfallen. I was immediately drawn to all of those times. Regardless of how my day at work was, I could always count on seeing Billy Mays showing me a clever new cleaner or device in his trademark, epic fashion. It's sad to think there will not be any more.
Merely saying that “if it weren’t for Billy Mays, my apartment would be filthy” would not be giving this man the respect he truly deserves, as factual as that statement may be. He was so much more than the products he was selling. He was a true performer. To deliver the lines the way he did and to present such honest feeling in his work involves much more than just reading lines from a script. He made those lines and what he sold his. He was beyond excellent at his craft. He was presenting himself as much as the product, so we know that it was him and the product he was presenting worked. That is what made us take notice of Billy Mays, and that is what made him so much more. That is what made him a true performer.
My deepest thoughts and heartfelt sympathies go out to Billy Mays’s family and friends during this time.
Rest In Peace
Billy Mays Jr.
(1958-2009)
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