Who's Gonna Sell Me My OxiClean Now?

The first time I saw, or rather heard him, I thought he was the most annoying person on earth. No matter what I watched on TV, he would always show up, blah, blah blahing in that loud, irritating voice! But after a while, the voice became familiar and I would actually stop and listen to what the guy was selling. And one day I decided to buy what he was pitching. OxiClean has become a regular part of my laundry routine. And Billy Mays became a familiar face that made me smile, then wince, every time I saw him on TV with a new product - in spite of the fact that his pitch style and loud voice drives me crazy.

Now he's gone. And I'm just a tiny bit sad! I know...bigger TV celebrities died this week, but for some reason they didn't affect me like Billy did. While I liked Michael Jackson's music a little, I was never a huge fan. And I remember watching Charlie's Angels, but Farrah Fawcett was just some cute girl with cute hair to me. And Ed McMahon never brought me a giant check from Publisher's Clearinghouse, so I had crossed him off my list of likable celebrities a long time ago.

Billy Mays was around on a daily basis, in my face, always with something new. He COMMANDED me to stop and listen, even when I didn't want to. And I actually bought something I like because of his forceful, yet funny selling style. I wonder if he talked like that all the time, like even at dinner. "HONEY! PASS ME THE POTATOES THAT WERE COOKED IN THE NEW AND IMPROVED HOT POTATO COOKER, PLEASE!"

Even my kids knew who he was. When I told my husband that Billy Mays died, Big Brother immediately launched into the "Hi! I'm Billy Mays!" thing. And Little Man started listing all the products Billy Mays has pitched throughout the last few years. I know...somewhere in that little tribute to him by my kids is a sad statement about how much they watch TV. I guess all I'm saying is, love or hate the guy, he did his job and became a memorable face on TV.

I'm really sad for his family that he died so suddenly. And a little sad for me...now I have to choose a new pitch guy. Do I go with that english guy who sells the Magic Bullet and says the word "nachos" with a short "a" sound instead of the preferred short "o" pronunciation? Or the Sham-Wow guy with his non-chalant, tell it like it is, you're an idiot if you don't buy this, "this thing sells itself" attitude? Either way...these guys have some big shoes to fill.

R.I.P. Billy Mays. I hope you get a good gig in Heaven. Maybe you can sell that GOOP stuff to all the politicians who have passed on so they can wash their hands of all the crap they pulled while they were in office.

Here are a few fun Billy Mays sites you can check out to help you through the grieving process:

You Can Be "The Mays"

Billy Mays Pie Chart

A few funny videos: