Author Interview: Remy Stern
July 2nd, 2009Recently, I reviewed But Wait, There’s More! by Remy Stern. It was a really good read about the history of the the infomercial industry. Remy agreed to answer some questions I had for him and gave some really great, thoughtful answers. Thanks Remy!
I’ll get this out of the way – my main complaint with your book was that there was very little on Billy Mays. Mays is a pretty big character in the infomercial world right now…why not write a chapter about him? Is he less interesting than it appears?
I’m so sorry I disappointed on the Billy Mays front! It had to do with several factors. First off, there was quite a bit of ground to cover and I had to make some hard decisions about what to include, since I couldn’t squeeze everything in. There were actually a number of pitchmen and products I would have liked to describe in more detail, but wasn’t able to fit into the book in the end.
I probably should also mention that when I started working on the book in 2006, Billy wasn’t quite as big a deal as he is today. Obviously, he was a famous TV personality and the face of OrangeGlo and Oxiclean. But he wasn’t pitching a million products as he is today and his infomercial production company was still getting off the ground. He’d also yet to become the star of a reality TV show, too. But if I were doing the book today, I’m sure I would have devoted much more space to him.
A recent Discovery show “Pitchmen” came out after you wrote the book. What do you think about it? I think it is more fake than real. Any inside information?
I don’t have any “inside” info per se, but I think like any reality TV show, it’s a mix of the real and the not-so-real. [ed. note: Is this true?!?! Abby?] I think Billy’s personality on the show is very much the way he is in real life. And the on-camera interaction between Billy and Sully is very much the way these guys are off-camera. They’re very close and they’re both big jokers, and a lot of the banter is how the two really interact on a daily basis.
I think the overall premise of the show is a bit less realistic. It’s nice to think that if you come up with a great idea, there are lots of folks that will help you market it and will make you rich in the process. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy. AJ Khubani, who’s appeared on the program, has a long history of appropriating ideas from other people, for example, and he’s been sued for it on numerous occasions.
So while it’s possible to come up with a brilliant idea and find someone to champion the product, you’re just as likely to see your idea “borrowed” by someone else. At the end of the day, there are cold, hard realities about the infomercial business that tend to get lost on the show. But I suppose if they were completely straightforward about how the business worked, it might not make for the best TV program.
Why are Americans so fascinated with infomercials? Do people in other countries buy this stuff too – or just Americans?
The infomercials business is definitely a global one. They air just about every place where TV networks exist. (TV networks and capitalism, at least: I’m not sure infomercials air in Cuba and North Korea.) Some of the products are unique to each individual market, so some of shows can be pretty hilarious since they’re designed to appeal to local audiences. But American infomercials air abroad, too. Some are simply dubbed over in local languages. In other cases, new infomercials are created with local hosts and celebrities. Some have both. The Proactiv infomercial in China actually has a few American celebs speaking in Mandarin, for example. They taught Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Love Hewitt how to say a few things specifically for the Chinese language version of the infomercial. You can find a clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDdehyDNeWA
That said, the infomercial’s roots are here in the US and the culture that has been built around them is very much an American phenomenon. So while other countries have active infomercial and home shopping industries, it isn’t quite the pop culture institution that it is here.
What is the ShamWow guy’s story? I assume it is a lot like all the other pitchmen. Do industry people hate him because he got beat up by a hooker – and therefore continuing the terrible association people have with the infomercial industry?
Vince was an actor and filmmaker back in the day, which was around the same time he was a member of the Church of Scientology. And he actually made a movie — his first — back in the late 1990s, which I believe one critic called it the worst comedy he’d ever seen. He later had a falling out with the Church of Scientology and ended up getting into a legal dispute with the church. I’m not entirely sure how we made the decision to focus on infomercials and sell the ShamWow, although I should point out that it isn’t a new product by any means. Those sorts of absorbent towels have been marketed for decades; I remember seeing a demonstration of one when I was a kid. And Billy Mays pitched a similar product a few years ago called Zorbeez. It wasn’t nearly as successful as the ShamWow, though, which is a good example of one of the enduring mysteries in the business. No one is really sure what will sell and what won’t. And two very similar products can come along and one can catch fire while the the other ends up a dud. I imagine the guy who invented the Slanket a few years back wonders about that every time he sees an ad for the Snuggie.
As far as Vince’s run-in with the law, it really hasn’t resulted in any blow back within the industry. Lots of people in the business have shady pasts, so Vince isn’t really unique in that respect. And in the spirit of “all press is good press,” it may have actually helped him by attracting more attention to the ShamWow.
The thing I found most interesting about that saga was that he was arrested in Miami while staying in a $750 a night hotel room. I think that gives a good sense for what a hit infomercial can do to your bank account.
Have you had any negative repercussions from your book? Have AJ Khubani or any of the get-rich-quick guys threatened you yet?
I haven’t heard from AJ. I didn’t expect I would. His approach to criticism, it seems, has always been to ignore it.
The only person who has complained this far — that I know of, at least — is Joe Sugarman, who is most famous for having marketed the BluBlocker sunglasses back in the 1980s. He was upset about a few things, such as references I made to issues he had with the Federal Trade Commission back in the day, and the fact I didn’t give him credit for introducing the 1-800 number to television and had cited Alvin “Al” Eicoff instead. Eicoff’s role in developing the 1-800 number, however, is recounted in numerous articles and books. And the only person who seems to give credit to Joe Sugarman is Joe Sugarman. So there’s not much I can do about that.
I did hear from a number of people within the industry — both people I interviewed and people I didn’t — who had really nice things to say about the book, which was very gratifying. I tried to capture all sides, including the good (such as the savvy marketing tactics and clever inventions) and bad (such as the numerous scams), and balancing both was a challenge.
You did a really nice job, especially considering this was your first book. What do you plan on doing next?
I’m not sure what’s next, actually. I’d love to do another book, but I haven’t decided on a subject just yet. You really have an enormous passion/interest in the subject, since it becomes a major part of your life for a very long period of time. So I need to think long and hard about what I’m prepared to obsess about next.
Bizzaro US State Quarters
July 1st, 2009I was thinking earlier today about the A Pocketful of History, which I reviewed yesterday. Each state got to choose something that best represented them. So that got me to thinking about what the states would choose if they had to pick their most embarrassing moment in their history. Here’s what I came up with so far:
Texas – Waco / Branch Davidians debacle
Mississippi – Not officially ratifying the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery) until MARCH OF 1995!!! WHAT?!?
Massachusetts – Everyone who lives in Boston
New Jersey – Bruce Springsteen
Minnesota – Voting for Al Franken
What do you think? Let’s hear them!
Public Enemies = Repost
June 30th, 2009For those of you who don’t know, Public Enemies comes out tomorrow. Public Enemies is a movie version of John Dillinger’s life, which is pretty exciting. Dillinger was probably the first ultra famous criminal that actually got a lot of sympathy from people. (Well…Dillinger and Barabbas I guess.) A while ago I read a biography and posted a review of it. I am very excited for a couple of reasons.
- Johnny Depp is awesome
- Christian Bale is awesome
- I love the John Dillinger story
- It gives me a chance to repost my John Dillinger review!
Check out the review before you go see the movie so you can feel smart when you recognize something!
Review of John Dillinger by Dary Matera
A Pocketful of History by Jim Noles
June 29th, 2009Title: A Pocketful of History
Author: Jim Noles
Publisher: DaCapo Press (2008)
Do any of you collect the US State Quarters? Back in 1999 when they started the program of issuing a quarter for each state in the union people got really excited about it and started to collect them. I assume the excitement waned a bit and now a lot of people have books half filled with quarters. I was never really interested in coin collecting, but this program caught my attention because I like US history. I don’t think I’d care to have all 50 quarters (to be honest…I’d rather have the $12.50!)…but I was interested in why each state chose a specific design. Now, thanks to this book…I know!
A Pocketful of History: Four Hundred Years of America – One State Quarter at a Time by Jim Noles is full of interesting facts. Besides having a clever title, the book has chapters devoted to each state quarter, what the design means, and the story behind the design. I found the trivia to be very interesting.
Being from Ohio, the first thing I read was our quarter. As you can see, there is the Wright Brothers’ plane and an astronaut. The rules of the quarter program said there could not be an image of a living person…but Ohio was able to break that rule by not defining exactly who the person was. 
(it is either John Glenn or Neil Armstrong – both from Ohio). I think it’s interesting that the Ohio quarter stakes claim to flight and the Wright Bros (because they were from Dayton, OH)…and so does North Carolina on their license plates (because Kittyhawk, NC is where the first light actually took place).
Each chapter gives a nice, short synopsis of the coin. The funniest was Michigan, which Noles calls the most boring quarter design. And well…that’s pretty much true. It is just a map of Michigan with the Great Lakes surrounding it. Boring.
What is on your state quarter? Do you know why?
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Half Price Crooks?
June 27th, 2009At my last post about Book Mooch I received an interesting comment from Amy:
I’m trying it to see if I like it. I refuse to sell anything to halfprice crooks. Although usually I donate to my local library.
Wha????
Why the hatred for Half Price Books? I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad experience there. It’s always a nice time.
Do you people love, like, or hate HPB — Why?
Also…please indulge my little social experiment here…but after you leave your comments about HPB, please tell me how you feel about Wal-Mart…a simple Pro or Con will suffice.
Book News: BookMooch
June 22nd, 2009I saw this news story about a book sharing company called BookMooch. From The Houston Chronicle:
For the cost of postage, readers trade books through the mail in an online library of sorts that includes generous souls interested in sharing or neat freaks determined to clear out the dust collectors on their personal shelves.
Are any of you doing this? It seems to me that it would just be easier and cheaper to go to the library…no? And if you wanted to get rid of the books you don’t want anymore you could just take them to Half-Price Books or donate them to the library. I guess I’m just confused on the actual benefit of this service.
What do you think?
Drunkard by Neil Steinberg
June 18th, 2009Title: Drunkard
Author: Neil Steinberg
Publisher: Plume (2009)
OK, here’s the deal. I’m a guy…a very manly guy (as you should now know from a recent review). And while the differences between men and women has been pointed out ad nauseum since the beginning of time…it’s probably worth it to go over one. I’ve found out through my lengthy life experience that women like to watch movies and read books that make them cry. They LIKE being forced to emote sadness. This is something I will never understand. True, I get sad when the Terminator lowers himself into a vat of lava after losing his arm to defend his friend. But that’s acceptable because the rest of the movie is spent blowing things up and shooting a shotgun point blank at the T1000 (which is hilarious). See the difference? My point is that there are very few times when a guy can enjoy something that is intended to make them sad. One of the exceptions is when a movie or book is so well made/written that you are willing to look past the emotions you feel in order to experience spectacular art. This book is one of those situations.
Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life by Neil Steinberg is a spectacularly written memoir about Stenberg’s struggle with alcoholism. Steinberg is a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, so you know going into it that it will be well written. What I didn’t expect was the brutal honesty that came in these pages. In fact, at times it was difficult to read.
The book starts in prison, which is where Steinberg spent a night after slapping his wife during a fight. He was, as usual, very drunk. The rest of the book follows his path through court forced Alcoholics Anonymous meetings…and his struggle to not drink.
This book is very powerful and sad because it is hard to watch Steinberg go through the pain of being a recovering alcoholic…and to see him fail again and again and again. It is sad to read about him pulling empty Jack Daniels out of the garbage to inhale the vapors. It is sad to read about him leaving his kids in the house alone so he can drive to the convenience store to buy some booze. It is sad to read his fights with his wife as she tries to help him get better. It is sad to read the total desperation that inhabits these pages.
Of course, the book ends up on a positive note. He stops drinking…for good. But that is not what this book is about. This book is about the fight and the torment of fighting alcoholism. I have never personally experienced anyone going against this….thank God. I have, of course, read about it and talked to other people who have…and it always sounds so terrible. I imagine if there are people going through that right now, this book could be helpful.
If you like to read great writing, this is a book that you must check out. Like me, you may be sad when you finish this book, but that’s OK…because just like Terminator 2, it’s OK to be sad when experiencing great art.
Rating: 5 out of 5
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