You Could Always Tell There Was Something Wrong With This Guy

I'm not sure if I've ever written about this before, but I happen to be a huge infomercial fan. As those close to me can tell you, I have probably watched every single infomercial ever made, multiple times, and I am absolutely fascinated with them as a genre. How they choose to get their message across, what little marketing tricks and ploys they try to use to get you to take action right away, and even who they select to be their key spokespeople in their infomercials.

Recently I saw a relatively new informercial -- actually, it's what I call an "info-short", in that it is only one of those 2- or 3-minute-long television ads as supposed to a full thirty-minute advertisement -- and immediately it attracted my attention, as much for the product it advertises as for the guy doing the commercial. Of course, I am talking about the amazing, incredible Sham-Wow. Take a look at the full 3-minute tv short, paying special attention not only to how awesome they make the product out to work, but also looking for the little mannerisms and other weird things that the ad's host does and says:



After only a few months of hosting the infamous Sham-Wow ad, I knew this guy was going to get more work. There is just something intangible about him -- the way he points, his voice, the calm and yet pointed way he seems to utter his sentences, I don't know -- that makes him stand apart from most other infomercial hosts out there. Believe me, I would know. And wouldn't you know it, about a month or two ago I saw a second info-short featuring the Sham-Wow guy, this one for a brilliant new kitchen appliance called the Slap-Chop:



So again here he is with the odd mannerisms, the pointing and posing, and that calm, matter-of-fact way of speaking, almost directing the viewer to believe what he says. And as an added item in his repertoire, now he's got the fettucini-linguini-martini-bikini rhyme working, plus the whole "Life is already sad enough, you don't want to cry anymore" line. You just can't beat it.

Well, seeing what a freak this guy clearly is from the above videos, imagine my surprise when I saw this story earlier in the week. Basically it turns out our friend Mr. Sham-Wow and Mr. Slap-Chop has some extracurricular interests with all the money he must be making from being the premiere info-short barker on the tube today.

And check out those mugshots!



I can only hope that this won't hurt poor Vince's chances of getting more work in the future in this industry which he is clearly right on the cutting edge of. I mean, first the Sham-Wow, then the Slap-Chop....just imagine what his third infomercial was going to be like!

Priceless.