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Televangelist Gene Scott died at the age of 75.

I know I saw him clicking around on teevee from time to time, in particular in around '93 when I was spending a fair amount of time watching cable and waiting for temp jobs.

He had sort of a distinctive look -- he would wear dark glasses all the time and would occasionally put reading glasses on over his dark glasses, which is not necessarily something you see a lot. He was sort of scruffy.

He would have sort of pledge breaks where there would just be a phone number on the screen to call to give money and there would be a video of horses or something and some nifty jazz would be playing, leading one to think that at least one corner of his psyche was sort of hip.

He was constantly asking for money. It was really just out there to see. He didn't seem to care whether anyone thought he was greedy or what. Probably many televangelists are like that, but Gene was the only one I ever saw, so it seemed pretty novel to me.

I remember one time he give the following little speech, or something like it.

He began, "Now, I've been getting some criticism, some letters lately complaining, 'Gene, all you ever do is ask for money!'"

There was a dramatic pause.

Then he thundered, "But I wouldn't have to do that if you would just open up your wallets and give!"

Here's an article about him from the LA Times in 1994 which touches on some of the above, including the horses.

Date: 2005-02-23 05:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmcirvin.livejournal.com
I remember seeing him on TV once or twice. He seemed more entertaining than your average televangelist.

I remember him smoking some weird-looking pipe carved into the shape of a naked woman, and saying "Smoking this pipe isn't going to send me to heaven or to hell!!" And then asking for money, and saying that people asked him what the money was for, and explaining that there were secrets in life and this was one of those secrets.

Date: 2005-02-23 03:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tongodeon.livejournal.com
Werner Herzog did a documentary on the Good Doctor called "God's Angry Man". I think you should watch it.

Oh, man.

Date: 2005-02-23 04:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] vardissakheli.livejournal.com
Now he's just going to play that awful gospel song video FOREVER!

Date: 2005-02-23 05:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] penelope-arcade.livejournal.com
i KNEW another person was going to die soon, to fulfill that "celebrities die in threes" prophecy. gene scott, sandra dee, and hunter s thompson.

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Jacob Haller

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