Verizon Guy is no more…with a twist (Can you hear me now? Nope)
I’ve always kind of hated this guy, but he was like the Energizer Bunny, because he kept going and going. Paul Marcarelli played the character for about 9 years. Maybe it was his Weezer glasses and his goofy phrase that annoyed me. I remember each phone company had their own human mascot. I loved me some Catherine Zeta Jones T-Mobile ads. As long as Jones comes with the phone, I’m hooked.
Now, that his contract with Verizon is up and the annoying character dumped, we can’t shut this guy up. Because he wasn’t allowed to be public about himself during his run as the V-Guy, he couldn’t say that he was gay. Would he have kept his job if he "came out" during his time with the company?
He was interviewed for a story in The Atlantic, and this rather amusing story came out (pun not intended) about his so-called unwanted fame. ((A few months ago, he attended his grandmother’s funeral. As her body was being lowered into the ground, he heard the hushed voice of a family friend: “Can you hear me now?” ))
Yes, that was morbid, but it was funny. I know he was kind of sick of the job, but I’m sure he got paid a lot of money.
For me, I remember watching one of the more recent “Can you hear me now?” ads and commenting that he looked a little puffy. “What happened to the Verizon Guy? Did he eat a bunch of his own phones?” I have no room to talk, but it was noticeable.
So long Verizon Guy, you will go down in the history of annoying ad guys like the “Dude, you're getting a Dell” guy and that dog from Taco Bell. (I liked the Dude/Dell Guy)
"Yeah, I don't hear you now."
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