Herschell Gordon Lewis and Me

It was a contra deal that introduced me to Herschell Gordon Lewis. The deal was brokered by the advertising manager on my magazine, Direct Marketing International. She knew Herschell – and knew of his work as a film director – but more importantly as a direct marketer – the bit that will only get a passing mention in the obituaries. Splatter is what they really want, not an insight into the man who could sell commemorative plates by the container load.

The deal we had is now lost in the foggy recesses of my memory. Did we give Herschell a half page advert each month to promote his latest book, and in return he’d give us 600 or so words of wisdom? Something like that. I’m sure no money changed hands. I’m not sure who got the best side of the deal, but having that column certainly didn’t hurt our publication. For one thing, we had the word International in our title – and Herschell was definitely a man of the world. He was truly global.

Most importantly, he supplied good copy about how to write good copy. I have a faded and nicotine yellow edition of the October 1990 Direct Marketing International. In it we trumpet Herschell’s second part of a ‘hard hitting series’ – words the great man himself might have argued with. Hard hitting? Let me introduce Herschell: “As a wordsmith, I can intensify or diminish: a thundering yes; a definite yes; a thoughtful yes; a quiet yes.” So maybe it should have been an ‘exceptionally hard hitting’ series?

And that’s what I liked about having him as a writer on the title. His advice was at once both simple and yet effective. He knew what he was talking about. Take his advice on ‘dangerous words’. In the October issue he takes the word ‘read’ to task. “Why? ‘Read’ is work. It requires education and time – instead of ‘Read what users say,’ write , ‘Look what users say.” Obvious, isn’t it, but as Herschell noted, that simple changes like that could make all the difference between closing a sale or loosing a customer.

So I say farewell to Herschell Gordon Lewis. While others memorialise his role as the founder of a particular genre of horror 70s films, I’d just ask you to remember an altogether different creator. A man of moving words, as well as moving pictures.

Nigel Lawrence