Televangelist Gene Scott Dies at Age 75

[Zorro]

<snip>

Gene Scott, the shaggy-haired, cigar-smoking televangelist whose eccentric religious broadcasts were beamed around the world, has died, a family spokesman said. He was 75.

Scott died Monday after suffering a stroke, said the spokesman, Robert Emmers.

The longtime pastor of Los Angeles University Cathedral began hosting a nightly television broadcast of Bible teaching in the mid-1970s. His University Network eventually aired a nightly talk show and Sunday morning church services on radio and television stations in about 180 countries.

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050222/ap_on_re_us/obit_scott_1

For those of you unfamiliar with Gene Scott, eccentric -- and entertaining -- was an apt description of him. Here on the West Coast he was a fixture on TV, but he wasn't a hellfire and brimstone type of evangelist -- he was more focused on educating those that he preached to.

For an evangelist, I consider him to be an actual good guy. RIP Gene.

[hadrons]

1. I guess he wasn't raising enough dough for Jeebus

seesm to be all that televangelist do these days

[Walt Starr]

2. My gut reaction was to be reviled, until I read your description of him.

Televangelism hits me negatively at a visceral level, but I'll accept your description of this man as a good guy and wish his family the best.

[LiberalVoice]

3. ditto

:)

[Neecy]

4. he certainly was entertaining

Watching his little cable show was gruesome entertainment, like a twisted version of religious high camp. The clips of horses that were edited in at odd, inappropriate moments were hilarious.

And I don't recall him ever preaching hatred, although I admit I only saw a few moments of his show here and there.

[rkc3]

12. Gruesome entertainment is right -

Do you remember the one song they used to play -- "Kill a Pissant for Jesus."

I swear to Jeebus, my sister and I used to stay up late and watch him in Pittsburgh and laugh along to songs like this. For us it was strange to watch him as he came on right after SCTV in late night.

[Neecy]

17. Darn...never heard the song

It sounds like a keeper. Maybe I can find it on his site.

The production values of his show were really horrible - and those horses looked like they were filmed in the 1950's. The whole thing was really bizarre, like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I think that was the charm.

[rkc3]

21. The article on Scott at rotten.com mentions the song.

The link is posted in an entry further down.

I never realized, until I was a bit older, that this guy was for real and people did send him money. My sister still gets fundraising letters from him - they're just as funny to read as the show was to watch.

It was like he was on acid the whole time he did the show.

[Ian David]

27. Kill a Pissant for Jesus. I found the lyrics

Via Usenet
Bob Hankins May 2 1997, 12:00 am

Kill a pissant for Jesus
Grind them right through the floor!
Kill a pissant for Jesus
And then kill one pissant more!
Be sure to give God the glory
For knowledge that sets spirits free!
And kill a pissant for Jesus
Then kill a pissant for me!

Dr. euGene Scott used to play that song a lot. It had better words than
everyone's favorite "I Wanna Know" but it wasn't as rockin'. He's the
only thing I miss about living in L.A. except the Crips. I wish I had a
videotape of Dr. Gene waving a surgical tool in the air and ranting
about circumcision. "Cut it off, cut it off, cut it off, cut it off!
They're circumcising their brains!" Would someone arrange a boxing match
between him and Bob Tilton?

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.slack/browse_thread/thread/bdcbf3f7f3e9ba58/ad394b46597ea7f1?q=%22%22Kill+a+Pissant+for+Jesus%22&_done=%2Fgroups%3Fq%3D%22%22Kill+a+Pissant+for+Jesus%22%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26c2coff%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26tab%3Dwg%26&_doneTitle=Back+to+Search&&d#ad394b46597ea7f1

[rkc3]

30. Sweet Jeebus, thanks for making my day. This is better...

than the beer (Harp) I had for lunch.

[underpants]

5. He was damned interesting to watch late at night

I didn't think he was reallya televangelist as he talked about most anything.

http://www.drgenescott.org/

[chrisbur]

6. My grandmother

was obsessed with him. Sent him money for the last thirty years. I always considered him to be one of the less harmful evangelists.

[Minstrel Boy]

7. He was old school. Not one of the bad guys.

Eccentric, not a hypocrite.

[paineinthearse]

8. I lived on the left coast for several years

and watched him on occasion, could never quite figure him out.

One time he was preaching against the evils of gambling, had a strip of lottery tickets at least 25 feet long. He just sat back, casually scratching, smoking a small cigar, and kept saying, "maybe this one", or "this is it.....nope".

If all televangelists were so benign.

[Charlie Brown]

9. My condolences to his friends/family

It seems like way too many public figures have been dying recently. Arthur Miller, Hunter Thompson, etc. I hope there's an afterlife where these guys can find peace.

[ClintonTyree]

10. I remember watching 15 yrs. ago or so...............

he was a real piece of work. He'd stop the show, stop preaching all together until a certain number of donations were called in. Consequently there were giant segments of his show that were nothing but dead air, just music and shots of Gene sitting in his chair.

He was a character all right, but I wouldn't say he was any better than the others. From the above story you can tell that his main concern was money, not the souls he was trying to save.

[booksenkatz]

26. Yes! We used to watch him abt. 15 yrs. ago also

My husband and I were fascinated, we'd laugh our butts off. Do you remember this song that he once had a quartet sing over and over and over and over and over again until the donation goal was reached:

I want to know that Jesus welcomes me there,
I do not want to be deniiiiiiiiii---ed,
Just let me live in that city so fair,
That's enough for me to knoooooooooooowwwwwww

Then they'd cut to Gene and he'd just twirl a finger around in the air as he smoked his cigar, indicating that the guys should sing it again. What a character! His chalkboards were always groaning under the weight of so many language references and nonsensical connections between the most bizarre items. This agnostic household will miss the old feller and hope he finds a nice stash of cigars in the next life.

[Ian David]

11. Wow. It sounds like this guy was a real trip

It's "not a lot of hooey - just straight talk" from a man everybody's encountered at one time or another while flipping from channel to channel. His face looms large against the Ultimatte blue background, and he radiates forth a righteous indignation. He's the richest television star in world history, and he could easily hold a Guinness record for spending the most time live on the air in front of millions of people.

"You ever meet Christians? You wish you could shove a pipe in their mouth. Anything to shut them up."

He's unpredictable, entertaining, ridiculous and brilliantly inspired. There he is again: puffing a cigar, harassing a visibly shaken staff, delivering hateful missives against the FCC. He's the Bill Hicks of adult preachers, cracking jokes with impeccable timing and delivery. Everything about him is immaculately watchable, and there's no denying he's smart and fuckin' funny. His tight, thin-lipped sneer and shocking blue eyes make you wonder if you personally aren't his next target. Few can turn themselves away from this man's power. The Dr. Gene Scott suite of programs is broadcast in eight languages, in 180 countries, over radio and television stations twenty four hours a day throughout the world. There's even a live Internet video stream.

While other pastors denounce homosexuality, abortion, adultery, profanity and drinking, Scott refuses to condemn such behavior. He leaves worshipers free to make their own choice without coercion. "I don't ask you to change when you come here," he instructs the congregation. "I take you as you are, as God takes me as I am."

More:
http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/religion/dr-gene-scott/

[Dogmudgeon]

14. The Bill Hicks of preachers

Wasn't that Bill Hicks himself? After all, wasn't Hicks a preacher?

So was Sam Kinison. Marc Maron is likewise well-versed in Jewish law.

They (and a few other comedians) called themselves "The Texas Outlaws". Looks like Gene Scott was one of their inspirations.

--p!

[nolabels]

13. I thought him to be smart at one time

We mostly learn things on our own, but never without the help of others in some way. He might of meant well in his early years but the trappings of money and success have ways of doing weird things to people later on in life.

(snip)
"Iraq is a threat to the world," he said in a 2003 speech posted on his Web site. "So kick the hell out of 'em, George."

Recognizable by his mane of white hair and scruffy beard, Scott never stuck to a conventional format for his show - he once wore glasses with eyes pasted on them and sometimes smoked on the show. On his Web site, he said about himself, "What you see is what you get."
Unlike other televangelists, his sermons did not condemn homosexuality, abortion or other hot-topic sexual issues. Scott argued that such issues were a personal choice.

"I don't ask you to change when you come here," he told the congregation, according to a 1994 Los Angeles Times article. "I take you as you are, as God takes me as I am."

Scott's church raised millions through round-the-clock Internet and satellite TV broadcasts, where he would demand of viewers: "Get on the telephone!" to donate.
He had a lavish lifestyle that included a chauffeured limousine and contact with political bigwigs. He claimed at one time to own 300 horses.
(snip)
ttp://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/10959158.htm?1c

[confludemocrat]

24. RE the horses

"He claimed at one time to own 300 horses."

Remember, the breaks in his show would sometimes (when I watched him as a grad student coming home early in the AM) consist of long video'd scenes of horses cantering around at some horse show--dressage or whatever? He was wierdly engrossing and entertaining.

[Wright Patman]

32. He changed on Iraq

When his cancer came back last year, I once heard him say they could have already cured cancer for all the money wasted on Iraq.

[nolabels]

37. If some of the people who supported the invasion would admit.........

They were wrong and or blatantly lied to then things could turn around some. Mostly they won't just to because they think they will saving face if they don't. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on anybody who has passed away.

R.I.P Gene, we will try to remember you for the good things you said

[jeanmarc]

15. Doesn't count for 'threes'

HST, Sandra Dee, and we are still waiting....

[antigone382]

18. Could Arthur Miller count?

I know that was a week ago, but still...

[Blue_Tires]

33. Ossie Davis

[Blue_Tires]

40. oh, man, how did i forget about Johnny Carson?

[peekaloo]

38. John Raitt died this weekend.

Bonnie's dad. He was famous in his own right.

[winston61]

16. did you ever listen to him?

This guy talked more incomprehensible shite than George Will and that's saying something. He was always good for a laugh because he was so far out there. Was that his wife or daughter doing all the off-key singing?

[chrisbur]

20. I think it was his daughter in-law.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

19. Most of what I heard from Gene Scott, I liked.

The guy was entertaining...RIP GENE...thanks for not ever picking on the small guy

[khashka]

22. That's sad

When I lived in CA I always watched his show and I'm not even a Christian.

Rest in peace, Gene, we will miss you.

Khash.

[slaveplanet]

23. I know for a fact,, God sure does love crazy people

otherwise he wouldn't have made so many...RIP Gene


Ps.. anyone ever catch his disections of the Great Pyramid? The Paper would look like abstact art , he'd use so many circles and arrows.

[Straight Shooter]

25. I remember watching him, years ago. Enjoyed his show.

Saint Peter and Gene Scott are having some really good laughs right now, I hope.

Rest in everlasting, everloving peace, Gene Scott.

[Ian David]

28. Usenet Group: alt.fan.gene-scott

You gotta be shittin me??

Usenet Group: alt.fan.gene-scott
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.fan.gene-scott

Via Usenet:
Marty Rosen Jan 12 1995, 6:47 am

Greetings,

The recent post on the "Were you born an asshole..." song reminded me of a
great liturgical moment that occurred long, long ago in the goode aulde days
when Dr. S was still on the air here in Kentucky. The screen showed a Diego
Rivera influenced mural of ants in combat on a cross while a song in the
background went "Kill a pissant for Jesus...." Unfortunately, I didn't have a
VCR in those days. Anyone know all the lyrics, or have a video or tape, or a
way to get one? Can Dr. S. supply tapes? How can I reach him? Is there a
number or a www page?

By the way, Dr. S. has a horsefarm here in Kentucky. I can supply directions
if anyone wants to make a pilgrimage.

[e-mail]

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.fan.gene-scott/browse_thread/thread/691e9726d1b833eb/63689adb69887272?q=%22%22Kill+a+Pissant+for+Jesus%22&_done=%2Fgroups%3Fq%3D%22%22Kill+a+Pissant+for+Jesus%22%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26c2coff%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26tab%3Dwg%26&_doneTitle=Back+to+Search&&d#63689adb69887272

[LVT]

29. Remember the FCC monkey band?

One thing about Gene Scott, he say send me your money then he would tell you what he was going to buy with it. I remember one time he said he wanted a new airplane and then asked people to send in some money.

[Zorro]

46. I remember...

In the late 80s the FCC was forcing him off his SF Bay area station, and in defiance he had the assorted windup monkeys spread out before his chair.

The hour before midnight when the plug was to be pulled, he was ranting about the FCC and whacking the windup monkeys with a baseball bat.

He was a real original, and I'll miss seeing his scruffy face on late-night tv.

[Canuckistanian]

31. I can finally listen to shortwave again

That guy just saturated most of the shortwave bands. It was hard to find a decent band that didn't have Gene Scott blaring away.
Still, it could've been worse. He's not your average "you're all going to Hell, especially you gays" kind of evagelist.
Some his talks were very interesting. Just not 24/7/365.

[Emboldened Chimp]

34. I used to watch in college while blind drunk...

Alcohol made Scott go from interesting to just plain weird. Good times...

[cureautismnow]

35. Forever "Out There"

I remember flipping through channels on the c-band dish in the 80s and occasionally catching snippets of his amusing, unique show with the monkey-playing-cymbals. He'd delve into the Great Pyramid, UFOs, and all kinds of paranormal phenomenon. He was definitely NOT your Falwell/Baker/Robertson/Couch bs'er.

RIP, Gene. O8)

[BigBearJohn]

36. I'm not very religious, but I liked him. I will miss him.

Spent many a lonely nite watching him on t.v.

[oasis]

39. He was a most interesting individual. May he rest in peace.(eom)

[DoNotRefill]

41. I remember one of his pleas for donations...

he said he had to make his Mercedes payment, so send money NOW!!!

Talk about truth in advertising...

He was a hoot.

[BadGimp]

42. Can I have his stuff?

That guy had the coolest stuff. And those babes...oh man!

[5thGenDemocrat]

43. He was on here in Saginaw in the late 80s

Weird. Probably crazy. Brilliant in his way. And never ever boring.
I remember "Kill a Pissant for Jesus" very well -- in fact, several friends started a (horrible) thrash band here called "The Pissants" in an allusion to Gene and even got a CD out (I'm sure they paid for it themselves -- they MUST have). But the title track of said CD, "Silly Dillys," will, alas, live on forever wherever there are CD players and a complete lack of musical taste.
John
Anyhow, vaya con Dios, Gene -- you done good and I'll miss you at least a little bit.

[Octafish]

44. Bye, Gene! Until we meet again...

You're absolutely correct, Zorro: Gene Scott was one of the good guys. The only thing he had in common with Jerry Foulmouth and Pat Diamondchicken Robertson was the television.

When I lived in Cali, the guy was a fixture on late-night UHF. He usually was the best thing on. He wore cowboy hats, baseball caps, stetsons -- a different hat each night. Once he talked about spotting the lizardoids or devils, I don't quite remember which, and determining which ones are truly human. He said look 'em between the eyes and read what's there.

My world is an emptier place today.

[Blue_State_Elitist]

45. First Wally George

now Gene. What are Southern Californians supposed to watch late at night anymore?

[farmboxer]

47. I'm Not Religious But I Enjoyed Watching Gene Scott

on my sat.dish. He was different from the others. He used to call Jerry Falwell, "Jerry The Fat" , Jimmy Swaggert, "Jimmy The Jerk", he was very funny at times. He also sued "Time Mag." for calling him a TV evangelist! He was an educator, not a TV evagelist. He gave lessons in Greek, you name it, and did not want anyone to give him any donations until they had watched him for a year, did not want you to get a tax break for the donation either, etc., I will miss him, he was a breath for fresh air.

I can't stand dogma, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggert, Ashcroft, Bush, Rev. Moon, Gary Bauer, and their pals, they did not like Dr. Gene Scott either. By the way, Dr. Gene Scott had a "real" doctorate, unlike so many of the others. Jerry Falwell was too stupid for kindergarten!