Mariah adopts artist's "Be Nice Or Leave" policy
Those who are certifiably famous have understandably shown a preference for ["Dr. Bob" Shaffer's] trademark, a sign painted on tin that reads "Be Nice or Leave". Singer Emmylou Harris has one. Arrowsmith has one. Harry Shearer of "The Simpsons" has one. The most famous of all, Mariah Carey, seems to be making the best use of hers.
"Last year, Mariah was doing a video at the Maple Leaf bar, and she saw one of my signs in JacquesImo's restaurant next door," Shaffer, 50, explained. "She was having a tough time with her life at the time, and she probably felt a little overwhelmed. She sent someone over to JacquesImo's and offered to buy it off the wall. They didn't want to sell it, but they finally did for 100 bucks."
Not long after, Shaffer said, friends who have cable TV began calling and saying Carey had shown off his "Be Nice or Leave" sign on a tour of her home for the MTV series "Cribs". Shaffer was glad to hear that, but what really got to him was all the phone calls: They wore down his cell phone battery. Then, earlier this month, People magazine ran a photo of Carey holding the Shaffer sign.
"I don't know what to say, except I created a monster here," said Shaffer, preparing now for a visit from a photo crew from Country Collectibles magazine. "Before this, I didn't have cable TV or nothing. Now I got a satellite dish. I got to feed this monster. This is going to take a lot of hard work. Evidently, a lot of people need this message: Be Nice or Leave. A lot of teachers are buying them. They hang them in their classrooms." (Everything New Orleans) Many thanks to MariahDownunder.com.
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