Please forgive the over-usage of the word PRANK in this interview with comedian Roy Wood Jr., who's performing Wednesday through Saturday at Acme Comedy Club.
Pranks have figured prominently in the career of the former radio DJ, whose newest CD of prank calls is expected to be released in the spring. Not even the star of "Sullivan & Son" on TBS is safe now that Wood has worked himself into the show as a regular cast member. We did this interview via e-mail.
Q @roywoodjr, please explain your Twitter handle: Roy Wood Jr Ex Jedi?
A LOL. There's no real rhyme or reason. Just figured it'd be cool to make people think I used to be down with Luke Skywalker and Master Yoda.
Q Who was the victim of your first prank?
A My first prank call was back in the '80s, long before caller ID and call tracing. I called taxi cabs to my next-door neighbor's house all night in 15-minute increments. Seemed funny at the time, but in hindsight it had to have been annoying for her to deal with a cab blowing the horn all night.
Q I was recently told that radio stations mainly do staged pranks, or pranks for which they have sought permission.
A Twelve years in radio and over 500 prank calls and I never faked a single one. Some stations do fake pranks because it's legally safer, but I've never had much of a sense of responsibility. It's much more fun to do them for real.