What makes most prank calls so painfully unfunny?
“The fact that most of the people creating them are painfully unfunny. The history of the high-profile prank phone call [Jerky Boys, Crank Yankers] is scarred by bad direction. Screaming at people or the threat of bodily harm is rarely funny. Otherwise, the humor is just so obvious. Midgets, fecal humor, the morbidly obese–these things aren’t funny to begin with, and especially unfunny when watered down for a mainstream frat-boy audience.” What makes JFAL different? “Jeff and I never imagined we’d have an audience of any note. We were just doing what we found funny, and what we thought our friends would appreciate. For the most part we don’t yell at call recipients, and cruelty is an unspoken no-no. We don’t want to ruin someone’s afternoon. For better or worse, we enjoy making obscure references and creating situations that might go in any direction. It’s really hard to get a good call out of the unsuspecting public, and we’re sticklers about what makes the cut. The hit-rate is so lo
