If you are feeling fatigued by all the Hurricane media coverage, this might be the antidote.
Prankster and self described “phony phone call artist” Captain Janks, best known for his appearances on The Howard Stern Show, has been making the rounds, calling in to local news affiliates to report on Hurricane Irene.
Janks, real name Tom Cipriano, has been getting on air by pretending to be authority figures involved with hurricane management. Once he gets on the air, he proceeds to divert slightly from the topic at hand.
On Saturday, Janks targeted WRAL, posing at North Carolina Emergency Management spokesman Ernie Seneca. After suggesting that residents get the the highest points in their houses to avoid the flooding, Janks describes the suspected cause of the hurricane: A draft of wind from Howard Stern’s a**hole. Check out the YouTube vid below, which shows the lead-up to the on air segment as well –
Funnily enough, Ernie Seneca really exists. Here’s what he had to say about the incident, according to the Miami Herald –
The real Ernie Seneca said he began getting calls shortly after the interview, including from a co-worker who said the caller did not sound like him. Seneca said he has a good sense of humor and took it it stride. “There are a lot more important things in life than some jokester,” he said.
Janks tweeted (@Captainjanks) the other videos had hit YouTube that show additional Irene-themed prank calls to local news stations. These two prank calls were made to Channel 2 in NYC and Channel 3 in Philadelphia, respectively. Each time, Janks poses as an emergency management director.
Natural disasters, as serious as they can be, are fertile ground for comedy. I’m sure that we will see more attempts to disrupt the media coverage of the storms during Hurricane season, especially if Tropical Storm Katia threatens the east coast later this week.
