April Fools’ Day is right up my alley.  I’m a jokester. I love the kind of comedy that surprises you. Actually, it’s easier when they don’t see you coming.

And because AFD can be annoying to some, I go for the subtle.

Oh, I’ve done my fair share of blatant over the years. I’ve blogged about it before, so dig around the archives and you’ll see of a few of the stunts I’ve done on the radio side of things.  From phony parades in downtown Seattle to looped cell phone rings that we had playing in the background but didn’t acknowledge, it’s just fun to me.

So, this year, I was trying to think of something fresh, something new.  Nothing really jumped out at me. Over time, when I hit a comedy writing wall, I try to tear down the subject to it’s basics.  April 1st is about fooling someone and the reason they believe you is that they trust you. That’s the kind way of putting it. You could also say, they’re “gullible.”  So, why not declare Friday to the unsuspecting as “National Gullible Day.”

I could do a TV ad. OK, that’s a start. Let’s keep going.  I could shoot some stand-up lines, swipe some footage from YouTube, etc.  Then I realized I should tap into the people I know.   I reached out to Matt Riedy, former DJ turned actor down in Hollywood and asked if he wanted to play.  I reached out to former KOMO news anchor Dan Lewis to see if he would be up for it.  I sent out messages near and far, expecting a balance of “Uh, no thank you’s” and “Sure, why not?”

I love that everyone I reached out to agreed to go for it.  They trust I won’t do anything embarrassing to them or something that might tarnish their image.  The result is this plug for National Gullible Day.

Thanks to everyone who helped–Skip Tucker, my brother from another mother, down in L.A.  Nick & Sam, my step-son and his wife, who sent me a clip from London on the final day of their vacation.  The talented Fred Bugg, who lent his Donald Trump and Ted Cruz voices to the bit.  Bob Boustedt, who lent his lower body to play the part of Donald.  Marty, Jodi, Pedro & Luciana from the Jet Morning Show in Seattle.  Matt Riedy and Dan Lewis–thank you!

This came to me Tuesday, sent out requests Wednesday, and shot my part on Thursday, then put it all together.  Wow.

Here’s hoping you survived the pranks and take comfort in the fact that April Fools Day falls on a Saturday next year.

You know, that only adds to the challenge.

Have a great one.

Tim Hunter