Imus made me do it

 

April 1, 2012

 

My best friend, Hank, loved this day.

For him, it beat out Christmas, New Years and Halloween by far, because it allowed him to do whatever he wanted.

A fanatic listener to Imus in the Morning, Hank got most of his perverted ideas of jokes during his morning commute.

He was always retelling something Imus had said, and believed nearly everything that came out of that radio host’s mouth as gospel.

So naturally, Imus was always pulling pranks, which became fodder for Hank’s pranks, and this was the best day of the year for his pranks.

Early on, before I got wind to this confidence game, I actually fell for some of his stunts, believing that my car had four flat tires, or that the girl in the front office actually asked Hank to ask me to ask her out, only to find out that my car tires weren’t flat, but my face was when she turned me down flat.

I guess we all need something to believe in, even it is something as outrageous as Imus, something that will take us to the next level, and make sure that we are not alone when we face our maker.

When Hank died in 1995, he was alone – although Imus was with him I’m told, since the radio was on when Hank’s mother squeezed his hand for the last time – two weeks prior to his favorite day of the year.

And maybe, it’s easier for all of us to believe that this is still just an elaborate joke and that somewhere down the road, Hank will step out of some shadow and tell us, “Imus made me do it.”

And you know what, I’d believe him.