Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 04/06/2012 at 11:22 AM News

The Popdust Files: jackass, mtv, punk'd, tyler the creator

It’s always amazing when the more prankster-y targets of the “Punk’d” crews don’t seem to see their own demises coming in the slightest. Odd Future mouthpiece Tyler, the Creator recently found himself the target of such a goof at the hands of Bam Margera, Wee Man and other associated Jackasses, being tricked into thinking his carelessness with a taco truck’s gas grill led to the truck going kablooee (and a man inside catching on fire) at a charity event. Rather than suspect foul play at work—and with the Jackass bunch in the building, how could you not at least suspect?—Tyler whips out his camera phone to take a picture of the man on fire (bad form, T) and then takes a running leap into a pick-up truck upon further explosions. “Tyler the Creator? More like Tyler the Demolisher!” snaps the event manager.

Of course, it’s all faked, and eventually Tyler is let in on the joke. He’s a fairly good sport about the whole thing, just proclaiming ”All right assholes, I’m out of here, I got a date!” (Perhaps he realizes what a compliment it is that he’s even considered Punkworthy at all.) The main problem with the post-Ashton Kutcher Punk’d, by the way—there’s no more great reveal moment now when Ashton comes bounding out from behind the scenes and it dawns on the pranked celebrity about what’s really going on. It’s just like “hah, you got Punk’d!” “Oh shit, I guess I got Punk’d!” Not the same.

[Pitchfork]