Mike Polk, Last Call Cleveland

Comedian Mike Polk is an affable, likeable guy. Witty but modest. He’s got that friendly and familiar look about him – and not just because he starred in “The Block” interstitials on WUAB-TV Channel 43. Polk is familiar in that “that cool neighbor down the hall” kind of way: he’s like that guy at work who spends more time organizing the March Madness office pool than he does caring about the Cubicle Farm. You’d never guess he was the same Kent State alum who led the rousing musical skit, We Want to Give It to Your Girlfriend, sang about “rolling down West Sixth” in Corvette Summer or wantonly tossed around a baby doll in a mock YMCA fathering class during Never Never Shakes Your Baby. You wouldn’t see him as a dead ringer for local icon Michael Stanley and you wouldn’t think he was a “bracingly offensive” humorist/satirist in the sketch comedy troupe, Last Call Cleveland if you didn’t know him.

Last Call Cleveland is comprised of five gents (including Polk) who offer up distinctive multimedia stage shows with live and filmed sketches, musical numbers and a whole lot of audience participation. Their chemistry is something between thick-as-thieves college roommates and Barenaked Ladies. They’ve performed at ImprovOlympic in Los Angeles, opened for Saturday Night Live alumni Jim Breuer at the Phantasy and did a sold-out, six-week run at the Cleveland Black Box Theater. Coming off of their latest production Michael Stanley Superstar, Last Call’s straight man and “fatherly” ringmaster spoke to Cool Cleveland about “regrouping,” an upcoming appearance at the New York Sketch Festival, living in and creating from Cleveland, and the impact of Second City on sketch comedy in Cleveland.

Cool Cleveland: How much of an impact did Second City being here and having course work available have on you individually and as a troupe? How involved was Last Call Cleveland with Second City and how galvanizing was that experience?

Mike Polk: Well, it was absolutely huge. Some of Last Call enrolled in the courses and really, it was a Mecca that all of us – who were moving in different directions – could move towards and learn and take things from. There was always an interest there, but [sketch comedy in Cleveland] didn’t have that sort of structure before Second City arrived here. They were so cool to us and helped us so much… It’s really a depressing shame that it was gone before a lot of people could take advantage of it.

Their demise seemed to happen pretty fast.
Yeah, you know...people complain about this exodus of the youth in Cleveland, heading to the bigger cities and markets that will treat them better… but then when something special like Second City comes along, those are the same people who let the whole thing peter out, slip away and die. That’s not to say the city should have saved it or started funding improv comedy when they’re cutting budgets for police and fire. But something should have been done to keep [Second City] here and it starts with Clevelanders.

Members of the Public Squares were a part of that Second City crowd as well. Is there a Browns/Steelers rivalry there? Any juicy gossip?
Nah. There’s more than enough infighting in the city! (laughs) We’ve performed together in benefit shows, like the one for the Red Cross at the Odeon. We really appreciate what they do. It’s a very supportive circle. They come to our shows. We go to their shows. They’re a really great group of people. No Browns/Steelers rivalry. No gossip.

Is finding comedy material about Cleveland like shooting fish in a barrel?
It can be if you let it. But you can’t just jump up there and say, “Our river caught on fire!” and wait for the laugh… A lot of people recognize that. The trick is to do comedy about Cleveland in a novel and original way. If [the city] gets made fun of one way or another, it’s better to do it with some class and finesse. That’s when it’s successful. You do have to be able to laugh about some of this stuff.

Would you say the criticism of the city is deserved?
I’m not a political genius or anything, but it’s hard not to see that Cleveland has the highest poverty level in the nation and not think there’s something wrong here, you know? It doesn’t make the city any less charming, though. I love Cleveland. It’s very cool – approachable, accessible and full of talent. And people need to know that.

Do you think you’ll stay in Cleveland?
I’ve never been one of those people who says “I’m gonna leave! This place sucks!” or pull a Good Will Hunting and leave in the middle of the night (laughs). I have every intention of staying in Cleveland, being centered and focused here. When Second City shut down, I lost 20 of my friends to different cities. Los Angeles. Chicago. New York. They moved and it’s great and satisfying for them. But no, I have no plans to leave.

What’s the creative process like in Last Call Cleveland? If I had to guess, you seem to be the catalyst for a lot of what’s going on… or at least the butt of the joke?
In the group, the rest of the guys are the sparkplugs – the ideas – and I’m sort of the dad. (laughs) I sort of reign them in from time to time. They all think “outside the box” a lot better than I do and have talents beyond mine, especially when it comes to the big, multimedia stuff… They’re really the ones with all the great ideas and I’m just lucky enough to try out the things they write and make them work.

What do you tell people who ask you for advice about doing stand-up comedy, being a quote-unquote comedian or even about being a media personality?
Not to make the comparison at all, but people have [asked] the same thing of David Cross. He says, “What’s your recommendation? How do I make it?” Stuff like that. And he always says “Do your own thing.” It’s true. Don’t go audition to be in the next Ohio Lottery commercial, or do something everyone else structured. Do your own thing. It helps your personality shine through and allow you to do all of the things you want to do.

Michael Stanley Superstar was not only a very perceptive show, but it was really much more successful than any of you thought it would be. Where did the concept come from and how did Stanley himself take to being sent-up?

We were considering doing a project with a local bent and naturally came up with Michael Stanley. It went from being a throw-away idea to a Titanic-length, three-hour play concept that no one could sit through before it was actually finished in a more “E! True Hollywood Story” manner. We went minimalist, as ridiculous as possible… and spared no expense in selecting the best costumes and fake beards that money could buy.

Honestly, it was more of a parody of plays, making fun of theater clichés and poking fun at Cleveland than it actually was about Michael Stanley. We even invited [Stanley] to the show and called in to his WNCX show a few times, in an effort to talk with him about it. He wouldn’t talk to us and he didn’t attend, which was too bad really.

With Superstar, you did something more locally-focused and also expanded into some audiences you might not otherwise have considered. Was that the intention?
You could say that, but it was really just a byproduct of the show and not the specific intention… it was a very interesting and eye-opening experience. We’re hated by the Michael Stanley website now, which is a lot of fun. There are some strong-willed people out there! They sent some scouts to check out the show, who were less than pleased with the results. You could spot them in the audience a mile out – facial hair, shoulder-length hair, gruff expressions, the tight jeans and Michael Stanley 1984 tour shirts. We got some threats, but you know, the Michael Stanley audience as a whole is not very intimidating.

What do you do for an encore? Feagler’s Inferno? The Passion of the Belichick?
We might do Dick Goddard: The Musical, but nothing’s set in stone. (laughs) Seriously, we are in the development phase right now – regrouping and working through details for a new show. We’ve got an upcoming appearance in New York for a sketch festival. Who knows what else there will be. We might also do a movie, but please don’t mention that… I’ve never been one for talking shit before something is completely figured out.
Find more about Sketchfest at http://www.sketchfestnyc.com

Interview by Cool Cleveland contributor Peter Chakerian peter_chakerian@yahoo.com

Photo by Toby Pees

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