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HERE’S YOUR HOST, MIKE POLK JR.
By John Benson
On his Facebook page, local comedian Mike Polk Jr. proclaims, “I’m just trying to make it happen.’
Apparently, making it happen means keeping Northeast Ohio laughing with his “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video” shorts and other YouTube popular songs. When he’s not working with sketch comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland, Polk is part of WJW-TV’s “The Rizzo Show” and “Newday Cleveland.”
Up next for the Warren native and Lakewood resident is an appearance at the Cleveland Comedy Festival. Billed as “Cleveland Tonight with Mike Polk Jr.,” the “Tonight Show”-esque affair features Polk as a late-night host with special interviews, a guest appearance by national headliner Al Jackson and music from local band Hawkeye (featuring WMMS’ Erika Lauren).
The Vindicator talked to the 1996 JFK High School graduate about what exactly he’s trying to make happen.
Q. First of all, wow, “Cleveland Tonight with Mike Polk Jr.” That sounds fun. For your “Tonight Show” persona, will you be more Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno or Johnny Carson?
A. Did you ever see “Thicke of the Night” starring Alan Thicke? That’s my real inspiration. I’m basing it almost entirely off of “Thicke of the Night” starring the father of “Growing Pains.”
Q. Or you could pull off a “Chevy Chase Show” feel by having Lauren sing to you a la Goldie Hawn?
A. Now that you say that, it makes perfect sense. Where were you a week ago when I made the Alan Thicke commitment? Now I’m stuck, I can’t turn back. We have all of the set pieces made.
Q. What’s new with the comedy career?
A. Nothing really monumental, I’m working quite a bit with Fox 8 doing stuff. I still do stand-up. I went to Montreal Just for Laughs [comedy festival] the last two years performing. That was really cool because that’s a tough ticket. It in a way legitimizes you a little bit because sometimes you think that people can’t come out of the Midwest and do that stuff. You have to be in New York or Los Angeles so it was cool to not only be invited to the first one but then get to go back.
Q. For a self-deprecating kind of guy, that’s a pretty big achievement, right?
A. Yeah, it was, it felt really good and some of the bills I was on with some of these comics was pretty insane.
Q. Also, congrats on having a Wikipedia page.
A. I wish that wasn’t up. I had nothing to do with that and somebody else pointed it out to me. I was like, “What weirdo took the time to do that?” It’s enraging. I’m too dumb to fix it. Also, I don’t want to take the time.
Q. Careerwise, what are your goals at this time?
A. It’s really embarrassing to say – well it’s not, I don’t really care – I don’t really have an endgame. I know I should. I have the real misfortune of being content in life most of the time. I’ve never really been hungry. I didn’t have some awful upbringing I’m trying to fight my way through and I’m not an incredibly motivated person. I really don’t care too much about being famous or anything like that. It’s not like I don’t give a damn, I’m just this generally pretty happy person.
Q. Well, perhaps after hosting a faux “Tonight Show” you’ll find your calling as a late night television show?
A. Hey, I hope so. That would really be something. That seems like a really good gig to pursue. How many of those jobs are there in the world, six? I like my odds.