Fri 12/4 @ 8PM
Whether or not local comedian Mike Polk, Jr. is “baselessly arrogant” (which just so happens to be the title of his latest comedy album) isn’t the question. He is. And he’ll be the first to plead guilty, but you have to understand this Warren native lives for self-deprecation.
Over the past decade, such a mindset has imbued his involvement with everything from his “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video” shorts and other YouTube popular songs to sketch comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland and WJW-TV’s The Rizzo Show and the monthly The Mike Polk, Jr. Show.
It turns out another apt Polk, Jr. descriptor is lackadaisical. CoolCleveland talked to the funnyman about not only his upcoming CD release show 12/4 at the Cleveland Agora but his overall laziness.
Congrats on the new release. What number comedy album is this for you?
I have one other album I put out four or five years ago called No One’s Even Listening. It’s real bad. It’s one of those things where I look back and say, “What the hell was I doing?” This one I recorded five months ago at Mahall’s. But even when we were mixing it, I was already saying, “God, this is awful. I already hate this album I’m releasing.” That’s how full of self-hatred I am. For the first album, all I did was take a recorder with me all over the place. I kind of like the vibe of it but it sounded like balls. For Baselessly Arrogant, we actually had somebody who knew what they were doing record it so you can actually hear the words, which really improves the whole listening experience.
Why did you decide the time was right to record Baselessly Arrogant?
This is just when we wanted to do it. And when I say we, I’m not talking about myself as if I’m three people. My people is Mike Beder, who has produced the whole thing. He’s the one who forced me to do [the release show] at the Agora because he thinks my site is too limited. He’s right. I’m very lackadaisical and not ambitious. He’s the one who is forcing my hand on all of this crap. I know he’s right, but it doesn’t mean I like it. It’s still a pain in the butt.
It sounds like in a way he’s a father vicariously living through his son’s athletic achievements?
No, but that’s a good guess. He’s actually the rich businessman who has made his money but is kind of bored. So he’s just like doing this because it’s something more interesting to him. He’s like “I’ll move my friends around like they’re pieces on the chessboard for my amusement.” That’s essentially what he’s doing.
Hmm, does he qualify for sugar daddy status?
Yeah, he’s a sugar daddy who doesn’t give me any money. So it’s the worst kind of sugar daddy, really. Just a sugar daddy who makes you work harder.
Having interviewed many comedians in the past, it seems as though most move on from the material they recorded in hopes of writing an entire new set. Is this what you’re doing?
[laughs] Not at all. I will be milking this material. It’s like corporate Christmas party season for me. So I’ll go do corporate gigs like when some girl has a bad idea and gets a comedian instead of a magician to entertain at their office party. They only do the local comedian one year and then they go back to the magician. But I try to hit that sweet spot the year they make that mistake. Also, I don’t really tour that much. So it’s not like I’m doing this stuff every night to begin with. When I get something, I ride it out and drive it into the ground.
What topics do you cover in Baselessly Arrogant?
It’s essentially my lifestyle for commenting on being a sort of young vagabond: aimless and not broke but certainly not killing it. Just a local weirdo, pretty much. I do the typical stuff talking about my youth and upbringing and stuff that bothers me. I’m definitely not reinventing the wheel.
What do you have planned for your CD release show?
I’ll be performing, but I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do. I know I won’t be doing anything on the album because that feels a little like cheating. I don’t want it to be a typical stand-up show, because that’s not just as entertaining to me so I’ll mix in like video and some music and weird stuff. I want to do more like a variety show.
Looking ahead, what’s the next mountain Mike Polk, Jr. wants to climb?
I don’t really know. I don’t have any plans. I really don’t think too far ahead. I know it sounds like I’m being intentionally self-deprecating but I really don’t have anything. I just kind of float along.
In order to find out what you’ll be doing next, perhaps we need to talk to your sugar daddy?
Yeah, he’s the one mapping it out. He’s got like one of those crazy “Homeland” pinup boards in his office where he’s trying to figure out what the hell to do with me and keep me on the straight and narrow, which I’m very appreciative of.
Mike Polk, Jr.’s CD release show takes place at Fri 12/4 @ 8PM at the Cleveland Agora. Tickets are $18 to $21.
Cleveland, OH 44103