If you ever received a speeding ticket in Kentucky, chances are former police officer-turned comedian Mike Armstrong did not write it. Unless you were really outrageously rude, in which case, Armstrong considers it just as much your fault as his.
His 12 years on the police force causing trouble and not writing tickets figures prominently into his act. A prankster to his very core, Armstrong had his fun while policing the great state of Kentucky.
"People up north are scared of Kentucky," he said. "I used to pull people from up north over all the time. I once pulled over a couple that said they were from Pittsburgh. I played the bumbling sheriff and asked, ‘If you're from Pittsburgh, why do you have plates from Pennsylvania?'"
Armstrong says he likes to think the people he pulled over remember his humor to this day. Always a helpful officer, he eventually decided that his life's work lay in laughs, not in writing speeding tickets. As his stand-up career took off, his commanding officer pulled him into the office and asked him to make a choice.
"I think that they were not really that sad to see me go," Armstrong said.
Although his time on the police force inspired some of his most famous material, Armstrong is much happier these days doing what he does best, telling stories and jokes to a roomful of strangers soon to become friends.
| Mike Armstrong Dr. Grins, Grand Rapids Nov. 24-26, show times at 8 and 10:30 p.m. $10-$15 thebob.com, (616) 356-2000 |
"My philosophy is that most comics just do an act. Don't do an act. I go up there and pretend I'm standing in my driveway with my best friends. It seems to work out," he said.
His laidback southern style and PG material made him a natural fit for television, including spots on CMT, Showtime and Comedy Central. Most of all, Armstrong says his job is to make sure the audience leaves happy and feeling like they've made a new friend. After all, in comedy, the audience is quite literally the boss.
"One time, a guy stopped me at the mall to take a picture," Armstrong said. "He realized he didn't have a camera, so I waited 20 minutes while he ran into a store to buy one."
His "be nice" ethos occasionally puts him at odds with the pervading comedy trends. But Armstrong isn't particularly concerned with being on trend. As long as the audience is having fun, he is satisfied.
Joining him at his Dr. Grins appearance will be comedian Ted Denson, whose comedy features many jokes about living with cerebral palsy. Their PG-content and good-natured humor make them a great match, Armstrong said.
A few years down the road from Armstrong's retirement from the force, he feels like he made a good choice by leaving law enforcement for the comedy circuit. When asked if he misses his old policing days, he laughed for nearly a full 30 seconds.
"No," he said. "Not at all."
