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Former Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack has always been a fan of comebacks.
After losing his re-election bid in 2018, he entertained a short-lived run for City Council at-large last year. But it seems the erstwhile hair icon, champion of three-piece suits and eccentric Northeast Philly politician is chasing his next dream.
Show biz, baby.
The veteran Northeast Philly pol is now out in Los Angeles pursuing a longtime dream of getting into comedy and acting, his former campaign manager Marty Marks confirmed.
Billy Penn found video of the commonwealth’s former second-in-command doing comedy routines — and it’s safe to say the new material isn’t exactly politically correct.
Stack has a page on Backstage.com, a kind of LinkedIn for entertainment types, where he goes by the aliases “Michael J Stack aka Honorable Governor Stack aka Mikey Stacks.”
In two different standup videos, Stack appears to have traded his signature salt-and-pepper coif for a West Coast blond vibe. His sets include riffs on his childhood nickname “Mikey,” his Irish-Catholic mother’s questionable cooking, Donald Trump’s comic value and even teenage suicide. (Warning: four-letter language to follow.)
He really hates the kids these days, it seems.
“Mikey likes it, but you know what Mikey really fucking hates?” Stack asks a small crowd in one stand-up video. “It’s our treasure, our jewels, our future — it’s fucking teenagers. Can not fucking stand them.”
The joke goes on. Stack complains about a group of teens he saw in a Starbucks who were spending too much time on their iPhones too while drinking something called “caramel cappuccino motherfucking ridiculoso.” He really disapproves of the smartphones, suggesting kids are suicidal from spending too much time glued to the screen.
“Get on the opioids, get off the iPhone,” Stack said. “Rather put you in the fucking rehab, then in the fucking ground.”
Stack hedges the joke by saying he doesn’t wish any ill will on any teenagers — “unless it’s an insufferable fucking prick.” In the case, the former pol jokes, he’s “glad the little jerkoff is dead.” He then observes that the teens at a fictitious funeral are “Facetiming in front of the casket.”
(Video: Mike Stack via Backpage.com)
During his final years in the state office, Stack was dogged by accusations that he and his wife verbally abused and mistreated staff members. Stack later wrote off his stress-induced bouts of anger as “Stack Moments.”
The lifelong Democrat also jokes about President Donald Trump’s comedic value.
“I like the fact that he is risking the very existence of our planet all for my very own personal entertainment,” Stack joked in another video.
Rumors of Stack’s foray into comedy have swirled through Northeast Philly political circles for weeks now. Councilmember Bobby Henon told a reporter Thursday he’d heard about the new endeavour.
Stack didn’t immediately return a voicemail seeking comment.
Stack’s Backstage.com profile also lists six film credits in 2019, the first full year after he left office. Billy Penn is in the process of reviewing the movies.
