Holy cow! Charlie Berens, 'Manitowoc Minute' bring fun to dairy state | Making Manitowoc
Patti ZarlingFOND DU LAC – If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Grandpa Bob must be feeling pretty gosh darn good right about now.
His grandson, Charlie Berens, has become a household name in many parts of the Badger State, and even outside Wisconsin, for his weekly video “Manitowoc Minute.”
For those not paying attention, “Manitowoc Minute” is a two-minute YouTube video Berens posts each Monday. The Elm Grove-born, Los Angeles-based Berens said he struggled with his Wisconsin accent as a broadcaster before taking on “Minute,” which offers a satirical news segment, stuffed with Wisconsin-inspired phrases.
“Manitowoc Minute” has become such a hit Berens has branched out to live, sell-out shows throughout Wisconsin and beyond.
RELATED: 'Manitowoc Minute' guy Charlie Berens gets key to the city from Mayor Justin Nickels
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Hanging out with Berens and his grandparents, Sue and Bob, on a recent Sunday at their Fond du Lac home on Lake Winnebago, it’s clear to see where Charlie gets his sense of humor.
After offering a reporter and photographer coffee and homemade cookies, Grandma Sue sits down in a comfy living room chair.
“Let me tell ya,” she begins. “Charlie comes from a family of BS'ers. His family is very funny. He has the gift of comedy, and his grandpa is never at a loss for words. I’m so glad Charlie took it and made something of it.”
Charlie is the second of 12 children, and Grandma Sue said his parents did a great job raising the crew.
“None of them went to jail,” she said (although that hasn’t been verified).
“There were a lot of kids in the family,” Charlie acknowledged, joking, “That means only one person gets a chicken wing, everyone else gets a black eye.”
That jest led to a back and forth with Grandma Sue about his preference for white or dark chicken meat — information a grandma wants to know.
Charlie credits Grandpa Bob for providing him with much of his Wisconsin-flavored material such as “Keep 'er movin.” A recent “Manitowoc Minute” shows Charlie and Grandpa Bob musky fishing in the bay of Green Bay. And to be clear, the elder Berens steals the show.
The pair reel in an impressive 51-inch fish, to plenty of “Oh my gosh's.” (I saw photos, it was impressive.) When Charlie notes this musky is about 45 inches longer than the last fish he caught, Grandpa Bob replies, “That one was a minnow.”
His grandparents, who had seen Charlie’s live show the night before Sunday’s visit, beamed with pride.
“When people pay money to see my grandson, it makes me quite proud,” Bob said, adding with a grin, “I wouldn’t.”
He says it’s odd when people come up to him and ask if he’s related to the Charlie Berens, based on their last name.
“I say, ‘That’s my grandson,’” Bob said. “It’s quite new and unbelievable.”
It’s probably fair to say many of us living in "Canada South" have at least one Grandpa Bob in the family. And watching Charlie interact with his charming, no-nonsense, well-grounded grandparents, one can perhaps understand the popularity of “Manitowoc Minute.”
It’s clear the humor comes from a place of affection and fondness, not meanness.
Charlie says many of the sayings the “Minute” guy uses are phrases he said without realizing he said them. “It’s that Wisconsin brevity that Grandpa Bob has,” he said. “He taught me ‘Som, a-bitch,' for example. He says it the way he sees it.”
Even the camo jacket with the too-short sleeves has a history, apparently going through several “borrowing” situations among family members before Charlie acquired it from his dad’s closet.
He gladly puts it on for a photo shoot and immediately transforms into the “Minute” character, whom Charlie describes as someone living in his mom’s basement, who likes to read the news and go fishin', all kinds of fishin'.
Although the character seems like a natural fit, Charlie didn’t set out with a goal of developing “Manitowoc Minute.”
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in journalism and environmentalism.
While in college, Berens worked on MTV’s 2008 “Choose or Lose” project, and thought about ways to communicate with people outside traditional news formats. He worked several traditional news programs, but said “It wasn’t resonating with me. The news is so important, but people aren’t always interested in it. Comedy is a way to reach people.”
He worked some red-carpet gigs, and got into stand-up and sketch comedy in California. As he auditioned for work, Charlie said he was made aware his Wisconsin accent and hometown phrases sometime took over without him being aware.
Then, he produced some YouTube videos, in which he dubbed over "Titanic's" doomed Jack Dawson with an ultra-thick Wisconsin accent.
“I saw it really resonated with people,” he said. “I watched it get a hundred views, then a thousand views, then 13 million. I could see I was on to something. You hear southern accents, but when they do Wisconsin accents in a cliché way, they do it wrong. I thought maybe I should do news with a Wisconsin accent.”
He worked on a bit for a show at the Comedy Store in L.A. in June, and then launched the YouTube video.
“Manitowoc Minute,” alas, doesn’t have a strong connection to the Lakeshore community, other than it has a good ring to it.
And, thanks to the Netflix series “Making a Murderer,” about Steven Avery, people throughout the U.S. and world are aware of the community and its location.
Although Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels isn’t a fan of “Making a Murderer,” he said he’s glad Charlie is bringing something fun to the name. He gave Charlie a key to the city after two sold-out shows at the Capitol Civic Centre in late December.
“We’re Wisconsinites,” Nickels said. “We get it. It’s fun. I think the fact he filled two sold-out shows at the Civic Centre shows people enjoy it.”
The mayor said he hands out a key to the city about two or three times a year, recognizing folks who make a difference.
“What I (told) Charlie is that now that he has a key to the city, he’s always welcome back,” Nickels said.
Charlie welcomes that, accepting both the broad support of Cheeseheads and those who live in other states. He noted 60 percent of his Facebook fans are from Wisconsin, and 40 percent from areas such as Colorado, Tennessee, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan and even Los Angeles.
“It’s pretty fun to see how far the tentacles reach,” he said. “If you’re going to be pigeonholed, this is a pretty great way for that to happen. I’m proud of it.”
He writes the material, records and produces on his own, plus travels around the country doing his shows, with about six more planned in Wisconsin in coming weeks. Charlie reads headlines to develop ideas, and his popularity now brings tips and suggestions from fans.
“I just want to keep creating content,” he said. “I want to keep finding ways to connect with my audience.”
The interview lasted long enough that Bob and Sue might have missed church, but Grandma Sue said they would attend the Sunday night services.
And while Charlie and a photographer headed outside to take pictures, Grandma Sue shared stories of her grandkids, noting they were “off the record.” (For the record, they were charming and harmless.)
But she told a tale of Charlie, his siblings and cousins as kids running outside after a rain to dig up worms, selling them for money if they passed inspection.
Digging for worms seems a geez-Louise great example of how down-to-earth Charlie Berens — now a Wisconsin celebrity — really is.
This story is part of the Making Manitowoc series of stories that highlight the people, places and things that make the Manitowoc region one of a kind. If you know of an interesting person, place or thing made in Manitowoc that you think could be featured, contact Patti Zarling at pzarling@gannett.com, by phone at 920-686-2152 or on Twitter at @PGPattiZarling.
Keep 'er Movin': Charlie Berens tour dates
- Jan. 26 — Madison, Wisconsin Union Theater (sold out)
- Feb. 9 — Rhinelander, John and Dori Brown Performing Arts Center
- Feb. 10 — Wisconsin Rapids, Performing Arts Center
- Feb. 16 — La Crosse, The Bluffs at UW-La Crosse Student Union
- Feb. 23 — Bowler, North Star Casino
- March 1 — Sheboygan, Stefanie H. Weill Center
- March 2 — Eau Claire, Schofield Auditorium (sold out)
- March 3 — Sheboygan, Stefanie H. Weill Center
- March 6 — Green Bay, Weidner Center For the Performing Arts
Tour dates, merchandise and more “Manitowoc Minute” fun is at manitowocminute.com.
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