(This is a portion of a larger conversation, which has been edited for clarity. Listen to the full conversation in the link above.)
Charlie Berens is a comic, internet personality and bestselling author who is an aficionado of all things Midwestern culture.
Berens recently joined me for a chat ahead of his two shows this Saturday at the Coronado Theatre in downtown Rockford.
When I asked Berens if he listens to public radio in Wisconsin, he said he did.
“Yeah. WPR (Wisconsin Public Radio) and Milwaukee Public Radio, I listen to both.”
Berens also had a career in journalism prior to his comedy days, he won a local Emmy award for reporting he did at a Dallas television station in 2013. The name of the piece was “The Cost of Water.”
“It is odd the way we price water," he said, something that we all need."
Berens is still enthusiastic about the news. A topic that has been dominating headlines across the Midwest is the construction of data centers. Berens has been very vocal about his opposition to their construction, particularly in rural areas.
‘There is a reason data centers go to small towns,” he said. “They need the land, and whether it’s intentional or not, it’s pretty easy to have things under the radar.”
Berens felt compelled to speak up on the rise of data centers because, he said, “I’m trying to look out for people in small towns who feel they don’t have a voice in this process."
As we shifted to lighter conversation, the topic of small-town performance venues came up, and how important they are to Berens.
Berens is a native of Wisconsin, but is familiar with northern Illinois, and mentions the Coronado Theatre has been one of his favorite places to perform in the Midwest.
“You’re just in awe," he said, "that we built something like that at one time."
To close out our chat, I could not help but needle Berens a tad. Charlie Berens is a giant Green Bay Packers fan. I am not. Bear down Chicago Bears. So, naturally, I rubbed in the fact that the Bears defeated the Packers twice this season, both epic, once, in the playoffs, spectacular.
Here is how Berens responded: “If you wait long enough good things eventually, accidentally happen.
How is that for some sour grapes?
Charlie Berens performs two shows on Saturday at the Coronado Theatre in Rockford.
