The Cripescast Podcast

Starting out comedy in New York City in the early 2000s, Yannis Pappas has seen how stand up has changed over the last 20 years. You proabbly recognize him from his numerous stand up specials or from his podcasts “The Yannis Pappas Hour” or “History Hyenas” with Chris Distefano. Needless to say, he’s seen it all. In this episode, Charlie has met his match as they go down the existential rabbit hole about social media, climate change, and AI. Beyond the spiral, they talk about Milwaukee hot spots, the ways in which parenting humbles a person, and Yannis’s petition for more daddy-daughter public bathrooms for all the girl dads out there.

Follow Yannis on all platforms @yannispappas and get tickets to his December 6th & 7th shows in Milwaukee at yannispappascomedy.com.

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more!

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Becky Robinson loves character work. This is evident through her numerous online personas, including her most viral one, “The Entitled Housewife”. Before the hard seltzer-drinking and golf-loving housewife catapulted her comedy career, Becky spent a decade working hard on her stand up chops as well as picking up random odd jobs to make ends meet. This week, she joins Charlie on the Cripescast and two discuss their parents’ initial reactions to their sketches, the drama-filled reality of country clubs, and both of their career goals. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear Charlie’s Midwest Dad character get into a heated debate with the Entitled Housewife. 

Follow Becky @beckyrobinson4 and @entitledhousewife, and find her tour dates at beckyrobinsonthegreat.com.

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more!

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Kathleen Madigan is a Midwest girl through and through. Although she’s spent the last 33 years doing stand up comedy around the world, her Missouri roots still make the Midwest feel like home. Over the course of her career, Kathleen has made over 40 appearances on daytime and late-night talk shows, performed for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has earned over 10 million downloads on her podcast Madigan’s Pubcast. With six comedy specials already under her belt, she’s currently gearing up to film her seventh at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. Aside from comedy, she and Charlie connect over growing up in large Catholic families, their love for common hobbies like fishing and gambling, and commiserate about the worst parts of golfing. Kathleen also shares her airplane grievances and which Midwest-ish city she thinks is America’s best kept secret. 

Follow Kathleen on Instagram @officialkathleenmadigan or X @KathleenMadigan. Check out her website kathleenmadigan.com for tour dates and tickets, including tickets to her special taping at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee in April!

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. Visit patreon.com/charlieberens to get access to bonus content, early ticket information, giveaways, and more!

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Live from the Vivarium in Milwaukee, the Cripescast is back with another installment of election discussions and fan questions. This time around, Charlie is joined by Dan Shafer, Political Editor at Civic Media and founder of The Recombobulation Area political column, and Steve Scaffidi, host of WTMJ’s The Steve Scaffidi show and former mayor of Oak Creek. With November 5th less than a week away, many people still have questions about the issues at stake in this election. Luckily, Dan and Steve are here to help break it down. They guide our listeners through an insightful discussion and answer crowd audience questions about many issues including reproductive healthcare, election reform, and the importance of local elections, just to name a few. As members of opposing political parties, Dan and Steve exemplify the importance of having civil political conversations to hopefully reduce the division amongst Americans. For more details about voting in Wisconsin, visit myvote.wi.gov and don’t forget to vote on November 5th!

Follow Dan @DanRShafer and Steve @StephenScaffid1. 

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. 

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Live from Comedy on State in Madison, Wisconsin, journalism professor Mike Wagner makes his return to the Cripescast to answer more election questions. With November 5th right around the corner, there’s no better time to discuss pressing topics that Amercians feel are at stake in this presidential election from social to economic issues. While America feels more divided than ever due to misinformation and sensationalized news, Mike reminds us of the importance of seeking out the truth and remaining open minded, regardless of party lines. In this episode, Mike and Charlie discuss topics ranging from AI to national debt to border control. They also take questions from the audience about the environment, third party voting, and where individuals can go to find unbiased information. For more details about voting in Wisconsin, visit myvote.wi.gov and don’t forget to vote on or before November 5th. 

Follow Mike on X @prowag. 

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. 

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Country trio Chapel Hart never envisioned themselves pursuing a career in music, much less earning a Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent. For these Mississippi sisters, Danica and Devynn, and their cousin Trea, family is quite literally everything. With over 100 cousins and nearly 20 aunts and uncles, many of whom are also musically inclined, the girls never saw their talents as anything out of the ordinary. At least not until they started busking on the streets of New Orleans. Their crowds grew, they gained the attention of country music stars like Darius Rucker, and eventually, America’s Got Talent came calling. Having found success on the show with their original song “You Can Have Him Jolene,” Chapel Hart has gone on to tour the country, perform at the Grand Ole Opry, and earn recognition as one of CMT’s “Next Women in Country.” This week, Danica, Devynn, and Trea join Charlie on the Cripescast to discuss family dynamics, learn about ice fishing, and share stories from their blossoming career. They also reveal their hot takes on “cosplay cowboys” and whether or not Nashville can really be considered “the South.”

Follow Chapel Hart on all platforms @chapelhartband. Pre-save their upcoming Christmas album, Hartfelt Family Christmas, here: https://originsrecords.lnk.to/hartfeltfamilychristmas?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaQ18lfVytaS1qZ_mD2qsdf3nqlRJ3WeoG8wrcJr5GbCugc2uOtNw3kA1w_aem_kcyVoQ7PusvJyN3X-5JoaQ

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. 

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Jessie Opoien has been covering politics in Wisconsin for over a decade. With the 2024 presidential election just around the corner and with several hot button issues on the ballot, many Americans have questions about what’s really at stake this November. Luckily, Jessie brings her expertise to the Cripescast this week to answer viewer submitted questions. She sheds light on topics such as election integrity, how to register to vote, and whether or not we can put an end to increasing political polarization. In true Charlie fashion, the two go down the rabbit hole of artificial intelligence and its impending implications in the media and in energy policy. Along with giving Charlie the inside scoop on all things politics, Jessie slips into her best Midwest accent to reveal her biggest grammar pet peeve and to have a taste of Berens Old Fashioned Brandy. 

Follow Jessie on Instagram and X at @jessieopie and follow her work at the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com. 

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. 

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Yia Vang’s new Minneapolis restaurant, Vinai, is a place of restoration. Named after the Hmong refugee camp in Thailand where Yia’s parents met and where he was born, the restaurant serves as a love letter to his family and heritage. Both of his establishments, Vinai and Union Hmong Kitchen, are some of the first ever dedicated Hmong cuisine restaurants in the United States. On top of being a critically-acclaimed chef, he also hosts a cooking show called “Feral” on the Outdoor Channel, and has made appearances on shows like “Iron Chef” and “Good Morning America”. This week on the Cripescast, Charlie steps in as Yia’s sous chef and helps him prepare a dish using Berens Old Fashioned Brandy. While they cook, Yia shares some of the cultural details woven throughout Vinai’s decor, how he learned to cook, and his preferred method of drinking Charlie’s brandy.

Find Yia on Instagram and TikTok @yiavang70 and on Facebook and X @chefyiavang. Visit his restaurants Union Hmong Kitchen and Vinai if you’re in the Minneapolis area!

Follow us on all platforms @cripescast and visit cripescast.com for all show information.

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

Steve Treviño’s career isn’t what defines him, being a husband and father does. With six comedy specials under his belt and spending decades as a touring comedian, he explains that despite all his success, he still lives a normal life. Whether it’s taking the stories from growing up, raising his kids, or squabbling with his wife, he strives to relate with his audiences when he’s on stage. This week, Steve joins Charlie on the Cripescast to talk about everything from coaching little league, to developing a strong work ethic, to going viral in the early days of social media.

Follow Steve on Instagram and TikTok @texastrevino, @MrSteveTrevino on X, and on all other platforms @stevetrevino. 

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information. 

To continue supporting Doctors Without Borders, follow them at @doctorswithoutborders or donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.

When Matteo Lane started doing stand up comedy in 2011, the world looked very different. In fact, Matteo had never even seen a gay man do stand up until he was 23 years old, and it was then that he realized he could do it too. He says that, despite being gay in a time where it was “just acceptable,” he found a supportive community in the world of comedy, filled with like-minded people who were equally as passionate about the craft and didn’t care where you came from. Now, 16 years later, Matteo describes himself as a stand up comic “through and through.” This week he joins Charlie on the Cripescast to discuss growing up in Chicago, his Midwest family, and his envy for people with great hair.

Follow Matteo everywhere @matteolane and find tickets to his show in Milwaukee and beyond at matteolanecomedy.com

Find us on all social platforms @cripescast and at cripescast.com for all show information.