Transcript

A (0:00)

Welcome to the Bellied up podcast, ladies and gentlemen, I am your host, Charlie Barrons. I'm here with my good friend, my companion, my occasional lover, Miles, that you bet you guy. And it's football season, Miles.

B (0:13)

It is.

A (0:14)

Green Bay packers, baby. We got the packers doing hot. We got the brewers doing hot, man.

B (0:22)

How do you do hot?

A (0:23)

Oh, you do hot, baby. We don't even need ascertain from preseason what's going on. We got golden, our new wide receiver, first round draft pick. See some of those catches, Miles? Unreal. And you know, love is going to have a good year. I can feel it already. We got a running game and the Lions, who were cranking in the NFC while their offensive coordinator went to what, Chicago. They're defensive to the Jets. I mean, how is it you become a great team team and then you dismantle it? You know, money talks. Money talks. But that's fine.

B (1:04)

To the packers after they won the super bowl in like 2010 or whatever.

A (1:09)

It's been a long, strange trip. It's been. I don't know, Miles. We've had a lot of ups and downs since then. Okay. And it was 2011, technically 2010 season, but, you know.

B (1:27)

All right, okay, so here we go. This is going. This is the new segment I like to call Charlie Barron's Packer Preview. What's going to happen this year? If you are. If you have a crystal ball in front of you, Charlie, how's the season going to go?

A (1:41)

I'm going to tell you guys the same thing I said back in 2010.

C (1:45)

Okay.

B (1:46)

All right.

A (1:47)

2010, I was in Las Vegas when the Badgers, Wisconsin Badgers, were playing unlv. I was having a good run at the casino after the game. I watched it from a fence because I couldn't afford a ticket. I had more money in my minivan gas tank that I did in my bank account, as was usual back in those days. But the money I did have, I pulled out, which historically has never worked. But I put it on Blackjack and boom, one, one. Right away I turned my 150 into $300 or $75 into $150 is what I did. And so, you know, I had the voice of my Grandpa Bob in my head saying, walk, walk. So I walked and I walked right.

Summary

Bellied Up Podcast - Episode #166

"Blue Collar Vs. White Collar"

Hosts: Charlie Berens (A), Myles the You Betcha Guy (B)
Date: September 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this humor-packed episode, Charlie Berens and Myles the You Betcha Guy belly up at a small-town bar to riff on blue collar vs. white collar life, riff about money woes and taxes, and dig into listener calls ranging from awkward potential in-law situations to the blurry lines between life in a hard hat or an office chair. As usual, spontaneous Midwest storytelling and sharp banter make for a down-to-earth yet riotous hour.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Football Season Kicks Off & Packer Prophecies

The show opens with Midwest football banter. Charlie waxes poetic about the Green Bay Packers and recounts a humorous but painful Vegas gambling story.
- "It's football season, Miles. Green Bay packers, baby." (A, 00:00)
- Charlie tells of betting his last $150 on the Packers in 2010, only to lose the ticket and miss out on a $3,000 windfall.
- Reflects on how wild youthful days shaped his approach to gambling and risk.
- Memorable quote: "I tore up that minivan, man, I didn't find that ticket. [...] That would have increased my net worth by 3,000 times." (A, 05:15)

Money Panics & The Taxman

Both discuss the universal experience of money woes in your twenties, especially freelance/contract life.
- Myles: "I was staring down the barrel of the IRS before I started doing all of this..." (B, 07:03)
- Warnings about forgetting to set aside money for taxes as a new independent contractor.
- Charley on audits: "I got audited once. I didn't make much money at all, like $30,000 that year...I got a payment plan." (A, 09:49)
- PSA: If you're starting a business or side hustle, don’t forget about taxes!

Caller Segment 1: “My Sister’s Dating My Best Friend…Maybe?” (11:00)

Caller: Aiden (C)

Aiden suspects his best friend may be interested in (or already dating) his younger sister, who is smitten.
- "Her eyes are going everywhere and she's definitely interested in him." (C, 13:43)
- Friend also appears to have interest in another gal—Aiden is caught between supporting his buddy and sibling.
Hilarity ensues as Charlie and Myles unpack a convoluted Nashville “rescue” story involving missed Ubers and possible romance.
- Myles: "Pretty convenient on some of these things here." (B, 21:19)
Classic Midwest awkwardness: Should Aiden give explicit permission, or hope things work out?
Consensus: Siblings dating friends is possible, but carries emotional baggage; honesty is best. "Just say, hey, what's going on with you and my sister? If you want to date her, it's totally cool." (B, 26:39)

Memorable Exchanges

On siblings dating friends:
- "It changes the dynamic...You're putting the friendship kind of on the line." (A, 16:42)
On the ‘rescue’ story:
- "That's not saving life, dude. That's being an Uber." (A, 22:52)
- "He quite literally slept with your sister in the car." (B, 25:04)
- "There was some sleeping around in the car." (C, 25:12)
Final advice: Be direct, support happiness but expect surprises. Humorous jabs about checking Craigslist mid-call keep the tone light.

Caller Segment 2: "Blue Collar vs. White Collar – Where’s the Line?" (35:16)

Caller: Brad (C)

Brad is transitioning from blue collar (beer delivery) to white collar (quality engineer) and is pondering the blurry boundaries between the two.
- “When you’re a blue collar worker, I think you know... But when you’re a white collar worker, do you know?” (C, 36:37)
The hosts riff on real vs. stereotypical occupational characteristics, using rapid-fire, Midwest-specific humor:

Defining Differences (and Overlaps)

Water Cooler Test: “If you stand around a water cooler and talk about your weekend, you work a white collar job.” (B, 39:38)
Printer Problems: "If a printer is the bane of your existence — white collar job." (A, 40:18)
Lunch & Grooming:
- "If your lunch comes in a cooler, blue collar. If your lunch comes in an Uber, white collar." (A & B, 45:06)
- "If you have steel in your leather shoes, blue collar. If you have polish on your leather shoes, white collar." (A & B, 45:38)
- “If you polish your shoes on an escalator, blue collar move for sure.” (A, 46:20)
Other markers: Showering locations (gym vs. truck stop), using Gatorade bottles for relief, the type of beer you drink, and more.
Mental Health: "Do you treat your depression with antidepressants or beer? That's the difference between white and blue collar." (A, 58:29)

Memorable Moments

Brad spends the whole call standing on a stump for cell service, leading to a running gag and some meta commentary on the podcast process:
- “Okay, stay there. Stump it is.” (B, 36:30)
- “You’re free to go from the stump now, Brad.” (B, 58:55)

Side Tangents & Local Flavor

Comedy about Midwest attitudes to money, dating, working life.
Tender jabs at family, the quirks of living in Wisconsin and North Dakota, and the social dynamics of small-town bars.
Spontaneous role-plays and self-roasting about the podcast's ability to keep even the callers entertained.

Discussion: Sports Bars and Cultural Consulates (50:25)

How far away does a themed sports bar (e.g. Packers bar) need to be from its home team before it feels fun and not just "normal"?
- Out-of-state Packer bars are like "consulates" for Wisconsinites—little embassies across the U.S.
- "It's almost like a consulate, you know? Like you're at the Boston consulate in San Francisco." (A, 51:30)
- Shoutouts to Packers bars in Portland, Charleston, LA, and more.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"That would have increased my net worth by 3,000 times." (A, 05:15)
"If you have polish on your tennis shoes, blue collar. Really?" (A, 45:50)
"If you polish your shoes on an escalator, blue collar move for sure." (A, 46:20)
"Do you treat your depression with antidepressants or beer? That's the difference between white and blue collar." (A, 58:29)
"If your lunch comes in a cooler, Blue collar. If your lunch comes in an Uber, White collar." (A & B, 45:06)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Packers talk & Charlie's gambling Vegas story | | 07:03 | Money panic & tax stress | | 11:00 | Caller 1: Aiden - Sister dating best friend dilemma | | 35:16 | Caller 2: Brad - Blue collar vs. white collar jobs | | 45:06 | Rapid-fire blue/white collar traits | | 50:25 | Themed sports bars as cultural “consulates” | | 58:40 | Depression: beer vs. antidepressants (humorous riff) |

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Tone: Warmly sarcastic, deeply Midwest, completely unfiltered but never mean-spirited.
Takeaway: Whether you deliver kegs or polish loafers, drive Ubers or sleep in minivans, life is messy, funny, and complicated—especially in the Midwest.
Honorable mention: The podcast lives up to its promise: a barroom where everyone’s stories, questions, and quirks get their moment to shine (even if it means spending the whole call literally standing on a stump).

For more, belly up to the Bellied Up Podcast next week!

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Blue Collar Vs. White Collar #166