Michael Perry’s “On the Road” includes performances and stories about the author’s life growing up in northern Wisconsin. (Lee Butterworth Photography/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Michael Perry isn't super-famous. Outside of his home in Chippewa County, Wis., he figures he's only been recognized once in the past six months. And that was at a Kwik Trip.

That may all change soon. His latest TV special, "Michael Perry: On the Road," which aired on PBS Wisconsin earlier this year, will air at 7 p.m. Monday on TPT, Ch. 2, perhaps his best shot yet at gaining a significant audience in Minnesota.

Not that he needs the love.

Perry, 58, has made a fine living off his stories about growing up on a small dairy farm in New Auburn, Wis. He's churned out several bestselling books, including "Population: 485" and his latest, "Forty Acres Deep," a novel about farmers' mental health. His band, Michael Perry and the Long Beds, performs across the Midwest with a show at the Icehouse in Minneapolis on Nov. 12.

He's been booked for speaking engagements at dairy conferences and urology conventions. His live shows, for which he often dresses as if he just got done shoveling the driveway, both honor and take gentle digs at small-town America.

It's easy to call him Wisconsin's Garrison Keillor. Too easy. While Keillor relies on fictional characters, Perry never strays far from the truth.

"I benefited immensely from studying Mr. Keillor's early work and how he took the show on the road. It helped me identify my own strengths and limitations," Perry said last week by phone from the office above his garage in New Auburn. "As far as folks comparing our 'oeuvre,' I do hear that a lot and can see the similarities from a remove, but dig down and we're doing different work."

"On the Road" shows how Perry is his own man. The film followed him last winter as he toured out of his 2002 Toyota Sienna, filled with books and guitar cases. His performances at the Stoughton Opera House and the Mabel Tainter in Menomonie are packed with gentle anecdotes about being a volunteer firefighter, putting an ailing dairy cow out of her misery and savoring gas station coffee.

He takes pride in helping a neighbor find the perfect saw and contributing one-liners to the "You're One of Us" bits for the local radio station, Moose Country 106.7 FM ("If you've ever used a piece of firewood as an emergency brake, you're one of us").

His latest special raised more money than any other local production during PBS Wisconsin's last pledge drive.

But there's no reason Perry shouldn't be embraced outside of his own state. Minneapolis is less than a two-hour drive from his doorstep.

"In 95% of my material, you could substitute Minnesota for Wisconsin," Perry said. "That 5% is Cheesehead stuff."

You don't even have to be from the Midwest to appreciate Perry's wit.

"I grew up in Maine, and I have a Maine correlation to almost all his stories," said Deb Piper, a senior producer at PBS Wisconsin. "Those experiences of growing up in a small town and dealing with cold weather touch on memories you've set aside for a while."

Perry may get more attention for his latest special. But don't expect him to move out of New Auburn anytime soon.

"I'm always trying to expand my audience, but I'm also cautious about turning myself into something I'm not," he said. "Of course, if someone has a truckload of money and needs somewhere to park, let me know."

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.