Mike talks about the “I Am a Woodshop” video that was made in support of the Ottowa Township High School who closed its Vo-Tech program. Over 150 kids stood up in protest over the loss. Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.comVarney & Co.
Dirty Jobs has been out of production for two years now, but not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask me, “How did such a disgusting show ever get on the air?” Until now, that’s a question I’ve traditionally deflected. Partly because the answer involves a sewer, a rat, countless condoms, several million roaches, many hundreds of tampons, vomit, urine, and a slow moving river of crap that very nearly swallowed me up. It’s also mildly redemptive, as such stories go. And completely true. If you’re interested in the truth about the precise circumstances that led to Dirty Jobs, Read More
Today’s comment off the wall comes from David Brugh. “Mike – what’s your take on the Feds calling technical schools “for-profit” and claiming these schools are predatory? I think – and my teenagers, for whom your mikeroweworks campaign has really resonated – think this is bullcrap.” Hi David – I think your kids have summed it up nicely! Many technical schools are in fact, “for profit.” But comparing a for-profit trade school to a for-profit, on-line university is a bit like confusing Robinson Caruso with Gilligan. True, they were both castaways, living on an island. But beyond that… At issue, Read More
Today’s Off the Wall comes from Shelby, and a few hundred others who posted similar comments about a situation in Illinois. Shelby says: “Quite a story brewing in small town Ottawa, Illinois after the high school board voted for raises for the administration then cut the building trades class. Students, parents and tradesman protest. 2 days in a row now. Local business owners send food etc…” Here is the full article from the local Times’ website Quite a story indeed, Shelby. Thanks for posting. Couple thoughts. In general, I don’t support many protests. I don’t object to them – protests Read More
So I walked into a recording booth this morning to narrate the first episode of a new season of Deadliest Catch.
Back in Community College, I had a journalism teacher named Paula Pumphrey. We called her Mrs. P, and she was fantastic. Once, I turned in a feature story that I felt was maybe the best thing I’d ever written. In particular, I thought my first sentence really sang… “On a misty morning in Southern Maryland, Mitchell Mycroft made a massive miscalculation – a mathematical mistake that be remembered as a marvelous misstep in modern manufacturing.” Mrs. P circled the entire sentence with a red marker and wrote in the margin, “ALLITERATION ALMOST ALWAYS ANNOYS!!!” She was right of course, and Read More
The controversial manufacturing commercial for Wal-Mart is discussed on Bloomberg TV “Street Smart” with Trish Regan. Bloomberg TV
Mike sits down with Equipment World at ConExpo 2014 to talk about his views on the skilled trades and explains “no job is a bad job.” By Wayne Grayson All of the new machines are obviously the star of a show like ConExpo. But one of the highlights for the Equipment World team last week at the show was getting to sit down with TV host and newly-minted author Mike Rowe for a conversation on the importance of skilled trades and vocational education. Just in case you’re unaware, Rowe is likely the foremost advocate for construction and the trades we Read More
Mike spent an hour with Dennis Miller discussing everything from the controversial Wal-mart commercial to his new Profoundly Disconnected book. The Dennis Miller Show (To listen to complete interview you need to be a member of DMZ) [youtube url=”http://youtu.be/aP9zrvJYyYM”]
During the second half of the February 26, 2014 show Mike joins the podcast to discuss the recent Wal-mart controversy and how their relationship with taking risks has changed over the years. Listen to the podcast – here. [youtube url=”http://youtu.be/Ccnqir2Yf9k”]
Mike chatted it up with the guys on TMZ Live about the controversy over the recent Wal-mart ad. (Mike’s interview begins 18:43 minutes into the show.) TMZ Live Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.
Mike visits with the crew on Morning Joe to discuss the controversial Walmart ad and his new book Profoundly Disconnected. We also learn a new term “cognitive dissonance” – when someone you’re trained to hate does something you actually agree with and how it takes a minute to get your head around it…for some it has taken longer than a minute. Mike takes the time to make sure the message of bringing jobs and manufacturing to America is not lost in the debate.
I’m back. Three days of press, five hours of sleep, four bottles of wine, a speech, a job offer, 5,000 form letters, and a couple of good-natured death threats. All because of a commercial that I narrated about American manufacturing paid for by Walmart. Press tours are fun! Oscar Wilde said, “the only thing worse than people talking about you is people not talking about you.” I don’t know that I agree with Oscar, but one thing’s for sure – there’s no such thing as “free press.” I just Googled myself and the results are too rich to ignore. Let’s Read More
Mike gives his thoughts on the Walmart ad controversy and if raising the minimum wage is really the answer. Work is a beautiful thing. Mike Rowe on critics attacking him for narrating a new ad for Walmart says he can’t imagine what would happen in the economy if others followed Walmarts example. On the CBO report that raising the minimum wage will cost at least 500K jobs, Rowe calls it the “Terrible Arithmetic of the Economy” adding: until we close the skills gap we can’t have a conversation on who is worth what in the workplace. PLUS: Mike Rowe discusses Read More
Mike discusses jobs that go unfilled, the mikeroweWORKS Foundation scholarships and urges people to really consider a job in the skilled trades. Despite the country’s high unemployment rate,“Dirty Jobs” Host Mike Rowe says he sees “Help Wanted” signs everywhere he travels in this country! The problem, Rowe says, is that many Americans lack the necessary skills to fill those jobs or aren’t willing to put in the extra work! On Thursday’s show, Mike Rowe joined Tom to explain why he thinks so many Americans are really out of work and why more vocational training and a better work ethic could Read More
