Blogs / Articles

  • Why “Work Smart, Not Hard” is the Worst Advice in the World – Popular Mechanics Article August 14, 2013 Work smarter, not harder? Don’t tell Mike Rowe, who has met some of the hardest-working people in America. In fact, he argues that mantra is the opposite of the attitude we need to beat this lousy economy. Here is what Mike has to say about the advice he received from his high school guidance counselor Mr. Dunbar: “When I was 17 my high ... read more...
  • Mea Culpa, Bryan Cranston August 11, 2013 Back in 2008, I gave myself a time out. I’m hoping Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad can release me. read more...
  • Mike Posts on Facebook about Bill Maher Appearance July 17, 2013 Well, hi there, Bob. How’s it going? Since your comment is not the only one ... read more...
  • The “Other” Side July 16, 2013 These days, people get bent simply if I appear on shows they don’t like, or sit too close to people they don’t care for. What’s up with that? read more...
  • Profoundly Disconnected June 19, 2013 Back in the late ’70s, a poster hung in my high school guidance counselor’s office. It was part of a college recruitment campaign called Work Smart Not Hard. In the long history of bad advice, you’d have to look pretty hard to find something dumber than this. And yet, the expression is still with us. So…with a little creative license ... read more...
  • Work Smart Not Hard? Really? June 18, 2013 This is the worst advice I’ve ever seen. Who’s with me? read more...
  • A Dandy Time June 16, 2013 Last night I saw The Dandy Warhols at The Fillmore. One of the best shows I’ve seen in years. read more...
  • Holy C.R.A.P. June 11, 2013 It’s working … read more...
  • Welcome to MikeRowe.com June 5, 2013 For many years, some other guy named Mike Rowe owned mikerowe.com. He didn’t do anything with it, but he nevertheless refused to sell it for what I felt to be a reasonable sum. I saw this as a sign from above, and an ideal excuse to not launch my own personal website. read more...
  • Um … June 1, 2013 Kristen thinks this spectrogram of my voice is pretty. Whatever. read more...
  • Zack’s Secret Sacrifice May 30, 2013 The other week on Deadliest Catch, deckhand Zack Larson was pretty well lambasted by the narration. Here I present a different view of what might have been broadcast. read more...
  • A Special Thanks to Dad May 27, 2013 To sum up, Happy Father’s Day, Dad, three weeks in advance. And Happy Memorial Day, right on time. read more...
  • Fatherhood Issue of Popular Mechanics: Mike Rowe, the Things My Dad Taught Me May 25, 2013 “People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results.” —Albert Einstein When I was 14, I woke up one Saturday morning to see my father standing at the foot of my bed, sharpening a double-sided ax. “It’s time,” he said. “Let’s go.” My father has a tendency to start conversations in the middle. He’s also suspicious of anything too modern. ... read more...
  • Touring MTI May 25, 2013 So I was in Springfield (Illinois) yesterday, and took a tour of a trade school called MTI. These guys have an 85% job placement rate and I wanted to see what they were all about. read more...
  • MTI and Mike Rowe Putting Faces to the mikeroweWORKS Scholarship Project May 25, 2013 So I was in Springfield (Illinois) yesterday, and took a tour of a trade school called MTI. These guys have something like an 85% job placement rate for graduates, and I wanted to see what they were all about. I’m glad I did. Halfway through the tour, a group of guys approached me to say thanks. I didn’t know what they were ... read more...