Category: Articles

A Prick in Congress

Shari

As some of you know, mikeroweWORKS was launched on Labor Day back in 2008. Every so often somebody asks me how that came to be, and whether or not Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe had anything to do with it. Here’s my original reply to that question. A couple years ago I went to Congress, to see if anyone there was still up for an honest day’s work. Turns out, there is. Dave Moralez has worked in Congress his whole career, but holds no elected office. He’s a third-generation cattle rancher in Congress, Ariz., a tiny town in the Sonoran Read More

Your Headline, My Face

Shari

From:  Mike Rowe Re:  Your Headline, My Face. Hi Steve, Mike Rowe here, Dirty Jobs. Thanks to the necromancers over at Google, I’ve been alerted to your most recent Question of the Day: “Are Bad Jobs Good for the Economy and the People Who Work Them?” Immediately under your headline I noticed a photo of me, taken on the Mackinac Bridge while filming a segment on Dirty Jobs. Given the juxtaposition of my face with your headline, a reasonable person might conclude that a “Dirty Job” and “Bad Job” are one and the same. This sentiment is not only inconsistent Read More

A Talk About Ted

Shari

Back in 2008, I got an invite to speak at something called EG, or “The Entertainment Gathering.” The Entertainment Gathering is a conference that evolved from TED, another well-known speaker series that I had never heard of. Against my natural instincts, I wound up attending EG, and spoke for exactly 20 minutes, as instructed. I had no recollection of what I actually said until several months later when people started asking me about “my relationship with sheep testicles.” That’s when I realized my comments at TED had been posted on the interweb. I have no complaint about being recorded, and Read More

Why “Work Smart, Not Hard” is the Worst Advice in the World – Popular Mechanics Article

Shari

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 school guidance counselor tried to talk me into going on to earn a four-year degree. I had nothing against college, but the universities that Mr. Dunbar recommended were expensive, and I had no idea what I wanted to Read More

Mike Posts on Facebook about Bill Maher Appearance

Shari

[Bob Reidel: “Mike – Saw you hangin with Bill Maher. I had no idea you were a liberal. Really blew me away. Love everything you do but now that I know who you really are, I won’t be tuning in to watch anything your involved with.”] Well, hi there, Bob. How’s it going? Since your comment is not the only one of its kind, I thought I’d take a moment to address it. Bill Maher is opinionated, polarizing and controversial. I get it. So is Bill O’Reilly, which is probably why I heard the same comments after I did his show. (“How Read More

Third Time’s the Charm…or so we believe

Shari

Soooo… an editorial appeared in the May issue of the Industrial Safety & Hygiene News (ISHN) Magazine. Needless to say, Mike wanted to further help clear the confusion about “Safety Third” and try to help people understand what he’s been saying all along.  Over here at mrW, we know how busy he is and were quite surprised to get his thoughtful reply to the editorial.  I mean, he’s traveling more than ever and people write stuff about him all the time without talking to him.  Anyway, we decided to post his reply first and then the editorial that sparked it.  Read Read More

American Legion Magazine: Mike Rowe’s ‘My America’

Shari

In my America, there are two kinds of people: those who are willing to get dirty, and those who are not. I prefer to spend my time with those who do. It’s not that I have anything against cleanliness, or bear any ill will to those who toil in cubicles or office building. I’ve just learned over the years that people with dirty jobs are more fun to be around. They also make civilized life possible for the rest of us. “Our country faces a myriad of challenges but one thing seems certain: the solution will almost certainly involve someone Read More

Farmers vs. Teachers?

Shari

From the MRW Water Cooler: I don’t need a fight with the teacher’s union any more than I need one with PETA, or OSHA, or the EPA. And as the son of two teachers, I don’t need any trouble with my parents either. (Believe me, nobody want that.) But this business in Wisconsin is fascinating, and this article goes right to the heart of something we’ve discussed here at length – the changing definition of a “good job.” It’s interesting what we value, and how those values change over time. But only on a perpetually full stomach could we allow such Read More

Bailouts, Ball-caps, Chit-Chat, and the Birth of a Commercial

Shari

The Water Cooler  some interesting points about my appearance in some recent Ford ads. At issue, is the level of authenticity in past spots, as compared to the Mike you know from Dirty Jobs. I want to show you one of the most recent commercials I shot for Ford. It’s called “The Plan,” and I’m fairly certain that it will not change the face of advertising as we know it. However, I find this spot interesting for several reasons, and think you will too. I shot this in Chicago a few weeks ago, along with a dozen other commercials for Read More

25 Ways to Jump Start the Auto Industry – Mike’s Alt Version

Shari

Mike often writes articles for magazines but because of issues like space constraints, his work is often edited down. We thought it might be interesting to post what Mike actually wrote for this one in particular a few years’ back for Fast Company. 25 Ways to Jump Start the Auto Industry (unabridged) Mike Rowe is the Executive Producer of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, and the CEO of mikeroweWORKS.com, an on-line resource dedicated to reinvigorating skilled labor. He is also a spokesperson for Ford Trucks. Regarding the specific issues facing The Big Three, I’ve got too little expertise and too much bias to weigh Read More

From the Water Cooler: Ford Pays for its Prudence

Shari

May 30, 2009 I was waiting at the Toyota dealer for my 30,000 checkup, it took forever. While sitting with other people in the same situation (i.e. trapped without our vehicles) we began talking, of course about cars and bailouts and dealerships. Several people said their next car would be a Ford, they wanted to reward them for not taking bailout money. I thought this article was an interesting slant on the situation. Quote: “While General Motors and Chrysler will emerge from the government restructuring wringer with significantly reduced debt, Ford will still likely be obliged to repay its lenders. Read More

The Only One Responsible for My Own Safety is Me

Shari

From MRW Water Cooler: Q: My husband works on the oilrigs as a well tester. We watched you folks do so without any eye protection! Are you crazy? Drilling a hole with no protective eyewear? Between him, a well tester, and me, a workers’ compensation lawyer, we’re cringing! Somebody could LOSE AN EYE! Seriously – Safety First, fellas! I would expect better from the Discovery Channel!! — suzemommy I sincerely appreciate your concern for me, and agree that stupidity plays an ongoing role in my professional and personal life. But believe me, I have no wish to be injured on Read More

Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs and Being Green (Men’s Health)

Shari

As Originally Seen In Men’s Health Magazine We gave Dirty Jobs’ Mike Rowe the choice of being interviewed during his cover photo shoot, or writing in the first person about his views on the environment. He passed on both opportunities, opting instead to interview himself from his over-priced hotel room in Santa Monica. Here are some excerpts from that exclusive, one on one conversation. There’s a rumor going around that Dirty Jobs is the greenest show on television. Does that surprise you? Not really. I’m the one spreading it. Any truth to it? Plenty. More than half of the 200 jobs we’ve profiled Read More