There’s lots of press out there around a documentary called Killing Lincoln, airing next month on the National Geographic Channel. It reminded me of a phone call I got from Tom Hanks a few months ago. Conversation went like this… (Ring R…ing) Mike: Hello? Tom: Hey Mike, how’s it going? Mike: Fine. Who’s this? Tom: It’s Tom! Mike: Tom? Tom: Tom Hanks. Mike: Get out of here. Tom: No, really. It’s me.
I, Mike Rowe, do hereby publicly pledge to avoid the gym for the entire month of January, and husband my strength for a healthy and vigorous February.
If we accept the premise that observation changes human behavior and alters a person’s identity, I think we can agree that — based on this photo — I have absolutely no idea who I am anymore.
It was Werner Heisenberg who first suggested
A few weeks ago, I was officially informed that Dirty Jobs had entered into a new phase. One I like to call, “permanent hiatus.” Or in the more popular industry vernacular, canceled.
Not long after Dirty Harry started addressing furniture on national television, I began to think seriously about the benefits of keeping my big mouth shut. Alas, it is difficult.
Dear Governor Romney, – My name is Mike Rowe and I own a small company in California called mikeroweWORKS. Currently, mikeroweWORKS is trying to close the country’s skills gap by changing the way Americans feel about Work. (I know, right? Ambitious.) Anyway, this Labor Day is our 4th anniversary, and I’m commemorating the occasion with an open letter to you. If you read the whole thing, I’ll vote for you in November. First things first. mikeroweWORKS grew out of a TV show called Dirty Jobs. If by some chance you are not glued to The Discovery Channel every Wednesday at 10pm, Read More
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
Mike Rowe here, Dirty Jobs™, etc. This is the first Press Release penned by yours truly. If it works, there will be more. If it doesn’t, I’ll hire an actual publicist. I would prefer not to however because I’m cheap. I’ll be brief. Walmart and Lowe’s are now carrying a new cleaning product called Dirty Jobs™ Complete. Technically, it’s a laundry booster and since it’s named after the TV show that I created, I’m rather anxious to see it succeed. Toward that end, I want to announce a new website called trydirtyjobs.com. I invite you to go there and print Read More
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award was established in 1969 to acknowledge Eagle Scouts who have received extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or eminence within their field, and have a strong record of voluntary service to their community. Only Eagle Scouts who earned the Eagle Scout rank a minimum of 25 years previously are eligible for nomination. The award is given by the National Eagle Scout Association upon the recommendation of a committee of Distinguished Eagle Scouts. Mike is joined by his parents John & Peggy, his brother Scott, from the Baltimore Area Council Board Barry Williams who presented Mike his Troop Read More
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
Back in 1996 I got a phone call from a television producer. His name was Tom Frank, and he wanted to know if I might be interested in hosting a game show. Apparently, my demo reel had made an impression. “This is quite possibly the worst demo reel I’ve ever seen,” said Tom Frank. “There’s nothing on here but outtakes and mistakes. “Thanks,” I said. “I try to manage expectations at every turn.” In those days, my demo reel was little more than a random collection of inappropriate moments culled from my years on the graveyard shift at The QVC Read More
From the MRW Water Cooler: Q: Are there other shows that you know came from a Dirty Jobs idea? Do you guys get credit for that? – Anita L Hi Anita, I talked to a reporter the other day who observed that Dirty Jobs launched an entire genre of cable programming. That might be a bit grand, but it’s not crazy. Back in 2003, when I first pitched the idea, there was nothing like Dirty Jobs on the air. (Monster Garage however, had proven that a hit show could actually take place in a garage, but there was really not Read More
From the MRW Water Cooler: Q: On those long exhausting days where nothing seems to go right, what do you do to keep from being discouraged? — Jessica Hi Jessica “Discouraged” is an interesting word. Literally, it implies the absence of “courage.” I don’t have any advice on how to be courageous. You either are or you aren’t. The only thing I know for sure is that it’s scary to be brave, as it should be. And if the situation in question isn’t frightening, courage is not required. Feeling discouraged though, is not just feeling cowardly. It’s also a Read More
History with Baltimore, TSU, and Freddie King ~ Freddie was one of my main memories of college life, many years ago. He was going back to school to get, I believe, his Masters of Arts or doctorate in conducting? I don’t remember which. I dO remember, however, those teeth of his. He was always popping them at us during performances. Drove us crazy trying not to laugh on stage, but oh the sound he got from us. – Malkah Fred got most of his teeth knocked out playing football in high school. Rather than replacing those that had gone missing, Read More
