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10/17: Q&A with Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe has broken two toes and two ribs, suffered a slipped disc, gotten dozens of stitches and melted his contacts from a furnace while working with a blacksmith. Then he points out where a shark tooth got wedged into his leg a year ago and hasn’t fully recovered. The Baltimore native, who stopped by a Lowe’s in Woodstock Tuesday to promote a new line of Whirlpool washers and dryers, suffers for his art but he seems unperturbed about it.
“The rule is whatever the person is doing, I try to keep up,” said Rowe in a quick sitdown in the training room at the Lowe’s.
He said he has talked about ending the show at various points, thinking he’s run out of ideas but viewers keep offering up more jobs for him. So he’s celebrating his 150th dirty job on October 23 at 9.
Rowe said the idea of doing “dirty jobs” stems from an homage to his dad and granddad, both of whom had plenty of these types of jobs over the years. “Those two made fun of me. They were guys with real jobs. I sang opera. I did infomercials. A long line of crap. I wanted to do something that they’d be proud of.”
In fact, his dad now calls after every new episode and critiques his performance. “He’d say, ‘You went into a coal mine without a mask. That was real smart!”
He said he did a few test episodes of “Dirty Jobs” on Discovery in 2003 and 2004 and the shows did so well, the execs at Discovery decided to turn it into a full-fledged series. At first, Rowe said Discovery wasn’t sure it fit the brand but since then, the network has embraced it. (Good ratings certainly changes a network’s tune.)
One change in recent episodes is he’s generally spending more time with each job, doing one or two per show instead of three. “That way, you get to know the people,” he said.
Rowe gave his standard line about the show: “In the end, ‘Dirty Jobs’ is not really about dirt or jobs but about people who just go about their business and work.” Later, he noted, “It’s a simple show with big themes. Beyond the poo and animal husbandry, it’s about good humor, human diligence and persistence and the Puritan work ethic.”
What’s interesting about the show is Rowe treats the workers, be it a roadkill picker upper or ditch digger, with equal respect. “If there is ever a joke, it should be on me,” he said.
He said his olfactory system “shuts down” after a few minutes whenever he enters place that smells bad such as the San Francisco sewer or a pig farm. He’s only thrown up twice on camera and four times total. One time, it was off a shark boat, the consequence of gin and cheese fries the night before. The other time, it was a grease pit at an elementary school in 104 degree heat in which they were sucking out 100 tons of baby poo and uneaten food out of a giant hole.
He also differentiates himself from Bear Grylls of “Man Vs. Wild” or Les Stroud of “Survivorman,” who are outdoors experts. “I’m not here to impress anybody with my knowledge. I can’t add a column of numbers. I can barely tie my shoes! I’m not going to save your life in an extreme situation.” (He did do the Heimlich maneuver one time on a woman and she spit out an oyster.)
His conclusion on the show’s appeal: “You show people yourself covered in crap and see you at your worst, they’ll trust you.”
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By Michelle
October 18, 2007 2:51 PM | Link to this
Love Mike Rowe, and LOVE Dirty Jobs!