There is a lot of trivia out there regarding the life of Mike Rowe, the former Dirty Jobs
host and ubiquitous basic cable narrator.
He was once a professional opera singer, for example …
"Vecchia zimarra, senti …"
… and still lives in a modest apartment, despite being worth millions.
But every Rowe fan knows that.
Here are a few "deep cuts" about America's favorite muck diver.
Wunder boy
Even if you've never watched Dirty Jobs, chances are you've heard Rowe's voice at some point.
He's been doing voiceover work since 1984, deploying his dulcet tones for more than a
dozen shows ...
"When massive stars ten times heavier than our sun die, gravity crushes them …"
… a guest spot on American Dad! as a proud meter maid …
"... juggling justice and power like they were damned chainsaws."
… as well as commercials for about twenty different companies, including this legendary
spot in 1994:
"The Wunder Boner!"
"My wife would like that."
"Introducing the Wunder Boner, the amazing new tool that makes de-boning fish a breeze!"
Rowe's first voiceover?
Getting paid a surprising amount to hawk deep-dish pizza for Domino's with this seductive slogan
"When it's gotta be deep and it's gotta be thick, it's gotta be Domino's."
"And that's when I thought, 'This whole voiceover thing — you know - there's something there.'"
No dirty deal
There is one dirty job Rowe will never do: clean up a crime scene.
As he noted to USA Today in 2007, "it's hard to be lighthearted about a body left in a
trunk for three days in the Louisiana swamp."
Good point.
There is also one dirty job Rowe will never do again: replace the "poop pump" at a wastewater
treatment facility …
"...in that big, giant, soupy mess of other people's poo, the sound that it makes when
it breaks the seal — that'll haunt your dreams, son."
And then there was one job the network wouldn't let him do for the longest time: work at a
rendering facility.
Not because of how horrific they are, but because the producers were concerned about
ruffling the feathers of the mafia, whose members allegedly have been linked to rendering
and garbage facilities for decades.
Rowe finally found a "clean" facility, and got to blow up a cow — like a balloon — turning
it into hundreds of pounds of chicken feed.
Dirty Diane
Rowe has a bit of a goofy persona, dating back to his QVC days …
"I guess that's a lion, but boy, I tell you what — I'd go right back to that hair weave
place and demand satisfaction."
… but from 2009 to 2012, he had a very serious role as the voice of ABC News, announcing
for Diane Sawyer …
"From the global resources of ABC News, this is ABC World News with Diane Sawyer."
Rowe first met Sawyer in 2006 on Good Morning America, making a strong impression with a
bestiality joke that made her snort on the air, really loud.
She called two years later to offer him the gig, meaning a lowbrow dirty joke got the
Dirty Jobs guy a high-profile — and clean — job.
Mr. Rowe Goes to Washington
In 2008, Rowe started the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which is aimed at getting more people trained
in skilled jobs that don't require a college degree.
Rowe has testified multiple times to Congress on this issue.
In February 2017, he spoke before the House Committee on Education and The Workforce ...
"...our skills gap is the direct result of a mistaken belief that the best path for most
people is a four-year-degree …"
"... and yet we continue to lend money we don't have to kids who can't pay it back,
to teach them jobs that no longer exist ..."
Quick and dirty
Not every Dirty Jobs episode was planned weeks or months in advance.
Sometimes, Rowe decided to switch gears and go after jobs he just happened upon.
Like the day he spotted hot tar roofers on a steamy day in Pasadena, California, after
filming an unrelated episode.
Once he saw the potential in this dirty job, he canceled his flight and made some TV magic
...
"Hey, wide legs!"
"Wide legs?"
"Yes."
"Oh.
That's a good tip."
Within 12 hours, he had content for a new episode, totally unplanned.
Just another day on the dirty job …
"You don't need to borrow, beg and you don't need to rob / All you have to do it get yourself
a dirty job!"
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