More Mike: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 |
DC: How are you holding up?
MR: Not bad. I maintain a constant state of evolving infirmary.
DC: Tell me where it hurts today.
MR: At the moment, a bruised rib, a sprained toe, a pulled lower back, a loose tooth and a second-degree burn on my left hand that won't seem to heal.
DC: Are you trying to make us feel sorry for you?
MR: Yes.
DC: Seriously, do you worry about your well-being?
MR: Dirty Jobs is a physical show. It demands a lot of travel and a lot of manual labor. I get out of bed a little slower these days, but I heal quickly. But nobody with his name in the title of a hit show has any business complaining.
DC: Are you worried that you'll run out of ideas for Dirty Jobs?
MR: I'm more concerned that I won't run out of ideas. Most show ideas come from viewer e-mail through our Web site. At this point, the series is pretty much programmed by the fans. Alarmingly, there are more than a few.
DC: Speaking of fans, you've answered nearly 2,000 viewer questions on the Web site. Where do you find the time?
MR: I spend a lot of evenings in two-star hotels, often in towns that don't appear on maps. Talking about the show with viewers passes the time. Usually, I'm too tired to do much else. Dirty Jobs fans have lots of questions.
DC: Then I'll try to ask you something you haven't already answered.
MR: Good luck with that.
DC: OK. What's been more surprising: the success of the show or the difficulty of producing it?
MR: Well, the biggest surprise was the fact that Discovery gave Dirty Jobs a chance in the first place. A show about manual labor, blood, sweat, and poo is a hard sell to a family network.
