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DC: What makes the show different, aside from the fact that we've never heard of anyone in it?
MR: We don't use a script or hire actors or show up with an agenda. We just try and capture a day in the life of a real worker. Dirty Jobs is not a big production, but it's honest, sort of, and its themes are big and timeless, kind of. Anyway, it's a very relatable show, for the most part.
DC: How is working on an oil rig, or being bitten by a shark, or diving for recycled golf balls "relatable" to the average person?
MR: It's not so much the jobs that people relate to. It's more about the people who do them — their attitude, their work ethic. It's easy to admire someone who is very good at doing something very difficult — especially when that job needs to get done. It's also easy to sympathize with someone who tries hard but often comes up short. That's where I come in. I'm Don Quixote. I'm paid to try.
DC: You don't really function as a normal host, do you?
MR: Well, I certainly try not to. I'm more of a guinea pig, or a lab rat, if you prefer. My role is to do the work, provide an honest point of view, and give the viewer a sense of what it would be like to actually be there in my place.
DC: In other words, you conduct no research, you show up completely unprepared, and promise nothing?
MR: Precisely. Never underestimate the power of low expectations.
DC: You're kidding, of course.
MR: Not really. A lot of shows make big promises and sweeping claims. We don't. All I promise on Dirty Jobs is to get filthy someplace new each week. That's a promise I can keep.
DC: You wrote the Dirty Jobs mission statement that starts every episode. How's that go?
MR: "My name is Mike Rowe, and this is my job. I explore the country looking for people who aren't afraid to get dirty. Hardworking men and women who do the kinds of jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us. Now, get ready to get dirty."
DC: It's like the Star Trek open, with "dirt" instead of "space."
MR: Exactly. Dirt, the final frontier ...
DC: You also wrote and sang a tribute song for the "100 Jobs Special." Should we expect a record deal?
MR: Not likely. Although someone told me it was getting some play on a country station somewhere in Oklahoma. Look out, Garth Brooks.
