More Answers From Mike:
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QUESTION: What would a day in the life of Mike Rowe be like from getting out of bed to going to bed? I mean one of your crazy "don't know if you're coming or going" kind of days. And what would your idea of a heavenly "nothing to do" day be like? May have to search your memory on that one.
ANSWER: Had a good one today.
Slept in. Jet-lagged from the Tennessee trip, so it felt especially good. Lay in bed. Beethoven and Debussy in the background.
Fooled around. Made coffee, read the paper.
Then, Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.
Building is being painted, and currently wrapped in some sort of mesh. Keeps the light out. Nice.
Answered some e-mail. Worked on the novel.
Walked down the street for a late brunch. Drank mimosas.
Several, in fact. Staggered back.
Fooled around some more. Made a fire. Friends coming over later.
Considering further fooling around, but not optimistic.
Reading some Demille.
Answering you guys.
Hi-Los in the background. More mimosas. Etc.
A very civilized Sunday.
Mike
QUESTION: Mike, have you guys ever had a job that just didn't work out? (Besides the monkey one.) Was there ever a job where you just did not get along with the people after getting there?
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miztaz
ANSWER: Good question.
To some degree, all dirty jobs should pose a challenge. There should always be a struggle or an obstacle to overcome or something that doesn't "work out." In fact, it's fundamental to the show.
My goal has always been to show the viewer every single adversity I encounter and make it a part of the program. Thus, cranky subjects, broken equipment, unexpected danger and my own incompetence are all fair game and integral to the segment. In other words, we try to make a show around the very elements that most producers leave on the edit bay floor.
Consequently, the most challenging segments are those that pose no real difficulty. When that happens, we need to find something that's entertaining or interesting, without manufacturing a story beat that doesn't truly exist. In the cheese making episode, for instance, there was no dirt to speak of. However, we found some quirky characters and wound up with some memorable conversation. Same with candy maker. We played the cards we got. In other words, we try to tell the truth, and let each segment go where it wants to.
Personally, I believe the show needs to evolve further. I think the next step will require us to involve the viewer with the challenges we face on a production level. Because oftentimes, the challenge of getting the story is more interesting than the story itself. Take the railroad segment that just re-aired. On that particular day, the heat was so intense, we lost a camera. Unfortunately, we didn't know this until the tape was viewed after the fact. Consequently, the entire segment was initially deemed unusable. Fortunately, one of our editors was able to cut around the damaged footage and a workable piece was salvaged.
However, a far better story, in my opinion, would have included the "unusable" material, along with an explanation as to why the footage looked the way it did. I should have included the broken camera in the story — because it speaks to the adversity of getting the job done. And, as a viewer, I find it interesting.
Traditionally, though, networks and producers don't like to call attention to production problems, any more than magicians like to reveal their secrets. Dirty Jobs, however, is starting to break that mold by focusing not just on the story, but on the process of getting the story. That is a huge distinction. To your question — that's what the monkey episode was all about. Mission vs. Story. Involving the viewer in the adversity of shooting the segment, was the key to making that footage work. Not only did we save the segment, we filled an entire hour. That's an approach that could extend the life of this series immeasurably. That's also what makes it fun but trust me, it's not easy, because presenting the facts, is not the same as presenting the truth.
In the coming season, look for more appearances from the Dirty Jobs crew. Expect more behind-the-scenes footage. After all, we've got over 120 jobs in the can. But so far, nothing has proven dirtier than the job of making the show. This time around, I hope to prove that.
Mike
