The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

The Aquatic Indiana Jones, Jeremiah Sullivan, drops by to discuss art, Science, risk, and the joy of embracing the idiom Safety Third.

Mike and Jay talk for an hour. Hilarity ensues.

Mike rings in the new year with a case of Covid. Chuck has questions.

Mike's mom is back with another heartfelt, yet wildly inappropriate catch-up with her oldest son. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll dream of cornhole. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas.

Mike chats with Sarah Yourgrau, one of the producers of Returning the Favor, to discuss why so many people loved the show, why it won an Emmy, why it made so many people cry tears of unbridled joy, and why it's cancellation took so many by surprise.

Mike talks to John Rich about what led to their viral smash, Santa's Gotta Dirty Job, and a whole lot more, including an outrageous phone call to Donald Trump, that led to the title of this episode.

Chuck crashes Thanksgiving at Mike's house, fails to book a proper guest, and relies instead on listeners to pose interesting questions for Mike to answer. The listeners come through, as always.

How safe is your space? This is the question Mike attempts to answer with Justin Folk, a filmmaker who left Hollywood behind to make the kinds of movies he believes matter most.

Mike's guest is a man called Lindsay Schnebly, an accomplished voiceover artist whose unusual name inspired a town, almost.

Mike interviews Chloe Hudson, a 28-year-old welder who received a work ethic scholarship from mikeroweWORKS, and went on to earn six-figures a year, and more recently, the subject of a new documentary called Trading Up. Together, they unpack The S.W.E.A.T. Pledge, and try to determine why a writer named Jake Maynard thinks it's "bonkers."

Mike has a very serious conversation with a very funny guest about a very serious topic that turns out to be very funny.

Mike chats with David Keltz, an actor from Baltimore who has assumed the identity of Edgar Allen Poe, and memorized most of his published works.

A show about nothing, a guy named Jerry, and the audition that changed television. Followed by a very funny conversation with Enrico Colantoni, one of the few actors to be a series regular every week for the last 20 years.

Mike has a most enlightening chat with his TV Big Brother, the one and only Tim Allen, who still seems a little incredulous that Mike didn't return to Last Man Standing to finish what he started. As for why Tim now lives on the runway of an airport, well, that's a bit of a mystery...

Mike chats with Tim Cotton, the famous cop who saved a stuffed bird from the trash heap and went on to write a couple of bestselling books.

The true story of the most important novel ever written, and a conversation with the filmmaker who tried to put it on the big screen.

The Human Calculator, Scott Flansburg stops by to demonstrate his Guinness world-record abilities, introduce Mike to a better calendar, and explain why he is determined to uncover the real story of how basketball was invented.

Mike sits down with his "professional big brother," to discuss the relevance of 9/11, twenty years after the attack on America.

Mike responds to criticism from some guy named Tim Johnson, and celebrates the anniversary of mikeroweWORKS by reading the most popular essay of all time. Then, a spirited conversation with Chuck, the nervous producer.

Mike recalls the circumstances of a young man's first flight in a plane with an open cockpit, the mother who allowed it to happen, and the consequences that followed. With a little help from George Lucas, Jon Stewart, a mechanical shark, and a conversation with a pilot named Bill Whittle.

Mike responds to America's withdrawal from Afghanistan in the only way he can - with the true story of a genuine hero, followed by a conversation with Travis Mills - a man who lost his arms and legs in Afghanistan, and lived to tell the tale.

Mike reads the final and most disgusting chapter from his book, and then welcomes his mom back to the podcast, who takes the opportunity to once again steal the show and upstage her son at every opportunity.

A high speed chase, followed by a low speed chase, followed by a candid conversation with the executive producer who first allowed Mike to artificially inseminate a cow on local television.

Mike welcomes the author of The Four-Hour Work Week and many other best-selling books, not only to discuss the excellent advice for which Tim Ferriss has become famous, but rather to unpack the question he posed to Mike in 2008. The question that led to one of the most uncomfortable TED Talks of all time, and a speaking career Mike didn't know he wanted.

Mike takes a deep dive into the nature of authenticity, with a little help from Sean McCourt – a former Broadway actor who works today as a producer on After the Catch and contributor to The Way I Heard It, and God only knows what else. Sean also happens to be the father of Charlotte, the eleven-year-old Girl Scout made famous by her blisteringly honest critique of the cookies she was trying to sell to her Daddy's wealthy friend five years ago. A critique that unleashed a media blitz for which Mike accepts most of the blame. It's a rumination on the power of action, and inaction, and the squishy middle in between.

The true story of the most consequential pig in the history of Silicon Valley, or for that matter, the world. Followed by the true story of the most consequential pig in Mike's career – the one he put on a pedestal fifteen years ago, that went on to become the unofficial mascot of Dirty Jobs. Then, a most unusual redux, as Tom Frank returns to set the record straight, and explain in no uncertain terms why a brown garbage bag is a poor substitute for a leather vest.

Mike tracks down Tom Frank, the Hollywood producer who hired him to host the game show that launched his career in television, only to learn his old friend has become a life coach. Or possibly, a career coach. Whatever he is, Tom Frank knows where all the bodies are buried, and tells a story or two that Mike would probably like to forget.

A hashtag and a me-too on steroids, followed by a series of digressions too voluminous to list, concluding with the true story of the time Mike knocked a famous movie star on his ass.

After sharing the true story of a hard-charging master sergeant with a voice like a jackhammer who went on to become a famous artist, Mike recalls the lessons learned from his soft-spoken grandfather – an artist of a different kind - whose unique talents inspired a show called Dirty Jobs, and a foundation called mikeroweWORKS. It's a rumination on men who scream, and men who whisper, complete with a song about a nose that wouldn't stop bleeding.

The true story of two great teachers, two stuttering students, and two happy endings. Followed by a conversation about the beauty of "what," the danger of "how," and the timeless challenge of "trying not to try."

The true story of the first woman to go where no man had gone before, followed by the true cost of progress, the false value of safety, and a revealing conversation about the profoundly annoying sensation of being swindled by someone you trust.

This is a sad one. But also a funny one. And frankly, a weird one. There's sentimentality and singing. Nosebleeds and narcotics. Letters from beyond the grave, and perhaps most surprising, the sudden appearance of a giant scrotum. Probably easier to just listen.

A famous woman vanishes and triggers the largest manhunt in British history. A hundred years later, Mike loses all his money in an elaborate Ponzi scheme. Coincidence? Probably. But Chuck wonders what Mike's fictitious hero, Travis McGee, might have to say about the scandal, and Mike has some opinions on the matter – opinions that are somewhat upstaged, paradoxically, by a leaf blower.

A famous athlete takes great pains to conceal his true identity from millions of fans. Then, Mike welcomes Paul Kelley back to the podcast, to discuss a series of topics too disparate and strange to articulate in a two sentence description.

What do you get when you cross the most beautiful girl in the world with the funniest man on the planet? Something smart and something stupid.

It's a Mother's Day surprise, complete with tapeworms, smoke bombs, large chunks of earwax, a wall of dead mice, a fly infestation, and of course, Mike's favorite mother, with a guest appearance by Mike's favorite dad. Yeah, it's a weird one.

A problem at the border, a fat man in a shiny suit, and all the thirty-five cent draft you can drink. It's a fine place to begin, even if you don't know where you're headed.

Mike tells the true story of two friends united by their love of music, divided by their love of a girl, and the fistfight that changed rock and roll. Then, he recalls the audition that changed the course of his own career, before chatting with the old friend who made it happen, and bursting briefly into song.

Sig Hansen from Deadliest Catch joins Mike to discuss the manliest surfer of all time, the manliest fisherman of all time, and the problems that can sometimes arise when you punch a pesky fan in the nose. Honestly, you can't make this stuff up.

Mike tells the true story of a famous poet who wrote her best stuff while working as a waitress in a diner, many years ago. After that, another true story about the time Joan Rivers saved his career, followed by a rather remarkable catch-up with Paul Kelley, a true renaissance man who worked the overnights with Mike, back in the glory days of home shopping. Yeah, it gets a little weird… and there is some adult language.

Ever wonder what The Daily Show would have looked like if Mike Rowe had been hired to host it? Well, guess what – he was! And then he wasn't. And then, he was! And then…he wasn't. The question is, does Jon Stewart really owe Mike Rowe $20?

Who ya gonna call when a lifesaver turns deadly? Who ya gonna call when the ghost in your house can't be busted? If you're Mike Rowe, you call your producer, and have a very normal chat, about all things paranormal. Boo!

A simple story of a simple homemaker turns in to a not-so-simple tale of the haunted home where Mike lived in 1992, followed by the spontaneous re-telling of the most terrifying night of Mike's life. A ghost story that's not really a ghost story, but nevertheless scared Chuck as bad as it did Mike…

While you will doubtless find this particular episode, chapter, or installment to be interesting, fascinating, or provocative, you will also learn something about the importance of choosing just the right word, term, or expression when attempting to write a memorable tale, story or yarn. After that, Mike picks the enormous brain of Alex Abramovich, a ghost writer you've never heard of, who writes best-selling books for people you have.

After sharing the story of a famous father and son who could never find the right words, Mike and his Dad prove that words are the least of their problems. Strap in for a completely unpredictable rumination on memory foam. broken windshields, intractable stumps, double-sided axes, ancient wood-stoves, big-ash trees, and transgender dogs. Peggy Rowe is there to supervise, but only makes things weirder, as usual.

In what appears to be an ongoing quest to get himself cancelled, Mike weighs in on the statue controversy much to the alarm of his producer, Chuck. Their conversation then pivots to the situation in San Francisco, where the school board has recently voted to remove the names of Washington and Lincoln from the facades of public schools – a truly bizarre decision that left Mike to wonder how in the world so many powerful people have managed to get their heads so far up their own asses.

Mike tells the amazing story of a mostly forgotten explorer, whose epic journey helped pave the path to Mars. Then, he's joined by everyone's favorite astronomer, Dr. Michelle Thaller, to better understand what the hell is happening on the Red Planet, and why it's so frickin' expensive to get there.

Mike ruminates on the splendid virtues of a certain "Full Figured Gal," and tells the true story of the day his lawyer – The Irish Hammer – changed the trajectory of his career by challenging him to put a pig on a pedestal. He then invites The Irish Hammer herself – Mary Sullivan – to explain why she left a successful law firm to oversee the career of a man who crawled through sewers to make a living.

Mike begins with chapter 8 of his bestselling book which contains quite possibly the greatest audition story ever told about one of the most ubiquitous names in television. This is followed by a personal recollection of Mike's thespian dad and concludes with a moderately inappropriate conversation between Mike and Chuck wherein they swap audition stories from the '90s. It's totally rad!

In episode #185, which Mike incorrectly identifies as episode #184, Mike welcomes noted astronomer Dr. Michelle Thaller, to discuss the obvious differences between sounding certain and being correct. Dr. Thaller, a noted astronomer with an enormous brain, tries to help Mike understand the enormity of the cosmos, and explain why the universe contained 200 billion galaxies just four years ago, and then 2 trillion galaxies just a few weeks later, and then back down to a few hundred billion as of last week. It's enough to make your head spin, but between Mike's gigantic cranium and Dr. Thaller's enormous brain, we finally unlock the secrets of How the Universe Works…