Jill Greenberg
Still, saying no is hard. This segment was something that the suits on both sides were eager to make happen. But "for the show to work," Barsky explains later, "we need unique characters who are engaging in a process that we can follow." If they're using a method or technology they've cobbled together themselves, so much the better. "It's Discovery Channel. Our viewers have to learn something at the end of it." Barsky eventually decides that the repaving doesn't fit the bill. Rowe is relieved. "I was looking for an elegant way to kill it," he confesses.
In his surprising second act, Rowe finds himself unexpectedly embracing a value system built around work, a kind of morality of labor. "This show is really about balance," he declares. People who do dirty jobs tend to "work hard and be pillars of the community. They're happy outside of work." So taking on subjects that don't reflect those themes doesn't sit well with him. "The celebration of work, and the mixing of pain and fun--that's what it's all about," he says. "It's the Puritan work ethic repackaged as a deliberate way of living." He is extending this idea even into his own career, choosing deals and partners who exemplify the message. So while NASCAR doesn't fit and The Price Is Right doesn't either, Ford, to Rowe, does.
Sitting with his legs tucked up under him at a Hampton Inn near the Speedway, Rowe muses about his future; he's in discussions with Discovery about their next 10 years together. "Discovery is the right place for me. I just don't know what it will look like yet." Creating Dirty Jobs has gotten tougher. As he and the show have become more famous, it has gotten harder to find people who don't play to the camera or hide the truly dirty stuff. "There are times when it feels like this will be it for me in television," he says wistfully. "I'm starting to think that if I can get to 200 jobs, then I'll have 200 stories." Fodder, he thinks, for a writing career about what he's learned about work and life. (See his "Seven Dirty Habits of Highly Effluent People".) "All shows end the same way. It's just a question of how long in its life cycle you continue to have fun and do well." The South Carolina trip is salvaged by a researcher back in L.A. who has discovered a rice plantation nearby. Campbell Coxe, a friendly fifth-generation farmer, is reintroducing a native strain of rice. "This is more us," says Barsky. Coxe's bottomless knowledge of his industry and decidedly unslick operation (the truck he uses to move the rice from silo to mill is made mostly of plywood and has no brakes) endears him to Rowe immediately. Coxe's rice is also the only product being created in South Carolina using certified renewable energy. Best of all, farmer Coxe isn't quite sure who the hell Mike Rowe is. "Campbell is a farmer," says his wife, Meredith, with an eyeroll. "He really only watches the Weather Channel."
Rowe throws himself into the dirty work of rice farming, shoveling around in a silo, navigating well-used farm equipment, and in general, having a great time shooting the segment. There are always mishaps. Barsky takes a tumble in the silo, causing Rowe to lament the untimely death of his pal. "We finally lost Barsky," he intones. Later on, Rowe lurches around the mill on a forklift carrying a one-ton bag of rice. After setting it down, he watches helplessly as it slowly tips over, spilling its freshly milled contents on the cement floor. "I probably should have tied that shut," he mutters theatrically. Rowe points to the mess. "Uh, you've got people to get that, right, Campbell?" he asks, as Coxe rubs his eyes. "'Cause I'm feeling like it's quitting time right about now." He turns to the camera and smiles. "Quitting is in my DNA."
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Recent Comments | 12 Total
February 8, 2008 at 11:00am by Robert Safian
Mike Rowe is appearing at the Border's bookstore in Westwood California tomorrow, Feb 9, at 1pm to sign copies of the magazine and of the new Dirty Jobs DVD. All are welcome!
February 12, 2008 at 7:26pm by Andrew Wilson
Good article. Fascinating character morphed out of a seemingly ordinary lad.