The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

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...

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...

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 weir...

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...

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 liv...

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 t...

"When it comes to erections, if it's not one thing, it's your mother." Yes, Mike actually wrote that in chapter 7 of his bestselling book, and as you might imagine, his mother didn't take it lying down…

Why do people go to such extraordinary lengths to change the way they look? What's the best piece of music ever written? And why is Mike worried about getting cancelled and sued for the conversation you're about to hear? There's only one way to find out…

After reading chapter 5 of his bestselling book, Mike surprises his two-time bestselling mother with a phone call, on which they discuss the perils of prevarication, the joys of growing up Rowe, (on a budget,) and Peggy Rowe's unsolicited review of Mike's new show, Six Degrees with Mike Rowe, which she may or may not have actually watched.

After reading chapter four of his book, Mike and Chuck discuss the real reason that so many Americans no longer believe people who sound certain - including journalists, politicians, scientists, doctors, professors, and yes… even narrators.