The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

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…

“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.