ICYMI: Mike Rowe's Author Event in Baltimore

     When Mike Rowe announced on social media that he was having an author event inside a church in Baltimore, I figured it would be a smaller, intimate crowd of fans waiting for a chance to get an autographed copy of his new book, “The Way I Heard It”, and a photo opp. Not being familiar with the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore, I crawled into the parking lot to witness a long line of people waiting patiently on one side of the circular sidewalk of the front of the church with people making a U-turn once that line reached the curb to wrap around onto the driveway. I was grateful that a parking attendant directed me to park on the grass as there were no empty spots left in sight. I ended up getting premium parking as a result. I wasn’t very lucky when I got inside. Upon entry, I was greeted by a colorful stained glass display of vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges; the fall colors provided the perfect backdrop for an October book signing event. However, I also couldn’t find a place to sit despite flying solo that evening. So I skedaddled to the side, noting where the chair intended for Mike was facing and tried to find a spot close enough to stand without obstructing anyone’s view. Although it was 30 minutes past the time it was supposed to start, the audience didn’t seem

perturbed by it as Mr. John Rowe, Mike’s dad, suddenly appears with his tablet in both hands, stands in front of the church, and snaps away to document the night’s turnout. Not long after, Mrs. Rowe could be spotted off to the other side of the church, and Mike Rowe strides in in a blue button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves and blue jeans, the same color and style scheme as the clothes he wore for the cover of his book. Mrs. Rowe was tasked to introduce her son for that night’s event, and she quickly dived into her role by citing HER accomplishments as a bestselling author. After a few minutes of “shameless”, humorous plugging of her book, she finally talked about her son—about how in the 80s, she and her husband would miss Sunday service (and to admit it inside a church nonetheless) in order to catch Mike’s opera performances. In the 90s, she supported her son’s QVC gig by staying up at 3 a.m. to catch her son’s latest gaffes and drools as Mike product-tests a mattress he was trying to sell and actually falls asleep on it (Mike denies this, but Mrs. Rowe claims that mothers know best.). But through it all, you can sense the pride she has in her son and in all his accomplishments, and through it all, she never failed to acknowledge the man who has been at her side through all her son’s ups and downs, her Prince Charming, John Rowe.

     Mike finally took the mike (ahem!) and was able to field questions raised by the host. She started out with a question during his time with the opera, which led to questions about his time with QVC, and Mike probably won’t be able to avoid talking about Dirty

Jobs as this is what really made him a household name. She finally talked about what she termed as the “odd” structure of the book. Each section starts out with a mystery of a real person (in the format of his podcasts) which he later connects to something in his real life. This mishmash of stories, somewhat unheard of, and perhaps indeed “odd”, may be the formula for the next spate of bestsellers to come as publishers will see how well Mike’s book does in the coming weeks. As of October 17, somebody had already posted on his social media page that he is #4 on Amazon.

Since the event started late, the host was gracious enough to shorten her time to give room for audience Q & A. What struck me was the number of people who had to drive long distances just to attend the book signing. My drive took around 40 minutes which I considered a relatively long drive coming from two counties away. But the first question went to a man from Michigan (that’s at least, more than two states away, let alone count the counties in between!) who asked about Mike's possible return as Tim Allen’s brother in Last Man Standing which led to Mike talking about Tim’s challenge to getting their prostates checked, and Mike talking about his doctor’s finger up in the nether regions (The venue for the event never changed and this talk still happened inside the church.). Then the mike went to an audience member from Virginia (depending on which part, that could at least be a couple of hours’ drive) who asked how he has been able to keep his private life private in the public eye (“By not saying anything,” Mike advises.). This is then followed by a lady from Delaware (you get the picture!) who wanted a shirt donation from Mike so she could make a teddy bear for a very sick friend. He obliged after a brief mental tug of war on the appropriateness of taking off his shirt in a sacred sanctuary (showing good self-restraint). A man from Carroll County wanted advice for his son who is going to trade school where he launched into a story that didn’t directly address the question (or was forgotten somewhere as he delved into his story). A woman talked about how his Returning the Favor show affected her and effectively showed her that there are so many good people out there. And the last question of the night went to an 11-year old girl who is a fan of a show that ended when she was 4 years old. She asks Mike that out of all the dirty jobs he did for his show, which one would he choose if he weren’t a TV personality. Keeping up with the theme of “free association” and losing track of the original question as he ventures a little off-tangent in telling his stories, he does the same for this last question—a question he answered by deflecting back to why he did the show in the first place, which is to honor his grandfather whom he obviously admired and could never aspire to even come close.

The night ended with another long line to have a picture taken with Mike Rowe in the narthex of the church. I quickly read the first three stories while waiting and as I got closer, I saw that there will be no opportunities for a quick question and conversation as they were trying to have everyone smile, click, and pass out the card for people to just download the photo in the comforts of their home. I don’t blame them as there were more people after me, still waiting for their turn.

On my way out, as I pulled on my jacket as the air was nippy, I decided to take one last walk in with the intention of taking one more picture of a poster of the book for blogging purposes. As I did, I noticed that Mike’s dad, John Rowe, was still in the building. He’s no Elvis, but I actually thought he and Mrs. Rowe may have already retired for the night. I approached him to make small talk, and he was very kind and courteous in answering my questions about when his wife’s second book was coming out. I thanked him and left the venue on a high note.

     What struck me was how much positivity there was in the room and how people do need a touch of levity in light of today’s negative news environment. Although I knew most of the Mike stories that were told and retold during the night’s events, the delivery is what makes them still funny to listen to. One gets drawn into the obviously warm relationship Mike has with his parents as he speaks glowingly of them returning the favor of his mom’s adoring introductory remarks of him. This proves the popularity of the Rowe family as they show how they maneuver this journey called life through respect, humility, optimism, and plenty of good humor to pass around.

"Oh, What a Night!"

This blog first appeared on February 19, 2011, on my personal Multiply site.

I have not watched a play in, oh maybe, two years now. The last one was in New York, and it was even an off-Broadway show called "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change". So when I heard the "Jersey Boys" was playing at the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore, I couldn't resist the chance of watching it.

How do I know it's worth watching? This is not one of the more classical musicals like "My Fair Lady" or "Sound of Music". When I first bought my Rav-4, it came with 3 months of free XM Radio. I stuck to the Broadway channel for the most part and was able to get caught up on the more recent releases. The song "Big Girls Don't Cry" came up, and since it was already a popular song, I was intrigued as to which musical featured it. True enough, the commentator said it was "Jersey Boys". So I hop on over to the public library and borrow the CD. 

It's a pretty sweet deal.  We come to the show prepared because the songs are familiar and we pretty much get the storyline. So now, it's a matter of how they execute the story on stage.

So we headed over to another part of Baltimore. Me, in a nice little black dress, and a purple shawl. It was a beautiful night out on the town. For once, none of us had to wear a winter coat!!! As we got out of the parking lot, we were greeted by the lights of the Hippodrome. Outside, it looked elegant, classical yet modern. The big picture windows let you see the theatergoers mingling inside, just as the people inside can see the gawkers outside. 

The inside did not disappoint. The inside of the theater had paintings (frescoes, maybe), and it was huge. Typical of most theaters though, the seats were small and close together. I had the misfortune of sitting next to this lady (who came by herself), probably in her 40's, whose elbow kept bumping into me and she didn't even say sorry. During the show, which is based on the group the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli, she started singing along (OFF-KEY!) to "Walk Like a Man", "Sherry", and "Oh, What A Night". At one scene, she yelled "OMG!" when she was surprised by a gunshot sound effect. No, she did not say "Oh, my God!". She said "O-M-G!" Yeah, and trust me when I say she looks way older than me... Not only did she break all the rules of play-watching etiquette, but she also started acting like a groupie and would raise an arm in the air and move it with the music. I'm like, "OMG! She's at the wrong show." Of course, I thought about this in my head, because I'm not gonna start LOLling and acting like a teenager. Fortunately for me, and the other person on her other side, she didn't come back after the intermission. We didn't have to put up with her singing off-key to "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". She may be passed out in the bathroom or something (because she sure acted like she may have had a little too much to drink).

All in all, it was an amazing show. The actor who played Frankie Valli had an amazing falsetto and the harmony was just great. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring another part of Baltimore. We don't do this very often (go out on a work night) and we were exhausted when we got back home. But as the French would say, "Ces soiree-la!".