Mike Rowe on Patriotism, Paul Harvey, and American Progress
Podcaster and former Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe stars in Something to Stand For, a patriotic documentary film in which he tells unknown stories about legendary figures in American history. Reason‘s Nick Gillespie spoke with Rowe about the film, his influences, and what to think about the decline of patriotism.
Q: Tell us about Something to Stand For.
A: Really all I did was take the format that worked well on the podcast, which was to tell these historical tales through the lens of a mystery while stealing shamelessly from the late, great Paul Harvey. We visited some monuments and memorials, and every few minutes you get another story, another mystery, something you didn’t know about somebody you do.
Q: The storytelling is very engaging, but there’s always a reveal at the end. At one point you end up at the National Mall, around the World War II Memorial, and you speak with a Korean War vet. What did talking to him bring up in you?
A: That was completely and totally unscripted, unplanned. There I was in the memorial and they’ve got the X on the ground where I’m supposed to land. The lights are just so. And of course we’re behind schedule.
But then this guy rolls in in his wheelchair with nine or 10 other old men and their families. It’s an honor flight and they’re being wheeled over in front of that wall of stars. Each star is representative, I think, of 100 dead Americans. I looked to the director and I said, “Let’s just do this real quick,” and grabbed the camera guy. I went over and introduced myself
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