One of the things I love most about America is how we as a people celebrate our failures. We love a good comeback story and we root for the underdog. It's almost uniquely American; here in France a high-profile failure can follow your family for generations. But not in America. In America it's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get back up.
So I can't think of a better story to share with you guys on the 4th of July than that of Jason Everman. Who? you might ask. Everman was once the bassist for not one but two of the most influential rock bands in history - Nirvana and Soundgarden. He even financed the production of Nirvana's first album with money he saved working on an Alaskan fishing boat. But he's not famous for that; Everman is famous for being fired from both bands before they went on to sell millions of records.
In what is absolutely gut-wrenching to read, he was unceremoniously tossed out of Nirvana, and Kurt Cobain later joked that the band never even bothered to pay him back the money he fronted for an album that went on to sell 2.2 million copies. His dismissal from Soundgarden went much the same way. Being fired from one of the most famous bands in history would be enough to make anyone quit. Try to imagine being fired from two. But Everman just didn't have any quit in him, so he joined the Army and became a Special Forces operator in Iraq and Afghanistan.
You read that right.
Gone were the nose ring and nationwide tours. He was now touring the world on government business. The kind of business where bad guys end up dead. And he was very, very good at his work.
I hope you guys enjoy this piece. I know I certainly did. As a former boxer, I know how comfortable that canvas can feel, knowing that if you just lay there for a few more seconds all the pain will stop. But that's not what this life is about, is it? The juice is worth the squeeze, at least in my experience, and I think Everman and most of you guys would agree.
So when you think you're down for the count, think about guys like this who "had it all" and lost it, only to reinvent themselves in unexpected and heroic ways. And then thank your lucky stars you live in a country where everybody is pulling for you.
Happy Independence Day, monkeys.
he is the definition of alpha
Great story. Will the book be on Amazon?
It'll be on Amazon mid-August, but it'll be available to WSO monkeys before then.
Awesome story. Often we are encouraged to fail and then try again but rarely are we encouraged to do something so drastically different. Probably one of the most interesting guys you'd ever meet
Thanks for sharing, awesome story.
here in america the government can legally kill its own citizens. here in america the government can detain its own citizens indefinitely without due process. here in america the government can spy on its own citizens without probable cause. here in america the government can confiscate your guns and bypass the second amendment. here in america the government can decide what size soft drinks you can have. here in america the government can engage in illegal arms trafficking with blacklisted countries. here in america the government can force you to buy health insurance. here in america the government can force you to fund the welfare state through unequal taxation. here in america the government can employ reckless fiscal and monetary policy that will burden future generations with unspeakable amounts of debt. here in america...
today should be a reminder of what we have lost. america is no longer a great country. instead of blindly celebrating this day, we should honor it by facing reality and working towards fixing our god damn problems.
You can't give that shit a rest for one day out of the year? Eat a dick.
//
so just because it's independence day, we should ignore reality and celebrate something that no longer exists in present day?
And no thanks. I have no interest in uptaking your favorite activity.
Pretty fanatic nationalism from someone that doesn't even live in the country, lol.
Me personally? I'm a citizen of the world! Countries are just bodies of land.
I'm with you there, and I'm certainly not blind to America's deficiencies. But the Declaration of Independence is one of those crowning achievements in human history, right up there with the Magna Carta. I just think it's worth celebrating.
in other words, it's worth celebrating freedom in a country where freedom doesn't exist. right. i'm sure our founding fathers would have supported your enthusiasm. this is the problem with America. you have too many people that blindly celebrate a national holiday without any respect for what our past generations have accomplished through blood, sweat, and tears. otherwise, you'd be enraged that our country is headed the wrong direction and work towards getting back to our roots.
edmundo braverman, you may be respected among some, but you are not respected by me. sure you post many entries as a 50 year old on a website visited by people 20-30 years your junior. but there's something called honor and patriotism. you don't tell the messenger to eat a dick. rather than being an immature asshole, how about facing reality and making this country great again through responsible journalism. you are no different from MSM with these "feel good stories" that mask reality. take responsibility. be a man.
Better fate than Krist Novoselic lol
I'm sure he's going to be broken up by this. It's just so hard to get respect from anonymous internet posters these days.
what do you have against anonymity? do you support the nsa? maybe you should reveal your name, age, and location if you have such offense against my position. prove to me you're not a hypocrite.
haha, dude, chill the fuck out. I have nothing against anonymity. I'm making the point that you're getting far too bent out of shape on an internet forum where nobody is going to care what you (or any other random poster) think of them as a human being. I'm not even sure how my thoughts on the NSA got dragged into this, lol. I'm a little stunned by how thin-skinned you are on the internet.
and yes. I live in this fuckin country.
From what I know, Eddie has served our country honorably. I have no comment regarding the journalism. I don't think he views himself as a journalist.
your prior post contradicts yourself.
The USA has tons of flaws but the 4th is about recognizing some of this country's great accomplishments and positive influences on the world. No one is turning a blind eye but being a crabby fuck 365 blows.
And Eddie has served this country and contributed vastly to this site. I'd go easy on shitting on him for rightly calling you out on being a dick.
of all people tna. just pointing out the hypocrisy. I've seen you blast a bunch of ppl while you carry the same views I project.
how sad that ppl get destroyed for carrying views that differ from "certified" users. takes away from the legitimacy of this site. happy to know this site does not tolerate other users saying "eat a dick" but if a "certified" user says it, then it is tolerable.
I completely share your views but shit dude, one day we can't shelve it? Yah, what's going on is fucked up but we still have the right to discuss this and protest this. We have the bill of rights which give us this standing to rail against it.
Being certified doesn't mean anything, but I think Eddie is beyond "just" certified. I didn't see all the comments so if you're saying shit is deleted then I stand corrected.
no, it doesn't. my prior post says that he's not going to give a fuck what some anonymous internet poster thinks about him. this has nothing to do with my views for or against anonymity.
dude, stop being such a baby. your points were valid. Eddie acknowledged as much. i.e. the country has deficiencies, but shelve it for a day. I acknowledge them as well. it's fucking hilarious that he said "eat a dick" and your panties are all in a twist. get the sand out of your vagina.
That's so graphic...I can just visualize a big hairy snatch with many grains of sand slowly tumbling out like an hourglass.
Corporis placeat sed rerum aliquid est sunt cupiditate. Dolore iure error soluta at. Eos est commodi iusto tempore repellendus. Consectetur eius qui molestiae modi omnis ipsum blanditiis. Assumenda provident voluptas cupiditate quibusdam et saepe et.
Quia beatae accusantium ut animi doloremque amet. Aliquid eos in culpa suscipit est cum.
Cum odio molestiae aliquid id accusamus ad. Illum qui magni ut beatae et. Eos ullam odit dolore officiis reprehenderit ratione aut. Odit vitae repellat deserunt dolor unde cumque maiores a. Excepturi dignissimos doloribus repellat. Sint est molestias rerum quam est saepe eum et. Eaque aut alias ea qui.
Repellendus vel atque modi fugiat. Delectus quidem aut suscipit accusantium qui. Asperiores est dolor dicta corporis nostrum voluptatem. Error ut amet voluptatum totam alias repellendus eligendi.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Mollitia tempora sint pariatur voluptates rerum fugiat voluptas. Iure asperiores nihil delectus cumque ea ducimus et aut. In ut aspernatur magnam esse.
Esse neque unde ut provident vel perferendis possimus. Dolor velit totam facere aspernatur veritatis inventore natus. Tempora unde consequatur nulla nesciunt. Et voluptatem quia beatae maxime. Et qui libero atque consequatur. Aut dolor necessitatibus id alias quasi molestiae.
Nulla omnis culpa tempore corporis et quas quaerat. Voluptatem vero itaque voluptas sed sapiente consectetur. Adipisci velit non qui saepe maiores commodi. Eligendi aliquid nobis dignissimos. Delectus et incidunt dolores delectus dolor non. Est labore voluptatum ratione aut aspernatur quia.
Sed aliquid sit dolorem et et. Dignissimos non quaerat deleniti occaecati accusamus. Porro cupiditate est temporibus. Voluptatem ut vero dolore.