Most people know the story of Pete Best, the Beatles drummer who exited the band just before they became huge. Now imagine having the elusion of massive success happening to you twice. The New York Times has posted an in-depth piece on the onetime Nirvana and Soundgarden member Jason Everman, as he rebounded from the disappointment of being kicked out of both bands to eventually finding his footing as a member of the Army Rangers and Special Forces.

Although Everman helped cough up money to pay the producer of Nirvana's album 'Bleach,' no good deed goes unpunished. During one of their earlier tours, Nivana just didn't exactly bond with Everman. "We had some great shows with Jason," said Nirvana member Krist Novoselic. "But then things went south really fast." The band didn't actually officially fire the musician from the band, as Everman claimed that his run with Nirvana "just ended."

His stint as Soundgarden's bassist was also short lived, as he was let go from the band after frontman Chris Cornell told Everman that it just wasn't working out. "It was a huge blow," said Everman of the two setbacks. "The only good thing about it was it made me leave the Pacific Northwest. I would never have done that otherwise."

After trying music once again as the guitarist of Mind Funk, Everman devoted his life to the military. It was a life that Everman described as a "heightened state," and after serving out his first enlistment as a Ranger, he was determined to join the Special Forces. After years in the military serving in Latin America, Afghanistan, and Iraq, he pursued the academic life in 2006, attending Seattle University and Columbia University. In May, the 45-year-old received a bachelor's degree in philosophy. When asked how it felt being a student after so much life experience, Everman posited, "It's anonymous, just the way I like."

"The way I look at it, life is meaningless," said Everman in the interview. "The meaningfulness is what you impart to it."

 

 

 

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