Why One Guy Is Listening to Nickelback 24/7 for a Week

Jesse Carey is willing to give up his sanity for charity
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2015 10:18 AM CST
Why One Guy Is Listening to Nickelback 24/7 for a Week
Singer Chad Kroeger and drummer Daniel Adair of Nickelback perform at the Juno Awards on April 1, 2012, in Ottawa, Ontario.   (AP Photo/Arthur Mola)

As you read this, podcaster Jesse Carey is listening to Nickelback's entire catalog, on repeat. He started Monday, and he'll be listening every minute of every day for an entire week—168 hours total. Why would a person subject himself to such a thing? For charity: Carey, who works on Relevant magazine's podcast, is using what he calls his "ultimate test of endurance" to raise money for Charity: Water. His original goal of $10,000 was enough to build a well in one of the developing nations the group works with, Time reports, but he's already raised more than $18,000, according to his campaign page—where he makes it clear that he will continue listening to Nickelback on a loop through Sunday, despite having already far surpassed his fundraising goal.

Why Nickelback? "I'm willing to put my personal health at risk for the challenge," Carey writes on the campaign page. "Such an endeavor could result in irreversible damage to my ears, brain, kidneys, and soul." On his Twitter account, he's been letting readers in on the miserable experience:

  • "It's been less than 12 hours, and I've already hit rock bottom."
  • "When I want to giving up the NBchallenge, I think of living in a world where Nickelback is more powerful than the human spirit & I press on"
  • "Night 3 of the Nickelback Challenge done. It's almost like half of the songs were written with the intention of preventing you from sleeping"
He's also posted YouTube video updates, one of which, of course, features Nickelback playing prominently in the background. In the second, he's listening on earbuds so no one else is "exposed" to the "toxic" substance. Before the challenge started, Carey talked about it on a Relevant podcast. "I want someone who’s going through a hard time next week to be like, 'Huh, I'm really down and out, life's really got me down, but right now there's a guy who's been listening to Nickelback for days straight,'" he said. (This man launched a crowdfunding campaign to keep Nickelback away.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X