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Die Happy: 499 Things Every Guy's Gotta Do While He Still Can
Attention, guys of It's time to get off the couch, turn off the PlayStation, and set down your beer (just kidding― never set down your beer). Your days of freedom are numbered. Every guy owes it to himself to do something audacious, ostentatious, hilarious, or just plain fun before it's too late. The time is now for the kinds of things that will be decidedly against the rules after you "settle down." Die Happy is here to help you create the kind of stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life. Stories about things
· How you spent your graduation You start at Oktoberfest in Munich and wake up on a Thai beach (which is totally what your Aunt Edith had in mind). From Fantasy Fest to La Tomatina, here's a breakdown of the wildest parties and the craziest worldwide destinations.
· The best places to, ahem, explore other cultures (or whatever): Corfu's Pink Palace. Ireland's pubs. Amsterdam's Red Light District. Ibiza. Plus plenty of other fascinating events and locales, many of which also happen to serve booze.
· Getting a job (don't worry, not a real job): Jet Ski guy. Cruise ship bartender. Casino dealer. Lifeguard. Roadie. Where and how to earn the money to subsidize your fun, usually in some exotic location full of very friendly women.
At once a "How To," a "To Do," and a "We Did," Die Happy contains all the ideas, checklists, and insanely funny true stories you'll need to help you have as much fun as possible―while you still can.
· How you spent your graduation You start at Oktoberfest in Munich and wake up on a Thai beach (which is totally what your Aunt Edith had in mind). From Fantasy Fest to La Tomatina, here's a breakdown of the wildest parties and the craziest worldwide destinations.
· The best places to, ahem, explore other cultures (or whatever): Corfu's Pink Palace. Ireland's pubs. Amsterdam's Red Light District. Ibiza. Plus plenty of other fascinating events and locales, many of which also happen to serve booze.
· Getting a job (don't worry, not a real job): Jet Ski guy. Cruise ship bartender. Casino dealer. Lifeguard. Roadie. Where and how to earn the money to subsidize your fun, usually in some exotic location full of very friendly women.
At once a "How To," a "To Do," and a "We Did," Die Happy contains all the ideas, checklists, and insanely funny true stories you'll need to help you have as much fun as possible―while you still can.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 13, 2017
i finally got around to reading this after sitting on it for maybe a year or so. got it randomly at a white elephant christmas party with some old college friends. the lesson being to never pick the big packages because sometimes a jokester will just put a really small package in that big package and you end up getting something ridiculous like this, instead of the george foreman grill that was rumored to be in one of the big packages. ah well. for some reason they thought it was perfect for me, maybe because they are all family types and it was a family event - while i am single, footloose, and oh-so-free. ha! little do they know that my life is probably as placid as their lives, and these days a high-quality evening for me is some beers & bullshit with friends and then home with a book and some good music. i imagine i will still Die Happy.
but still. this book did bring back some fun memories of my 20s and early 30s, so it was not a total loss. the authors (brothers) are lively sorts, from the get-wasted-see-some-boobs-get-laid-or-at-least-a-bj fratboy template. you know, douchebags. but they are basically harmless and so is this book.
it is made for a certain kind of dumbass straight guy. college educated but not particularly brainy (again, the fratboy template), into golf & hiking & outdoorsy things, interested in traveling around the world... but whose main goals are drinking as much booze as possible, going to as many strip clubs as possible, hooking up as much as possible, just in general being as loud & boisterous & sexed-up as can be... until it is time to settle down with some bougie job, wife, and kids. i guess this kind of guy can be offensive to a lot of people. eh. they don't bother me. but then i am the kind of shallow guy who has had his own share of drunken goofiness, strip club shenanigans, and other forms of doltish jackassery; perhaps this is due to the rowdy straight side of my bi-ability. that fever cooled down about a decade ago, so i think about those times with a condescending but kind of affectionate distance.
oh yeah, the book - almost forgot about it. it is divided into chapters based around where to go when partying, partying around the world, doing outdoorsy stuff, getting fun jobs, etc. there is predictable excitement around Mardi Gras, Burning Man, the Red Light District in Amsterdam, various islands and parts of Southeast Asia. i did like its emphasis on traveling cheap, staying in hostels, and pretending to be a rich, pretentious type in order to woo the ladies and get free drinks. sensible! all the comments on hostels and traveling light were spot-on. i also really liked the focus on road trips, maybe because road trips form some of my best memories. overall, the authors come across as fairly stupid but at times clever. clever in that low-cunning way of trying to score drinks & women while on a really small budget and with a large amount of charm but not a whole lot going on upstairs.
not really sure what to do with this book now. normally i put books i've finished and will never reread on my work's drop-in center donation shelf - but the idea of this being seen by homeless folks and disabled seniors on a fixed income sort of makes me sad. maybe i could give it to my nephews when they get older - but that sounds rather creepy. hmmm. kindling for the next time i go camping? maybe so!
anyway, here's a gif of some typical straight guys doing typical straight things during a typical straight weekend:
but still. this book did bring back some fun memories of my 20s and early 30s, so it was not a total loss. the authors (brothers) are lively sorts, from the get-wasted-see-some-boobs-get-laid-or-at-least-a-bj fratboy template. you know, douchebags. but they are basically harmless and so is this book.
it is made for a certain kind of dumbass straight guy. college educated but not particularly brainy (again, the fratboy template), into golf & hiking & outdoorsy things, interested in traveling around the world... but whose main goals are drinking as much booze as possible, going to as many strip clubs as possible, hooking up as much as possible, just in general being as loud & boisterous & sexed-up as can be... until it is time to settle down with some bougie job, wife, and kids. i guess this kind of guy can be offensive to a lot of people. eh. they don't bother me. but then i am the kind of shallow guy who has had his own share of drunken goofiness, strip club shenanigans, and other forms of doltish jackassery; perhaps this is due to the rowdy straight side of my bi-ability. that fever cooled down about a decade ago, so i think about those times with a condescending but kind of affectionate distance.
oh yeah, the book - almost forgot about it. it is divided into chapters based around where to go when partying, partying around the world, doing outdoorsy stuff, getting fun jobs, etc. there is predictable excitement around Mardi Gras, Burning Man, the Red Light District in Amsterdam, various islands and parts of Southeast Asia. i did like its emphasis on traveling cheap, staying in hostels, and pretending to be a rich, pretentious type in order to woo the ladies and get free drinks. sensible! all the comments on hostels and traveling light were spot-on. i also really liked the focus on road trips, maybe because road trips form some of my best memories. overall, the authors come across as fairly stupid but at times clever. clever in that low-cunning way of trying to score drinks & women while on a really small budget and with a large amount of charm but not a whole lot going on upstairs.
not really sure what to do with this book now. normally i put books i've finished and will never reread on my work's drop-in center donation shelf - but the idea of this being seen by homeless folks and disabled seniors on a fixed income sort of makes me sad. maybe i could give it to my nephews when they get older - but that sounds rather creepy. hmmm. kindling for the next time i go camping? maybe so!
anyway, here's a gif of some typical straight guys doing typical straight things during a typical straight weekend:
January 24, 2019
Sophomoric throughout, and it’s target audience is college aged fraternity brothers. However, I enjoy any book with goal lists for travel. 🍺
April 14, 2008
Hilarious and full of great ideas. If you're a guy who enjoys adventures and having a good time, this book should be on your list. I'm 25 and after reading Die Happy, I realized I need to get out there and do more while I'm young, single and relatively responsibility-free. I'm now planning a road trip (based on one of the book's suggestion) this summer. Not to mention, a fishing expedition, Wrigley Field visit and the Austin City Limits Music Fest.
October 5, 2011
Book had fine stories, interesting ideas, and was organized well. However, felt it was missing. It felt like a pg version of tucker max, "I hope they serve beer in hell." Cover is similar, but there wasn't much uumph. Nothing over the top. Nothing to go wow, now that is something. It was strong enough. Not a page turner that I hoped. It was okay. Could've been much better I thought.
February 23, 2013
Not very good. There are some good ideas in here, but most of the book is tailored to assholes. The personal narratives interspersed with the destinations were mostly boring and poorly written. It was worth as skim to add a few destinations to my future travel list.
March 16, 2014
From seeing the Superbowl to partaking in Octoberfest, visiting Las Vegas to hiking the Inca Trail, there is absolutely nothing here that you - male or female - couldn't have dreamt up on your own.
July 5, 2013
A bucket list for bros.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews