The impetus for the unemployment insurance program came in the 1990s as a demonstration project in the bright-blue state of Oregon, where it worked very well.
Initially created as a side project while Oberst led the band Commander Venus, Bright Eyes became his primary focus upon Commander Venus' 1997 dissolution.
My primary motivation in starting The Good Men Project was to celebration men doing good in all forms, most particularly under challenging circumstances and outside the bright lights of celebrity and wealth.