Life never gets boring at SHEATH HQ. You can always bet that the SHEATH team is up to something new and interesting, like a collaboration with bestselling Amazon author, anarchist, and expert on North Korea, Michael Malice.
“Malice” isn’t his real last name, by the way. A punk rock fan, his decision to use a pseudonym was inspired by rockers like Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten who did not go by their given names on stage.
Malice was born in Soviet Ukraine and grew up speaking Russian before his parents moved to the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn. For a guy who wasn’t brought up around the English language, Malice has achieved a prolific authorial status within his adopted country.
He is the co-founder of Overheard in New York, a humor blog about conversations that eavesdroppers supposedly heard in New York City. Malice is also a ghostwriter and co-author for various celebrities, including MMA fighter Matt Hughes who Malice helped write his 2008 autobiography “Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History.”
Malice's first self-published book, “Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il,” is written from the perspective of Kim Jong Il, the late North Korean dictator. Malice didn’t really interview the deceased Dear Leader. Instead, Michael based his research for Dear Reader from over 60 propaganda books and articles he acquired when he traveled to the Hermit Kingdom himself. One of the interesting “facts” about the dictator in the book is that Kim Jong Il can "shrink time."
Politically, Malice’s views couldn’t be further from those of Communist dictators. He describes himself as an “anarchist without adjectives”. Reason magazine described Malice’s politics as a combination of libertarianism, anarchism and objectivism. A fascinating perspective of his is that the United States should not exist. In “The Case for American Secession” Malice argues that Americans do not have a single culture, and each regional subculture in America should be able to govern its own affairs.
When Malice isn’t writing or blogging, he’s trolling on Twitter. During the 2018 Academy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel said “We don’t make films like ‘Call Me by Your Name’ to make money. We make them to upset Mike Pence,” referring to a film about a gay relationship between two young men. Malice replied, “the difference between Mike Pence and the members of the Academy is that it is safe to leave your wives and children around Mike Pence.”
Malice has been a frequent guest on Joe Rogan Experience, Lex Friedman Podcast and many other shows. He hosts his own podcast, Your Welcome, which is sponsored by SHEATH.
Malice himself is a SHEATH model and has even designed his own limited edition pair, the SHEATH V Dynamite. In 2021, Malice and CEO Robert Patton met at Patton’s house for an episode of the RPG Podcast. During the podcast, Malice and Robert discussed designing a signature Malice-inspired pair. Its bright red color is inspired by the red dynamite lapel pin worn by Louis Lingg, a German anarchist who graces the front cover of "The Anarchist Handbook".
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