After bassist Cliff Burton of Metallica died back in the 1980s, the rest of the band started holding auditions for his replacement. One of the people who auditioned was a guy by the name of Les Claypool.

Les Claypool is the lead singer and bassist (how often do those two things go together?) of a band called Primus. In terms of alt-rock bands of the 1990's, Primus achieved a great deal of success. Every rock bassist I've ever met in my age range absolutely worships the ground that Les walks on; they look up him both as a musician and an innovator.

And yet Metallica didn't hire him. By their own admission, it was because he was "too weird". They just didn't think his style of playing was a good fit for their band. And undeniably, it had nothing to do with Les' lack of talent, because it abounds in his music.

Something to keep in mind next time you get a rejection letter from a prospective employer.