
Time & Date
Event Location
WBUR CitySpace890 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02215Open in Google Maps
The rock ethos and melodic overtures of Sum 41 has been the personal soundtrack for many starting in the late 1990s with one driving force at the center: Deryck Whibley. The longtime frontman is now offering a backstage pass to his rock ‘n’ roll-soaked life in a new memoir, “Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell.” Whibley, who is touring the globe with Sum 41’s final album, writes about his challenging childhood and the solace he found in punk rock. While still in high school, Whibley decided his life’s calling was being in a rock band — a journey that has taken him to the top of the music charts and into the public eye as a former paramour to Paris Hilton and ex-husband to Avril Lavigne.
The Canadian singer and guitarist, who nearly died recently of COVID, discussed never-before-revealed traumas and triumphs within the music industry and beyond in a conversation moderated by Amory Sivertson, WBUR podcasts senior producer, host of Beyond All Repair and co-host of Endless Thread.
Related
Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley alleges sexual abuse by former manager in new memoir ‘Walking Disaster’
Sum 41 manager Greig Nori denies Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley’s sexual coercion allegations
About “Walking Disaster”
This candid memoir of music, fame and endurance from Deryck Whibley, lead singer of Sum 41, follows his rise from a punk kid to an international star.
From his earliest days growing up in Canada, Deryck Whibley was a punk who loved music and couldn’t wait to achieve something bigger and better than the humble path that lay before him. Whibley was raised by a single mom and their small family constantly moved from place to place, so he was used to being the new kid, starting fights (or finishing them) and connecting with people who shared his sensibility for chaotic fun and loud music. Sum 41 was born of a group of friends who loved to jam, shared a DIY ethos and were determined to be rock stars one day.
“Walking Disaster” is Whibley’s story, but it is also the untold story of Sum 41. Whibley takes you backstage, into the recording booth and through the highest highs and lowest lows of the band whose story is inextricably woven with his own.
With his insightful, earnest and genuine voice, Whibley gets real about fame, fortune and the music industry. Detailing everything from winning at the MTV Video Music Awards and being nominated for a Grammy to revisiting his high-profile relationships and friendships, contending with invasive paparazzi and suffering from health issues that brought him to the brink, Whibley offers a forthright and unforgettable memoir.