Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell – Deryck Whibley

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Trauma can come in many forms. Whether it’s watching a loved one going through a tough time, or experiencing the difficulties in our own lives, this trauma is never easy to face head on. Deryck Whibley bravely comes forward in sharing his multiple instances of trauma on his gripping new memoir entitled Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell. Whibley is a gifted songwriter, and while most of us know him for his lifelong work in Sum 41, I was surprised to hear just how deeply involved he was as the primary songwriter for the band. He mentions several times in the book instances where he recalls many fans and critics alike crediting Dave “Brownsound” Baksh as the main writer of Sum 41’s material, when that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Whibley remains poised and positive as he weaves an epic tale of the rise of Sum 41, the backstage shenanigans, key relationships he made in his life, all with an overarching narrative of the alleged abuse of his band’s former manager Greig Nori. The memoir is told in chronological order, while Whibley hints at the future tales that led to his highest of highs (Heaven) and the most dramatic of lows (Hell). Much like a Ying and Yang, Whibley needed to experience both polar opposites in order to determine what he values most in his young life that is starting to regain momentum for the next steps in his blossoming career.

From his early days of being a poor kid with a young, single mother trying her best to hide the fact of his lack of wealth, to discovering a love of music early on through watching VHS tapes of The Monkees, it seemed like music was the only way Whibley was going to make a name for himself. Not blessed with some of the same opportunities that most kids grow up with, Deryck Whibley explains how he had always wanted to be on stage performing for audiences small and large to fulfill his destiny of being a rockstar.

The beginning roots of Sum 41 come into focus early on in the memoir as he forms bands with school friends like bassist Cone McCaslin and Dave Baksh, to later adding one of the most talented drummers he had ever known in “Steveo” Jocz, the early days of the band that would find lightning in a bottle with singles like “Makes No Difference” and “Fat Lip” were beginning to start the trajectory of the band. Whibley explains the early workings of the trauma he experienced with manager Greig Nori and the uncomfortable grooming/abuse that allegedly took place between them over an extended period of time.

In this incredibly well-written memoir that I feel fans of Sum 41 will devour, and music fans in general will learn some additional insight on just what exactly goes on behind the scenes in the music industry. Whibley calls this “Music Industry Math,” where he details how a $3 million recording contract can boil down to just $750 a month per band member after all of the record label expenses are taken into consideration. Whibley smartly learns about the art of publishing deals as he wrestles with Nori over the royalties breakdowns for publishing rights, given that he had written the majority of the material and was being taken advantage of by a greedy and opportunistic manager.

The latter stages of the book details the meteoric rise of Sum 41, and the art of “staying the Mac,” as Whibley calls that key momentum piece for a band to stay relevant in the cutthroat music industry. We also learn about Whibley’s relationships with celebrities like Paris Hilton and his eventual marriage to Avril Lavigne, and he outlines where he feels each partnership meets its eventual breaking point. This friction also comes to a head with the firing of manager Greig Nori, the departure of Baksh, and the eventual boiling over between Whibley and drummer Steveo Jocz. Deryck Whibley intricately explains why he felt certain records by Sum 41 did as well as they did, while the promotional cycle of fan-favorite Underclass Hero was underwhelming to say the least.

The book reaches its climax when Whibley learns of his days of hard drinking have led to dramatic consequences with kidney and liver failure, meaning that he won’t ever be able to live his life the way he had been for so many years prior. Through his support system with his loving relationship with now-wife Ariana, Whibley is able to work his way through a successful rehab and gain back the strength to record three additional albums, culminating in what Whibley considers his greatest achievement in Heaven :x: Hell, the massive, double-album that culminated the career of Sum 41. It’s really hard to not root for Deryck Whibley’s eventual happiness in this raw and emotional memoir that is filled with more twists and turns than a Hollywood blockbuster.

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