The Sum 41 frontman bares his soul in this gritty and honest rock 'n' roll autobiography!
You probably know Deryck Whibley as the vocalist of Sum 41; he’s also their main songwriter, and given that the Canadian quintet are currently in the midst of a farewell tour, it only seems fitting that he’s now released this gripping memoir: ‘Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven And Hell’.
The only child of a single mother from a poor family, it’s fair to say that Deryck has had to fight (metaphorically and sometimes literally) to prove himself over the years, be it playground scraps at school or to get his fair share of songwriting credit for Sum 41’s many hit songs and albums. It’s hard not to envy his relentless positivity, though; no matter how bad things get, he always seems to be able to see the big picture. Even at the point of ending up half-dead in a hospital bed, he rallies, and is soon making plans for both his own recovery and the revival of his band.
Deryck has a real eye for detail, and this shines through in his writing, making it highly relatable to anyone who is (or was) young, pissed off and in need of a musical outlet for their frustration. Be it discovering the Sex Pistols, NOFX or Elvis Costello, his enthusiasm for the music he loves will make you recall your own punk rock Year Zeroes, even if his band’s sometimes clichéd rock n’ roll antics may make you roll your eyes from time to time. Certainly ‘Walking Disaster’ will bring back memories for those X-ennials who came of age when the Vans Warped Tour was in its prime – and the music industry wasn’t the desiccated shell that it is now.
Speaking of the music industry, he lays bare the highs and lows of being a successful band. Be it the challenges of balancing touring and recording, friction with bandmates past and present (and especially with one allegedly abusive ex-manager), or finding the strength to soldier on after an initial burst of success has fizzled out, there’s plenty that any up-and-coming band could learn from what he and Sum 41 have experienced.
The fact that Deryck is still very much alive and well, and that Sum 41 are about to start a jaunt through European and UK arenas (dates below), should be enough to tell you that ‘Walking Disaster’ has a happy ending. We won’t spoil it for you by going into the specifics, but it’d take a cold heart indeed not to feel a sense of relief that he survived, to tell the tale of a life and a band inextricably woven together. ‘Walking Disaster: The Movie’? With such compelling source material, we wouldn’t bet against it.
‘Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven And Hell’ by Deryck Whibley is out now on Constable Books in hardback; paperback to following in September 2025.
Main Photo Credit: ARI WHIBLEY
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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