Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley accuses early manager of abuse in ‘Walking Disaster’ memoir
Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley accuses the band’s early manager and producer Greig Nori of sexual and verbal abuse in his new memoir, Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Whibley writes that the abuse began when he was 16 and Nori was 34. Whibley was a fan of Nori and his band, Treble Charger, and first came into contact with Nori when he sneaked backstage at a Treble Charger show and Nori gave him his phone number.
From there, Whibley says he and Nori would talk on the phone for hours, and Nori eventually became Sum 41’s manager. He says that Nori gave him shots of liquor as his first drink, and that when Whibley was 18 Nori brought him into a bathroom stall to take ecstasy and then “passionately” kissed him.
Whibley, who doesn’t identify as gay or bisexual, was confused by the encounter, while Nori allegedly told him what they had was “special” and that they should continue because “so many of my rock star idols were queer.”
After attempting to stop Nori’s physical advances, Whibley says that an angry Nori would accuse him of being homophobic and that Whibley “owed” him. Whibley says that the while the sexual encounters did stop, Nori allegedly continued to be emotionally and verbally abusive.
Nori produced Sum 41’s albums Does This Look Infected? and Chuck; he was fired as their manager in 2005. Whibley says he never told his bandmates about the alleged abuse, though he did confide in his ex-wife Avril Lavigne, who he says replied, “He sexually abused you.”
Canada’s The Globe and Mail says Nori denied the allegations as “false” when reached by phone. ABC Audio has reached out to an email associated with Nori.
If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.
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