Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 Details Alleged Sexual Abuse By Former Manager Greig Nori
In his book 'Walking Disaster,' Whibley writes that Nori, an influential mentor for several Canadian bands and the former leader of the band Treble Charger, coerced him into a sexual relationship, beginning when Nori was in his 30s and Whibley was a teenager.
Deryck Whibley
Sum 41's Deryck Whibley has detailed allegations of abuse against former manager Greig Nori.
Whibley's new memoir Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell features Whibley's descriptions of sexual coercion and verbal abuse at the hands of Nori, when Nori was in his 30s and Whibley a teenager.
Nori fronted the pop-punk band Treble Charger and mentored a host of rising Canadian bands in the early 2000s. He denies the allegations and has retained a defamation lawyer, The Globe & Mail reports.
Whibley met Nori when he was 16 and Nori was 33. He writes that Nori first kissed him while the two were on drugs when Whibley was 18, and that Nori would go on to pressure Whibley into sexual activity. Nori lashed out when Whibley resisted, Whibley writes, claiming Whibley "owed" him.
Whibley describes Nori as exerting complete authority over his career. “Greig had one requirement to be our manager — he wanted total control,” he writes. “We couldn’t talk to anyone but him, because the music business is ‘full of snakes and liars’ and he was the only person we could trust.”
Eventually, Whibley says, he disclosed the sexual pressure to his girlfriend and eventual wife, Avril Lavigne, who told him it was abuse. After a mutual friend of Nori and Whibley learned of the alleged abuse, Whibley says, the sexual pressure stopped, but Nori was still verbally aggressive.
Whibley claims Nori also insisted on receiving songwriting credits for songs he didn't help compose.
Sum 41 fired Nori after releasing and touring their third full-length, 2004's Chuck.
In an interview with The Toronto Star, Whibley said he welcomes a legal challenge from Nori.
"If he wants to challenge it, I welcome that," Whibley said. "Let’s go to court. Let’s go under oath. That would be f — king great! I welcome that part. Let’s get into discovery. I’ll have my lawyers grill you. They can grill me all they want. I mean, that would be f — king perfect! Finally, let’s get it on record!”
Nori was a powerful player in the 2000s Canadian rock sphere. In addition to Sum 41, he worked with bands like Marianas Trench and Hedley. (Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard was convicted of sexual assault in 2022). He also served as a mentor — or "The Guru" — on the MuchMusic show disBand, a show that featured rock bands in seek of industry success.
Whibley tells The LA Times that the 2017 #MeToo movement helped him understand Nori's alleged actions within the framework of grooming. #MeToo prompted conversations about sexual predation in the music industry that have recurred in the years since, with a current reckoning prompted by the arrest of Sean Combs on sex trafficking charges.
Whibley's memoir arrives as Sum 41 are celebrating their final album, Heaven :x: Hell. The band has seen a career resurgence of late, and their current Tour of the Setting Sum is their biggest ever.
Earlier this year, they made chart history when single "Landmines" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, marking the longest-ever gap between two No. 1's on the chart by the same artist.
Whibley told The Star that 2024 is “the greatest year of Sum 41’s life.”
