Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley alleges sexual coercion by former manager in new memoir
CBC
WARNING: This story contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Lead singer of the Canadian pop-punk band Sum 41, Deryck Whibley, is accusing his former manager and frontman of the group Treble Charger, Greig Nori, of grooming and sexual coercion in his newly released memoir, Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell.
In the book, Whibley, who is from Ajax, Ont., described the evolution of his relationship with Nori, whom he met at the age of 16, when Nori was 34.
CBC News has not been able to independently verify the detailed allegations contained in the memoir.
Whibley said Nori quickly became a mentor and "father figure," teaching him how to shave, tie a tie and drive, before introducing the band to drugs and alcohol, and eventually pursuing a sexual relationship with a "freshly 18 years old" Whibley.
Whibley claimed he and Nori became "inseparable" when he began working as Nori's chauffeur and assistant while still in high school. Nori eventually became Sum 41's manager, booking studio sessions and inviting the band to parties and raves.
Whibley said Nori's only requirement to be their manager was that they "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."
Whibley alleges that the relationship between him and Nori became sexual in 1998, after he'd turned 18. Whibley described an instance when Nori invited him into the bathroom to take ecstasy during a rave. In the stall, Whibley claims Nori grabbed him and kissed him.
"He reached over, grabbed my face and kissed me on the mouth passionately.... I stood there having no idea what to say," Whibley wrote.
Whibley described feeling "very confused" as time went on. He said Nori tried to convince him to take their relationship further by explaining that many rock stars whom Whibley idolized were queer and bisexual.
"He was so relentless and convincing that after a while I started to believe that maybe he was right," Whibley wrote.
"Greig kept pushing for things to happen when we were together. I started feeling like I was being pressured to do something against my will," he wrote.
Representatives for Whibley declined a request for an interview. Neither Nori nor his representatives responded to requests for comment from CBC News at the time of publication. However, Nori has reacted in other media outlets denying the claims.
Karen Bliss is a Canadian music journalist who has investigated and reported on allegations of sexual assault within the music industry. She said things like this allegedly happen because of the power structures within the industry.
