Raw truth and overcoming

It's not a rose coloured look at the life of a punk rock star. Raw and honest about childhood, being groomed by someone in power, losing love, finding true love and surviving what many never do. Great listen.

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I learned so much!

I was obsessed with sum41 from probably 11-17years old! My all time favourite band! This book was so good. It did get sad and the Greg drama really kept going on, but that was reality, so who am I to judge! I wish there was more fun sum 41 stories like on the YouTube channel, but I get that this was more about deryck and his journey.

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Sum 41 Fan Must Read

If your a fan or mega fan of sum 41, you have to read this book. So many interesting stories and explanations of how things happened and why things happened throughout the bands history. I’ll be attending one of their last ever shows coming up and I simply cannot wait after listening to this book!

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can't wait to see in Toronto in a few weeks

what an awesome book a must read if you love the sum41 has some great stories in the book

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Spme crazy revelations

Deryck's intense journey throughout his life. His narration was also very good, and the stripped back songs were a pleasant surprise.

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I loved this book

I burned through this one in one day, I couldn't stop listening. Very entertaining, and compelling story. I highly recommend it!

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Couldn’t Stop Listening

I was on the edge of my seat with how much his story caught my attention and loved to learn what was going on behind the scenes of one of my childhood bands.

I did have to slow the reading down to .85 cuz it was a bit fast for me.

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Wonderful listening but disillusioned

Deryck narrates his memoir himself, I just saw Sum 41's tour of the setting sum in Victoria BC 2 days ago. I've wanted to see them live for decades, but never had the money as a kid. I loved the concert, found out about the memoir and listened to it in one sitting yesterday.

Deryck's narration is topnotch, after all, it's him. There are also several little musical sections added that are wonderful.

The overarching story of his life and of Sum 41 is great. Deryck's a good writer even if some of the word and phrasing are simple at times. His early life is extremely similar to mine which was cool(single mom, mom dated a hell's angel gangmember, moved around a lot, small kid, got into fights etc.) but where Deryck went into music I got into science and engineering. About half way through I was considering giving it a second listen, but through the second half and by the end I felt disappointed and kind of frustrated with the material.

Here are my issues:

- Deryck is extremely brief on details for many sections. We get a very "glossed over" look at many interactions, like his first meetings with Dave, Cone, Stevo, Avril and Ari. If you have no idea who Avril and Ari are, this book will not give you a better appreciation of who they are and their personalities. I've obviously heard Avril's music but I dont know anything about her as a person, same as Ari, and what it is about them that Deryck found magnetizing or likeable, I don't know, because we don't get enough interactions or detail to know.
It's very "wikipedia list of events in Derycks life" at times. The best parts of the book are the nuanced interactions, like Stevo getting mad at Ari for smoking, or his conversations with Greg Nori. I understand Greg as a person (in terms of personality and drive) much better than Dave, Cone, Avril or Ari. Basically only Greg and Stevo are really characterized to any degree, which is unfortunate because they don't seem like great people in this book. The book should be twice as long honestly, possibly three times as long. Also the guy they toured with who calls Deryck his son. That guy got more characterization than Dave or Derycks actual mom.
We get lists of bands they toured with or know, but barely any details about it. Later he says he hung out with a guy from good charlotte when he was getting sober. Okay, then write about that earlier!!! Give us details and foreshadowing so that later events are clearer and more satisfying.

- Deryck lacks any real self-responsibiltiy for when things went wrong. At the height of his drinking problems when he was solely responsible for the band not coming on stage, or cancelling tours, he simply shifts blame around, jokes about it, claims everyone else was just as bad etc. I'm a huge fan of Sum 41 and Deryck, his and the bands music changed my life. What Deryck doesnt get is we wouldnt think less of him for owning up, it honestly made me think less of him for refusing to accept responsibility and simply blaming everyone else and claiming it wasnt that bad. Instead of this music god who went through s*** and rose out of it, he sort of ends up coming across as petty and delusional. It's so frustrating, because none of the media articles, none of the stuff with Avril ever made me think even one iota less of him. I was just disappointed at the time that the band wasnt going well and that he wasnt performing. Deryck did more damage to my image of him with the book than the media ever could have. I honestly hope he wrotes an extended or edited version of the book where he sincerely looks at what happened and doesnt try to keep painting Stevo and Cone in a bad light to deflect blame. Maybe they did mess up, but Deryck deflecting blame only makes him look worse ironically.

- He literally does not say one good thing about Cone in this entire book. Greg Nori is an abuser, and he manages to compliment Gregs work ethic, the help he gave the band etc. Stevo is a jerk and he praises Stevos drumming several times, how everyone including Deryck himself want to please Stevo etc. Despite Cone sticking with Deryck and the band through all the bs, Deryck cannot utter a good word about Cone. Deryck is apparently stuck writing all the bands music, but then Cone tries to write new music or bass riffs or solos? nope Cone needs to stop this is Derycks band; and Cone sucks at music apparently even though he's been in several bands and produced a ton of music. Deryck is taking the band on 12 hour flights to japan, then cancelling the whole tour because he's wasted and people are mad? They're being unreasonable, also probably Cones fault. Stevo is being rude and yelling? Cones fault for supporting Stevo. It's absurd. Again, it doesnt end up making look Cone look bad, it makes you start to question the narrative and honesty of the book. I'm not saying Deryck needs to praise him constantly or cover up Cones behavior if he was rude, but c'mon. Again, we need a second edition where Deryck is writing while not currently feeling angry and resentful of Cone for some reason. Deryck writes about them being bullies and rude to each other when they were younger, but all I see is Deryck continuing to do the same to Cone. Deryck needs to look in a mirror when he's talking about Stevos behavior.

- Deryck barely talks about Dave at all, in any capacity. Dont know if Dave just didnt want to be written about?

- Deryck refuses to write anything bad about Avril for some reason. I don't even dislike Avril, I like her music. But I looked online after the book was finished and based on Deryck's own account of what happened and media articles, Avril used him and then cheated on him while the media skewered him. I guess they're friends now so he doesnt want to seem petty, but then why did Cone not receive this treatment? Cone has stuck with Deryck through far more bs than Avril ever has. Its just bizarre. Deryck continues to prop up his abusers and people who were rude to him while belittling or ignoring all the people that stood by him for so long, or came back like Dave.

I still love Deryck, the book is still good and you should listen, I still love Sum 41. I just know that Deryck could do better, I know he's capable of a more honest and more fleshed out book. Maybe with time and seperation from the band. Stop praising abusers and belittling the people who stuck by you. Also if I'm wrong, give us more actual interactions and details so that I can see how I'm wrong, instead of narrative lists and brief summaries.

If you read the whole review, thanks. Hope if you do listen you enjoy it and don't get stuck on certain things as much as I did. If by some chance the publisher or editor reads this - GET DERYCK TO WRITE A SECOND VERSION THATS LONGER AND MORE DETAILED!!!!!!!!!!

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A great story

A naturally good story teller with a wild story to tell. If you liked Scar Tissue, The Dirt etc. this is definitely worth reading.

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Great stories

Greig is a weirdo! F that guy, keep Treble Charger outta your mouth, bye bye Greig say hi to Diddy!

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