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A Skinny Influence |
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Deryck Whibley - an icon for eating-disordered males |
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WHETHER YOU love them or hate them, Sum 41 is just a band to most of us. Some may own every CD they've made, others may just know them as "that band who did that song about fat lips". But does anyone seek any meaning deeper than that from them? These men do.
"Bizzy D, or 'Skinny D' as we called him, was the number one inspiration for the guys in the ward," says Dave Martin, a recovered male bulimic. "While the girls worshipped pictures of Kate Moss and Calista Flockhart and people like that, Deryck was our God." |
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Whibley - does he know what he's doing? |
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For those who don't know, Deryck Whibley, nicknamed 'Bizzy D', is the lead singer of Sum 41. He's renowned for being a 'love or hate' kind of guy - you either think he's drop-dead gorgeous or butt ugly, a kind, gentle soul or a punky homewrecker, a brilliant musician or someone who should join Busted. The males on the Birmingham teenage eating disorder ward loved him in all of these ways.
"There were four of us lads and about 20 or so girls when I was in," says Dave. "It was easy for the ladies - they could look in any women's magazine and find models everywhere. We only really had two idols - the other is Daniel from Silverchair, but he seemed kind of, well, weak, as he was actually anorexic, not to mention suffered so many complications. Daniel was both an idol and a reverse trigger." |
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"When I visited my cousin there every day, I noticed the unhealthy Deryck following," adds Kate Edinborough, whose cousin James Carpenter, the most dedicated Deryck fan of them all, died of a heart attack last year. He weighed only 49 pounds. "Even the girls were starting to prefer him over some of their favourite models. It made no sense. Why him and not someone less addictive?"
Kate also added that James, a Sum 41 fan way before his inpatient days, started the Whibley obsession. "When I first got out, I resented him for that," said Dave, "but his death shocked both Tommy [McPherson, another ex-patient] and me into getting out of there. We didn't want to be like him. He also was a great friend to everyone there while he was still alive. He was the one who deserved recovery most of all. I miss him." |
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Sum 41 - Whibley is on the far left. |
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Since the mention of James's name, the tone has darkened, but Kate and the recoverers are strong enough to talk more. "Deryck and our other 'thinspirations' were what kept us going," says Emma Simpson, an anorectic from the ward. "They were all we ever talked about. Nearly all of us had Deryck pictures under our pillows. The nurse almost banned any mention of him!" Even though Emma is only joking, I personally think that would have been a pretty good idea.
"The craze before the guys started rolling in was Alanis Morissette," adds Lissa Green, a bulimic only recently out and still in daily counselling, "and then when Tommy and Leo [Stevenson, a patient who is still in the ward] turned up it was all Silverchair-like. Then James came and it was Deryck, Deryck, Deryck. If we were allowed, we would have had Deryck wallpaper. Daniel Johns was a much healthier ideal, even though he was really anorexic and much thinner than Deryck." |
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"If we were allowed, we would have had Deryck wallpaper" - Lissa Green, recovering bulimic |
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So what does the future hold for Sum 41 fans with eating disorders? "Deryck - no," says Kate, "just no. He's a musician, and not a very good one at that, and he should be no more than that to anyone. If you're going to idolise a pop-punk band member, pick the big guy from Bowling For Soup instead."
"No way, he'd put me off food forever!" says Emma, laughing. "I don't want to be him!"
"OK, that was a bad idea," replies Kate, also laughing. "But you get what I mean. We need more fat acceptance in the world. I'm sick of seeing thin superstars everywhere." |
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Silverchair's Daniel - a healthier ideal? |
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In conclusion - it's a unanimous agreement that we should be seeing less of Deryck Whibley and more of, ahem, Bowling For Soup. This interview has left me with an afterthought - is Whibley truly an anorectic? Or is he just .... wibbly? Goodnight people. |
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"We need more fat acceptance in the world. I'm sick of seeing thin superstars everywhere." - Kate Edinborough, relative of deceased anorectic |
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[email protected] // page 2 : Sum 41 - The Lyrics |
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