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Sum 41: Shut Up, Don’t Sing

4/25/07, 1:45 pm EST

The snot-nosed punks of Sum 41 aren’t the first Canadian artists to pick a fight with the president — that honor belongs to Neil Young. But we’re pretty sure they’re the first to threaten the Commander In Chief’s life on a single. On Sum’s new “March of the Dogs,” frontman Deryck Whibley sings, “And now the president’s dead/ Because they blew off his head/ No more neck to be red/ I guess to heaven he fled.”

While calling out the President takes some balls — we’re sure Avril doesn’t want her husband interred indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay — Whibley almost immediately undid whatever bad-ass points he might’ve racked up for the stunt: When MTV asked Whibley to explain the lyrics, he waxed poetic, saying that they’re just a “metaphor for how Bush is so ineffectual and incompetent as a president.” It’s entirely possible that Whibley doesn’t actually know what a metaphor is, because the rest of the lyrics seem fairly straight-forward: “It may be I’m a pessimist/ But I say we need an exorcist, / The root of all evil standing tall, /Under god and above us all,” the song goes on to say.

Here’s the thing, Whibley: When you critique the President, call him “gay,” call for an exorcism, and then discuss his death, you aren’t constructing a metaphor. You’re using a different literary device: Rhetoric to incite violence. Punks pushing the envelope aren’t new (the Sex Pistols got in trouble for calling the British crown a “fascist regime”), but backing off your lyrics is weak. You’re supposed to be punk, so act like it.

What does this anti-Bush rant, metaphorical or otherwise, mean for Sum 41? We talked to a spokesperson for the house minority leader yesterday, who called the song “inflammatory and assinine” — perhaps best review Sum 41’s ever gotten. Could the Canadian rockers get deported? Hey, it’s happened before. Mr. Cat Stevens got shipped off to the U.K. when he tried to enter the United States in 2004. We’re all for free speech, but we wouldn’t be all that sad to see Whibley and his cohorts go.


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Comments

Marie | 10/29/2008, 6:57 pm EST

so fuck you Moieruoidsuf Shithead. deryck and sum 41 never said they were punk. and how the hell do you know they didn’t actually mean the lyrics to be the way he said they were? this article sucks just like you. go back to fucking iraq. they should deport you with a ridiculous name like that. and i forget who said it but it’s true: sum 41 has more talent in one of their pinkie fingers than you have in your whole body. stop trying to put bands down and get lost. no one wants to here it.

vexzsjdt qhdxmgr | 10/22/2008, 4:01 am EST

ldmcqsh zqhjsg vylws ivyptwo ocbwgys ndgvw swvgtyrjm

Jen | 6/3/2008, 8:12 am EST

If Sum 41 are so good, why has Deryck Whibley ripped off Yellowcard? Listen to Con Me, then Only One. They’re the same song.
Guess the guys lazy, rude, and been taking “song writing” (aka plagarism tips) from his wife. What a pair of talentless waster, vapid, lame and lazy. Perfect for each other eh?

earshot | 5/24/2008, 3:30 pm EST

earshot

earshot | 5/24/2008, 3:30 pm EST

earshot

blodulv | 5/23/2008, 11:54 pm EST

blodulv

blodulv | 5/23/2008, 11:54 pm EST

blodulv

ultram | 5/18/2008, 11:29 pm EST

ultram

ultram | 5/18/2008, 11:29 pm EST

ultram

ultram | 5/18/2008, 11:29 pm EST

ultram

teeny | 5/16/2008, 12:05 am EST

teeny

Sum 41 ROCK!!!! | 4/12/2008, 6:33 am EST

What the hell is this! An anti - sum 41 page? Deryck has more talent in his little finger than all of you idiots put together! If you can do better than sum 41 (which you can’t) then dont slag them off! And to be honest I don’t care if they are punk or they aren’t!!! They produce good songs and good music! Who cares about what the lyrics say, even though most of them are true!!!

corporate marketed shit | 2/23/2008, 5:45 pm EST

sum 41 has always been a band made up of unoriginal, untalented, whiners.

and the whole ‘anti bush’ thing, i’m very against our presidents leadership…but when you have sappy pop acts like Maroon 5, good charlotte, and sum 41 singing ‘anti bush’ songs….then you gotta laugh.

i’ve said this before and i’ll say it again….

i hate my generation.

the fact that we are sucked in to shitty false whiney bands like sum 41 just sickens me.

so just a message to sum 41…..

shut up…don’t play

bpwku ivwbqoz | 11/4/2007, 4:30 pm EST

dmhynp fhlue gphtxavm hutak ituamo xearbiy oxphuaye

nymphet | 10/28/2007, 2:13 am EST

year i am nymphet

nymphet | 10/28/2007, 2:13 am EST

year i am nymphet

gothminister | 10/23/2007, 12:20 pm EST

Gothminister

deranged | 10/18/2007, 7:17 pm EST

lunikoff street here

trance | 10/12/2007, 6:58 pm EST

Progressive-Trance trance

soma | 10/7/2007, 8:38 pm EST

soma

soma | 10/7/2007, 8:37 pm EST

soma

Hope | 10/5/2007, 7:33 pm EST

Bush is a dip shit.
Sum41 is kick ass.
He is not helping this contry.
He is an ass hole.
I hate him. Bush is a stupid hill billy who doesnt know shit.
Deryck on the other hand is the best thing EVER!
You guys suck balls whoever thinks otherwise.
DIE!
=]

Lynzee. | 9/25/2007, 5:34 pm EST

Ok. who gives a fuck about “punk” did they say they were “sooo punk” for doing this. they do what ever the fuck they want there are MANY MANY bands that talk shit about bush even artist! kanye west did. BUT WE KNOW ITS TRUE. BUSH IS A DIPSHIT WHO IS ALSO A RACIST BASTERD. THIS ARTICLE IS BULLSHIT.

sl;dfaf | 9/8/2007, 11:50 pm EST

Wow who ever wrote this article is the biggest idiot ever.
Its called artistic talent. Its something that most artists do to start a rouse, and get people to buy their albums while express their beliefs. And guess what dumb ass u fell for it by making them more popular by writing this article.
Also I doubt he was trying to be a “bad-ass”, im pretty sure that he was just trying to get a point out.

Sum 41 kicks ass, stop bitching up a storm over lyrics that don’t effect you, think before you write articles, and shut up and don’t write ever again.

Gordon | 9/8/2007, 12:11 pm EST

I wanted to thank you for the time you spent building this page.0

1234 | 9/4/2007, 5:12 am EST

sum 41 are at their best ever and why go bagging about one song and saying their gunna kill bush

go suck a dick u idiots who think this!!

f | 8/12/2007, 1:49 pm EST

fff

f | 8/12/2007, 1:48 pm EST

fff

umn | 7/24/2007, 10:26 pm EST

first comment = stupid. ‘death of a president’ wasnt produced by americans.

but anyways.. political unrest and hatred of the presidency is always welcome.. however, sum41’s attempt is just trite and borish.

par | 6/3/2007, 8:08 am EST

Hey if the guy who wrote this isnt too punked up his own arse to get the facts right, he should go to www.myspace.com/sum41 and read the blog explaining the song.

Me | 5/7/2007, 8:54 pm EST

awesome story! I love seeing purveyors of free speech come down on someone exercising their own rights. Perhaps my most favourite quote is this one: “Could the Canadian rockers get deported?”
From where? the US? I am 100% sure they are Canadian, so, if you wanted to waste more time, you should see about making that happen. Or, you could see about having your president impeached so the rest of the world doesn’t have to find ‘metaphors’ to tell you how to do your job as a US citizen.

me | 5/4/2007, 8:33 pm EST

come on deryck isnt like that. whats the point of having freedom of speech if all the americans do when we use it, is threaten or kill that person. if we got rid of it no more problems.

Andy | 5/4/2007, 3:18 pm EST

Hey Mordechai,

Deryck has posted a response to your vagrant blog about him where you attack him without knowing the facts. You should check out their myspace and read his side of the story…since you wern’t good enough of a journalist to find out the facts first.

Terabanitoss | 5/3/2007, 10:50 am EST

Hello
You are The Best!!!
G’night

Michelle | 5/3/2007, 8:25 am EST

Oh and to add something. There has been other songs like ‘Moron’ they have made against him, and their’s a few albums all about hating Bush.

Michelle | 5/3/2007, 8:22 am EST

Okay….so freaking what?

It’s a song, it’s a good song, and it doesn’t matter if he’s from Canada or not.
The Dixie Chicks are from Texas, and one of them said something bad about Bush and they went all anti-dixie Chicks and broke all of their CDs and crap. I thought that was immature. So Sum 41 can be damned glad that so many people aren’t as stupid right now. But Bush, I hate him, and I wished Deryck would do what he says in the song, but I don’t give a crap. And everyone who’s like “oh well it’s nothing like their first one” well NO FRIGGIN DUh!

zentropa | 4/30/2007, 3:32 pm EST

Georgie should send some of the boys to canada to give whibley the old Irish Kneecap.Americans-in for the penny, in for the pound.

pflo | 4/27/2007, 12:26 am EST

the song is crap.They needed controversial lyrics to get some attention. Nothing like their first album.They are done.

MOATD | 4/26/2007, 10:51 pm EST

by the way horrible photoshop job up there

MOATD | 4/26/2007, 10:50 pm EST

first of all, props to whibley.
second, its a song, its not like deryck wrote a death threat.
third, being canadian i support sum41, i GUARANTEE if this was an american band , Mordechai Shinefield chick or dude (cant tell by the name) or anyone else would probally look past it, u guys are just looking for reasons to insult canadians.
example, ever heard of the band antiflag? their logo is the american flag upside down(at their concerts), which is disrespect for THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. hmm rant about (NOT ABOOT) them? noo! Their from Pittsburgh, PA. u guys need better storys than lets rip on the Canadians again.

Mordy | 4/26/2007, 4:01 pm EST

smileyplus,

If I felt that Sum 41 meant what they said, or if they had at least not backed off their comments, I’d agree with you. But in light of their “wussing” out, I can’t believe you’re defending them as punk. Real Punks Don’t Wuss Out.

smileyplus | 4/26/2007, 7:53 am EST

At least the audience have a choice as to what they do in regards to the matter. Unlike some soliders blindly walking to a premature death. And also isnt violence being used for a gain in Iraq? If an artist implies violent acts they get deported outta the country, but when the president blatently uses violence for commercial gain, or family vengence they shldnt be opposed by snot-nosed punks? Sorry, i only have a harrah for sum 41, and hope they will continue rattling the cages. Otherwise we had all just live in a communist state and become yes men/women. But, hey thats just me.

Colbert '08 | 4/26/2007, 7:39 am EST

Sum 41 = not punk

Punk_Is_Dead | 4/26/2007, 5:17 am EST

Right on! Love how the thought he was using a “metaphor.” This is all rhetoric. Unfortunately it’s using Sophistic rhetoric which uses language as a drug to either pursuade or incite action out of the audience; therefore it it is not a noble cause because it is purely for the gain. If you’re looking for poetic metaphor, look in Nirvana’s “Polly.” Great stuff.

smileyplus | 4/26/2007, 1:49 am EST

The essence of punk is in its ideals and anarchy. Its what seperates the punk genre from everything else. And Although Sum 41 may not be as gifted lyricists as Oscar Hammerstein, or Richard Rodgers, none-the-less they are out there making songs they believe in, knowing all too well it will be benched in just about every radio staion in the world. However they continue to do so, and they do it all without comprimising their values. So when they are out there singin against a man that is sending your country bankrupt, and killing your fellow man, if Mr Mordechai Shinefield, you had any backbone you would be supporting their bash of bush. Istead you would rather compel them to ’shut up, dont sing’ So Mr Shinefield, from Australia here is my serving of punk pie to you. ‘SHUT UP, DONT WRITE’!!!!!
PUNK IS NOT DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

melissa | 4/25/2007, 7:36 pm EST

wtf? NIN can come out with Year Zero every one praises it. But when SUM 41 just blatantly says the same thing its wrong?????

Drake | 4/25/2007, 6:48 pm EST

I say who cares what the song says. Freedom of speach and all that. Sing what you want to sing and to hell with anyone who’s feelings might get hurt, they don’t have to listen.

Oddjob | 4/25/2007, 2:13 pm EST

Sum 41 has always made the kind of unoriginal music that has no real reason to exist, other than to give you something to tap your feet and maybe snap your fingers to, and jumping on the Bush-bashing bandwagon isn’t going to change any of that.

I am totally dissatisfied with our president’s performance, but when you have bands like Sum 41 and Maroon 5 singing “anti-Bush” songs it just seems really inorganic and awkward. I don’t mean this from a political perspective, but an artistic one.

Jake | 4/25/2007, 2:10 pm EST

Good job, Sum 41. Didn’t expect that.

Scott P | 4/25/2007, 1:53 pm EST

Last I heard, they haven’t deported the director of the movie “Death of a President,” so I don’t think Deryck has to worry.

Now cue all the right wingers whining about how he should shut up and sing and go back to France…

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