After a night of partying, the only thing worse than a hangover is a pounding case of regret to keep it company. Unfortunately Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley has woken up to the insufferable couple more times than he’d care to recall.
While a headache and peaked feeling usually vanish with some aspirin and rest, embarrassment lasts a lot longer. And it’s that “what the hell was I thinking?” feeling that inspired Sum 41’s next single, “Over My Head (Better Off Dead).”
“It’s [about] regretting something you said, usually the night before,” Whibley said. “Like, a lot of times, I wake up and I think, ‘What did I do last night?’ Then I’m like f–… better off dead.
“[It’s] not like I got into a fight or anything. [I just] got drunk and did something stupid – better off dead than [having] this embarrassment.”
The bouncy, metal-tinged single will follow “Still Waiting” and “The Hellsong,” both from Sum 41’s second album, Does This Look Infected?, though when it’s expected to surface at radio is still being decided, according to an Island Def Jam spokesperson.
An “Over My Head” video, assembled from a concert at London’s Wembley Arena in February, coupled with the band’s own home video footage, has been posted on their Web site, www.sum41.com, and is intended for international use.
Whibley’s boyish features are misleading. With his trademark spikes combed flat and a proper pair of slacks, he can pass for a well-mannered schoolboy. The band’s notorious penchant for partying, however, makes for a drastically different image.
Besides a wake of smashed-up hotel rooms, the bandmembers have vomited on fellow artists and last year were thrown out of a hip New York dive bar after Whibley began destroying the bathroom when he couldn’t find the lock. Just prior to that he took his pants down in the bar while drummer Steve Jocz gave Avril Lavigne a wedgie.
Jocz doesn’t mind Whibley’s tendency to drink irresponsibly, probably because he’s often right there with him, though he will acknowledge his singer’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” persona.
“He turns into a completely different person,” the drummer said. “He goes from being reserved and quiet to being completely out of control. It’s like baby-sitting a 2-year-old. But then the next morning he wakes up and feels like an idiot.
“I’m usually with him doing it, so I think it’s just funny…. I wish he’d do it more often, to be honest.”
Plans for a U.S.-based “Over My Head” clip have yet to be finalized, the spokesperson said.
Sum 41 Tour Dates, According To The Island Def Jam Music Group:
- 6/21 – Toronto, ON – Toronto Skydome
- 6/24 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance
- 6/25 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
- 6/27 – Saint Ephrem, QC – Woodstock En Beauce
- 6/28 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
- 6/29 – Tinley Park, IL – Tweeter Center
- 6/30 – Winnipeg, MB – Grand Beach Entertainment Center
- 7/5 – Windsor, ON – Freedom Festival – Waterfront Park
- 7/7 – Ottawa, ON – Festival Plaza
- 7/8 – Pomona, CA – Fairplex
- 7/9 – Ventura, CA – Seaside Park
- 7/10 – Chula Vista, CA – Coors Amphitheatre
- 7/11 – Long Beach, CA – California State University
- 7/12 – San Francisco, CA – Pier 30 / 32
- 7/13 – Marysville, CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre
- 7/15 – Peoria, AZ – Peoria Sports Complex
- 7/17 – Sarnia, ON – Centennial Park
- 7/26 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Field
