Sue's Private Celebrity Goss: Sum 41 Size Up Coldplay In Musical March Madness

Friday, March 25, 2011

Sum 41 Size Up Coldplay In Musical March Madness

After handling Arcade Fire, Deryck Whibley has eyes on Sweet 16.
By James Montgomery

Sum 41's Deryck Whibley
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty

No band has shaken up the 2011 Musical March Madness tournament quite like Sum 41, the Canadian punk quartet that entered the fray as a lowly #16 seed, then proceeded to run roughshod over heavily favored #1 Arcade Fire in the tourney's opening round.

Now, it's on to the second round, where Sum faces the unenviable task of taking down another titan: 8th-seeded Coldplay. And with voting now open in the matchup, MTV News decided to ask Sum frontman Deryck Whibley what he thinks about his band's chances. Can they shock the world once again and earn a berth in the Sweet 16? Turns out, even he's not sure — mostly because he hasn't been paying much attention.

Vote in the Sum 41/Coldplay matchup — and other second-round battles — right now on the Newsroom blog!

"Coldplay? I like those guys. I like them better than us. I hope they win because they're good," Whibley said. "I don't really care about sports. Our bass player, Cone, is really into it. I just found out what March Madness was, literally a couple days ago; I'd never even heard that term before."

Not exactly the talk of a band primed for a championship run. But still, with a legion of fanatics behind them, it wouldn't be a shock to see Sum 41 pull the upset in round two and advance to the Sweet 16. And to that end, even Whibley will admit he's not surprised by Sum's MMM success: He didn't think his band was the underdogs against Arcade Fire in the first round.

"I keep hearing that band's name. I've never heard a single note from them," he said, laughing. "I don't know what they are. I keep hearing they're, like, the coolest band since the Strokes, but I don't know."

And it's not like Whibley is throwing in the towel against Coldplay, either — "I mean, if we won, that would be great," he said — and really, however far they go in the tournament is up to you. Voting is now open on the Newsroom blog, and perhaps Sum's fans can guide them to the most unlikely championship in MMM history — not to mention the very fancy trophy.

Whibley said he would put the trophy "with the rest," laughing. "It may end up in the pool, you never know. I don't know, I don't have any plans ... mostly because I don't plan on winning it!"

MTV's Musical March Madness has moved on to the second round! Voting is now open and will continue until Sunday, when we'll reach the Sweet 16! All winners are determined by your votes. If your favorite act is still alive, it's up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM — but get ready, things only get tougher from here on out!

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