“So Shaun, do you remember much about the glory days of the Happy Mondays?” we asked, hoping he’d have fond memories of some of the Monday’s Irish gigs such as Féile ‘91 and even Slane ‘99.
“I’m the worst person to ask about the 1990’s,” he replies. “I remember the 1960’s better than the 90’s and I were only seven then.”
He’ll remember the 2000’s though. Well, most of them. Now clean living, sober and happy, with years of rock n roll excess behind him, the legendary Happy Mondays singer opened up to Anton about how ‘the glory years’ went by “in the click of a finger” and how - inside his head – he’s only 31 years of age (he’s 53).
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The Happy Mondays are back in Ireland in December to celebrate the 25th anniversary (yes, we can't believe it's been 25 years either) of their seminal album ‘Pills ‘n’ Thrills & Bellyaches’. The classic original line up will be performing the seminal album in full, with dozens of their greatest hits over two nights in Dublin’s Vicar Street on December 10 and 11.
Shaun told Anton he loves gigging again, and the reformed Mondays (Shaun, his brother Paul ‘Horse’ Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, drummer Gary Whelan and of course, dancer/percussionist Mark "Bez" Berry and vocalist Rowetta) are sounding better than ever now that they are enjoying each others company with the benefit of, er, maturity.
He tells Anton about life away from the stage, how he is “a better dad this time around”, how he reckons UFO’s exist how Bez is still mad and how his bees recently escaped recently, stinging hundreds of Manchester shoppers.
And, of course, he had to mention his second life as one of the most engaging television personalities around, a rebirth that started when he appeared on – and nearly won – I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! It gave the new sober, clean family-man Shaun a whole new audience, and career, and Shaun was happy to bring the Happy Mondays with him, and they have made dozens of great TV shows together, including Ghost Hunters, Singing in the Rainforest, Shaun Ryder on UFO's and next year, an official Happy Mondays movie!
This Christmas, on December 28, Shaun and Bez will appear in a Celebrity Storage Hunters Special on ‘Dave’ and Shaun gave us a sneak preview of what he and Bez bought – guns and hardware. Oh yeah... It’s great when you’re straight!
