Happy Mondays Interview

What better way to start the day than a quick catch up with Shaun Ryder, the main man and vocalist behind the band that changed music throughout the 90s and still remains iconic to this very day. BBM Towers were alive with excitement upon announcement that the band were to reform back to the original line up and they were going to once again perform on tour, not their home of ‘Madchester’, UK – but across Australia. Fusing Rock, House, Northern Soul and also adding a touch of Funk, it is time for us to once again embrace the Happy Mondays.

Good morning Shaun, how you doing?
I’m good thanks Frankie, how are you?

All good thanks. Did you have a good weekend?
Yeah thanks, a very chilled one and a lot of family time.

How has this year been for you as artists?
Yeah this year has been great, no complaints at all. As far as the Mondays are concerned it has been spot on.

How has the reformed band changed? Are things a lot different now to the past days of the Happy Mondays?
Well, I guess we took time away from the Mondays for a long time, and so to get everyone back together has been mega enjoyable. To get the family together has been a blast and we have all grown up and are now looking forward to the tour.

Do you have an all time influential artist?
No not really, my favourite band is the Rolling Stones. I’ve ripped off everybody across the board really as all musicians and writers do where we take a bit of everything and make it our own.

So then Shaun, as the Happy Mondays music is still played in clubs today, what is your all time classic club album?
I’m 50 years old now to be honest mate, and when I’m at home I prefer to listen to some Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. I’ve got kids now who love their Urban music and so I just like to shut the doors and leave that music to them.

What’s your personal opinion on music of this era?
My kids love it, I’ve got kids from the ages of 3 years to 20 something and so I can’t slag it off because they love it. You know what, there is some crap out at the moment with their horrible hard beats (he sings) and that was the worst part of it 25 years ago and it’s the same now.

Is this the first time you have all come together to tour Australia?
I have been to Australia to play there with the different Mondays but yes, it is the first time as the original line up which is exciting.

What do you think will be the highlight of the tour?
The whole show is going to be a highlight for us. We always get such a top crowd wherever we go.

We have heard there might be another album in the pipeline with the original band, is this true? Why now and not ten years ago?
The last Monday’s album was 2005 and we haven’t done one yet as I am so busy. Eventually I’m hoping there will be a new album but we just don’t know when just yet.

Can you tell me about a moment on stage when things went a little bit wrong or a little bit Pete Tong?
What, when things weren’t going to plan? Well Frankie I would probably say the whole of the 90s! (Laughing) It always went wrong with all of us at some point, we spent eight years trying to make it and then when we got there it just kind of fell to bits. In 1993 when we made that album, we just felt a bit stuck after that. At one point we even had a stage collapse on us in Spain. I should seriously be dead really, the whole thing fell apart. We had been on stage in a bullring for about 20 seconds when the whole thing collapsed and we lost all of our equipment but luckily we were all ok.

So for the next few years what we can expect from the Happy Mondays?
This Mondays gig is going to be travelling all over the world for the next three years. It has been 18 years at least since we were all properly on stage together. Then the minute we all got back in the same room it lit up and I guess we were just a bunch of kids that broke up and we have come back as men.

So it isn’t long until the tour kicks off, what’s happening in the lead up to the May dates?
All I know is, I have to get myself packed and off to Italy, then around some places in Europe and then home. This is when we will get ready for the big Australia tour and I have to leave Salford where I am based.

Thanks so much for your time Shaun.
Thanks Frankie.

By Frankie Salt

Check out the Happy Mondays Australian tour dates in May here