did anyone see that BBC3 documentary on Shaun Ryder last night??

now there's an advert for not taking drugs! well to excess anyhow

not so many Happy Mondays for him these days

He was living here in Perth for six months last year while recording an album. His cousin is the manager of a radio station here.

He was a familiar sight around town for a while and you're correct, he's the best advert you'll ever see for not taking drugs!

and Bez releas(ed)ing a single??! - all he ever did before was dance!!
fair play to the pair of them though - used to luv the Mondays

how did/is his album doing?? not sure when that documentary was recorded

The album is called Amateur Night In The Big Top. It was recorded in his cousin's garage in Perth. Basically it's just a collection of beats with Shaun mumbling his "poetry" over the top. Musically it's OK-ish, but he's definitely the weak link on the album.

There is a Sheffield connection on the album, as it happens. Stephen Mallinder who used to be in Sheffield's Cabaret Voltaire, now lives in Perth and works at the same radio station as Pete Carroll (Shaun Ryder's cousin).

Mallinder is credited with co-writing and co-producing some tracks on the album.

It's great to hear Mallinder on the radio. He's still got a strong Sheffield accent and it sounds so familiar (yet so strange) on the airwaves in Australia

yea i can't imagine it being very sellable - Black Grape never took off and he can hardly talk now and well he could hardly ever sing could he but there again that wasn't the point of most of the indie bands of the late 80's - was more of the time kinda thing

seems like the inspiral carpets are alive and kicking and the stone roses have been well documented but what ever happened to;

the farm
charlatans
the pixies
spaceman 3
james

hmmm who else was there....?

I knew about the filming of the documentary and was keen to see the finished result if only to see Fliss and Jo. I have to say I am absolutely disgusted. I do not know how Felicia came across to others watching but she is not the person I knew.

I think the hardest thing for me to believe was that Fliss is my age and is with Shaun??? The mind just won't comprehend that...

Moon

Originally posted by Moon Maiden
I do not know how Felicia came across to others watching but she is not the person I knew.

Moon

you knew her then - where from? have to agree a bit of a mis-match but it is shaun ryder after all!

I went to college with Felicia and then dated her older brother for over 4/5 years - we had a little boy to which she is obviously aunty and now shaun uncle

Moon

blimey

you ever get to see them??

rarely - I split up with her brother some time ago. We are all now on happy terms (even with my ex mother-in-law) but Fliss sounds as if she is very much planted with Shaun.

I don't really know how to elaborate further without getting into family politics.

I was shocked to see her with her own son because I remember quite fondly and strangely (being that she is a friend) how she used to be with my son and his cousins, it isn't the same.

Moon Maiden

well wasn't expecting to get a reply from someone who knows them as personally as you - small world!

the saying goes that just about everybody is 3 people away from knowing everyone else in the world (or something like that) i.e you know someone who knows someone who etc etc

for e.g my X went to school with victoria beckham who 'knows' nelson mandella who knows the queen etc!!

erm i once built a brick fireplace for Sid Little when i lived in Torquay!

There was a knowing famous people thread somehwere Bedhead.

to get back to the documentary - I was also a bit shocked to see an elderly bez stomping around the Peaks for a video :o

The program just didn't gel in my head, it was very surreal.

Moon

Originally posted by Bedhead
yea i can't imagine it being very sellable - Black Grape never took off and he can hardly talk now and well he could hardly ever sing could he but there again that wasn't the point of most of the indie bands of the late 80's - was more of the time kinda thing

seems like the inspiral carpets are alive and kicking and the stone roses have been well documented but what ever happened to;

the farm
charlatans
the pixies
spaceman 3
james

hmmm who else was there....?

The album is not selling at all in Australia. But I would imagine his few remaining fans are in the UK.

Did you see the film "24 Hour Party People"? It tells the Factory Records' story brilliantly.

Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge) plays Tony Wilson the head of Factory and other well-known actors play the band members from Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays etc.

Shaun and his brother Paul come across like the doped-up, dead-sh!its they are/were (poisoning pigeons for a laugh etc). But it's riveting stuff all the same.

Peter Kay plays the bloke who owns the pub where the first Factory nightclub was located (before the Hacienda) .

It's well worth seeing if you're into the Madchester scene. I'm not particularly into it, but I still really enjoyed the film. It's been out for ages on DVD and is probably a weekly by now

actually i haven't seen the film - i really should though

Joy Division - now yer talking 'love will tear us apart' one of my fav tunes of all time
why the f**k haven't i seen that film!

i never made it to the Hacienda - lived in torquay - used to go london astoria, shoom etc instead

anybody ever goto the hacienda from the forum??

I used to go to Manchester Uni and regulary headed for the Hacienda on weekend. My claim to fame is having Barney (Joy Division/New Order) leaning over to me with the biggest f##kin splif i have seen asking "Got a light mate?" he held my hand steady as i lit it cos it was shakin!!

It was great to see The Inspiral Carpets playing in boozers (no i'm not gonna start harpin on saying "I was into them before they were famous") to be honest i thought they were crap until they brought out 'Joe' i saw them a few times in big venues (Octagon, G-mex, Apollo) and they were class. I caught them twice on their greatest hits tour last year and saw Tom Hingley at the Casbar last June.

Great days...............:P

Johnjo - good good stuff fella

i bumped into Bez down in exeter once in a bar - sound geezer but we weren't exactly innundated with peeps from the scene then

did used to know the Shamen before they had commercial success mind - they used to live in a flat in camden - my mate knew them more than me but that was cool meeting them - although they were relative unknowns at the time

Originally posted by Bedhead
charlatans
the pixies
spaceman 3
james
The Charlatans are still around though Tim Burgess is playing solo for a while right now, dunno why.
The Pixies, if its the fantastic band i think your talking about, are 9,000,000 miles away from "Madchester", but they split up in the early 90's and have just reformed.
Spaceman 3 are now under the name 'Spiritualised' although i'm not sure if its the exact line-up, and i hate James. :)

Chris.

was talking about the era itself i guess not just madchester - and i agree the pixies were class