Shaun Ryder, the man once labelled by Tony Wilson as the greatest poet since W.B. Yeats, is touring with Black Grape this month. He chats to Oliver Howells.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing troubling about spending the evening with your feet up and watching telly. Or being a fan of Ed Sheeran and taking your kids to the park. But who’s this imposter? ‘Cos it certainly doesn’t sound like Shaun Ryder!
Madchester figurehead, advocate for audaciousness, poet with aplomb: Ryder is, and has been, many things, but an Ed Sheeran fan! Really?
Back on the road with their latest album, Pop Voodoo, Black Grape – Shaun and his bandmate Paul ‘Kermit’ Leveridge – are embarking on a mini-tour, playing Cardiff’s Tramshed along the way. And according to Shaun, it’s better than ever. “It’s great! We’re enjoying it more. We’re no longer on that treadmill.”
Twenty years since their last album, Stupid Stupid Stupid, Black Grape are back, though this time moving at a relaxed tempo. “It’s a lot more chilled. We take the pace 50-year-old blokes should be taking,” he says, telling me he needs a hip replacement when he’s back from his gig in Australia. He pauses, laughing at his age-related fragility.
As for the wild living? “The sex and drugs have gone. It’s just the rock’n’roll! I can deal with myself, I’m right with myself. I appreciate it more. I decided it was time to grow up when I hit my 40s.”
Growing up was a good idea too since many in his shoes have met their maker early. Speaking of such, what would he say to God if he met him? “I’d say, ‘Thanks mate, nice one for looking after me!’” After all, when it comes to how his life’s turned out, he’s been fortunate. “My pals are doing 21 years in jail. I’ve been very, very lucky!”
Brought up as a Catholic in Salford in the 1970s, where many were from Irish decent, Ryder’s got a few things to say about religion too. “God is great, but religion just divides people. Catholics and Protestants. Sunnis and Shiites. Same values both in the home and culturally and yet [they’re] fighting each other. It’s ridiculous and has gone on for years. The mentality of it’s just insane!”
With the former troubles and divisions in Ireland, Shaun says he’d witnessed the repercussions first-hand. “Mums and dads would drop their kids off at school with black eyes and all sorts,” he says, appalled by it all.
Since the song Everything You Know Is Wrong on their Black Grape’s album addresses the politics of today, I can’t help but dig a little deeper about his political leanings. He’s Labour, he says, though only recently voted for the first time out of concern for his kids and the wealthy paying their fair share. “It’s right they pay more tax. We’re talking billionaires. Amazon pay absolutely nothing.” Vouching for the underdog, he says it’s the ordinary people that inspire him. “Firemen. Doctors. Nurses. People who work their fucking dicks off!”
As for those who impress him musically, I’m surprised to hear him say Ed Sheeran. “I think he’s brilliant. The stuff he’s written in a short space of time – incredibly brilliant pop songs. That’s phenomenal! Then there’s those American kids – Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande. They write all their own stuff as well as act. It’s the full Sammy Davis Jnr and Dean Martin trip all over again.”
At the end of our interview, it’s time for a curveball – what’s his favourite flavoured fudge?
“Fudge?” he asks, incredulously. “Well… errr… I’ve only had one flavoured fudge – normal fudge flavour. But if there’s any more flavours please send them to me!” Suddenly Shaun’s on one. “I like anything that’s salted caramel. And there’s that chocolate bar that’s got all these jelly bits and toffees in it. What’s it called?”
Cadbury’s Marvellous Creations?
“Oh man! The ice cream version’s out of this world! I could easily sit and eat three to four tubs of that in once session. It’s the best!”
When you’ve lived the kind of life Shaun Ryder has, you’ve earned the right for ice cream with jelly bits in to be your hedonistic zenith.
Black Grape, Tramshed, Cardiff, Fri 15 Mar. Tickets: £29. Info: 029 2023 5555 / www.tramshedcardiff.com