Twisting My Melon
Shaun Ryder
Twisting My Melon
As lead singer of the Happy Mondays, Shaun Ryder turned Manchester into Madchester, combining all the excesses of a true rock'n'roll star with music and lyrics that led impresario Tony Wilson to describe him as 'the greatest poet since Yeats'. The young scally who left school at fifteen without ever learning his alphabet had come a very long way indeed. Huge chart success and a Glastonbury headline slot followed, plus numerous arrests and world tours — then Shaun's drug addiction reached its height, Factory Records was brought to its knees and the Mondays split. But was this the end for Shaun Ryder? Not by a long shot. Two years later he was back with new band Black Grape, and their groundbreaking debut album topped the charts in possibly the greatest comeback of all time. Even his continuing struggle with drugs did not stem the tide of critically acclaimed tracks and collaborations as he went on to prove his musical genius time and again. And then there was the jungle...
3.7 out of 5 based on 3 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Biography, Music, Stage & Screen |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
368 |
| RRP |
£18.99 |
| Date of Publication |
September 2011 |
| ISBN |
978-0593068274 |
| Publisher |
Bantam Press |
| |
As lead singer of the Happy Mondays, Shaun Ryder turned Manchester into Madchester, combining all the excesses of a true rock'n'roll star with music and lyrics that led impresario Tony Wilson to describe him as 'the greatest poet since Yeats'. The young scally who left school at fifteen without ever learning his alphabet had come a very long way indeed. Huge chart success and a Glastonbury headline slot followed, plus numerous arrests and world tours — then Shaun's drug addiction reached its height, Factory Records was brought to its knees and the Mondays split. But was this the end for Shaun Ryder? Not by a long shot. Two years later he was back with new band Black Grape, and their groundbreaking debut album topped the charts in possibly the greatest comeback of all time. Even his continuing struggle with drugs did not stem the tide of critically acclaimed tracks and collaborations as he went on to prove his musical genius time and again. And then there was the jungle...
Reviews
The Sunday Times
Camilla Long
"He is an execrable human being, and his autobiography is brilliant … Clearly, there is no place for introspection. And yet, the fact he is so lacking in self-awareness is the book’s greatest triumph. The result is a seamless, authentic, exhilarating read, without a single slack paragraph. I inhaled it like WD40 round the back of Lidl."
18/09/2011
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The Independent on Sunday
Steve Jelbert
"Berating Gillian McKeith for "having an attitude and lacking manners" made Ryder a national hero. That he even noticed must count as redemption, although few will read this highly entertaining, effortlessly egotistical tome for moral elevation."
18/09/2011
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The Observer
Kitty Empire
"The best thing about the book is its unstinting candour … But unlike most musicians' autobiographies, there aren't enough passages here about Ryder's love for music. Regrettably, too, you only get fleeting glimpses of the surreal poetics that made Ryder the dissolute bard of baggy. But then, Ryder's gift probably isn't the kind that lends itself to the cold light of anything."
09/10/2011
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