Music legend 'not expecting honour' from Andy Burnham as he makes outrageous joke about PM

With the King of the North on his throne in Albert Square, weve officially entered the Age of Manchester. And who better to elaborate than the citys original High Priest, Shaun Ryder from the Happy Mondays?

Only as Shaun is quick to stress the Mondays are actually from Salford. Which is not Manchester. Here Meg Jorsh drags him out of bed for a chat about his latest shenanigans

When asked about Andy Burnham, Shaun Ryders first response is to make a joke so outrageous, its absolutely unprintable. In fact, it nearly gave the Daily Star Sundays legal department a heart attack.

Im joking! Im joking, he laughs. I like Andy, Andys great. Hes a nice bloke. As far as politicians go, I think you get a pretty straight answer out of him.

What you wont get from us is a straight answer about what Shaun said. He may have implied the new Prime Minister owed him money following a transaction, which he later confirmed Mr Burnham most certainly does not.

And with that kind of cheeky sense of humour, is it any wonder the Madchester icon isnt hoping to make Andys honours list? Hes been a vocal supporter of the Labour leader for years. But as he points out, theyre not even from the same city.

Im actually Salford, he says. Were Salfordians, our band. Back when we first started in the early 80s, it had to be Manchester because most people didnt know Salford. But now weve got MediaCity you can say were Salford and people know now.

Hes talking about the broadcasting hub, opened in 2011, thats home to the BBC and ITVs northern operations. Its interesting to think about, following the launch of No.10 North in central Manchester.

Not that Shaun spends a lot of time pondering local politics. When he answers the phone at 2pm on a Tuesday, he admits hes only just got out of bed.

Sorry, I'm still waking up, he says. Ive just got back from Ireland. We had a Black Grape show it was great, really good.

In fact, the 64-year-old seems busier than ever. This year hes flitting from Mondays gigs to shows with Black Grape, their dancier side project, and even a speaking tour, coming up next month.

On Saturday (August 1), he was performing with the Happy Mondays for tens of thousands of fans at the Y Not Festival in Pikehall, Derbyshire.

It sounds like a fairly rock n roll lifestyle, as much as his days of drug-fuelled excess are long gone. Really? he scoffs. My girls wouldnt say that! Bleeding hell, Im just boring Dad.

Famously a former crack, heroin and methamphetamine addict, the father-of-six also had a taste for booze, cocaine, ecstasy and weed at the height of his Madchester fame. But hes now been clean since the early 2000s.

Hes previously credited his recovery to the support of wife Joanne the mum of daughters Pearl and Lulu and a hardcore fitness regime.

Shaun says: Ive been off drugs for over 20 years, you know what I mean? Im 64, so life is better now and more interesting. I would not want to go back to being in my 20s or teens or even 30. Im happy where I am.

His new lifestyle has come with some wholesome hobbies, he adds. I go canoeing with my girls." In recent years, hes also been diagnosed with ADHD and autism, which may go some way to explain his relentless creativity. I suppose so, he says. I mean, people say its a superpower.

Anyway, Im just me mate. You know what I mean? At least now I know why Ive been so f***ed up all my life. Thats not to say there isnt still interest in his wilder stories, many of which are included in his latest memoir. 24 Hour Party Person, released in March, covers everything from dodging bullets in Jamaica to watching Watership Down on acid with bandmate Bez.

Is there anything hes still holding back for a sequel? Its hard to say, really. These books that come out, its through me talking to people who were there, he says.

When we did the Gorillaz the other week, Johnny Marr and my dressing rooms were next door to each other. And Johnny keeps telling me all this s*** that I didnt even have a f***ing clue about.

I went to bed and then I woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly remembered all this stuff he'd been talking about. Like, I didnt even know that happened, but I did when I thought about it.

So, what did happen? Oh, Im not telling you, he laughs. Youll have to wait for the book. And with that, Shaun heads back to bed for another hour of kip.

Super Early Bird tickets for the. Y Not Festival 2027 go on sale on Friday, August 7. Head to ynotfestival.com for details.

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