Hallelujah!: The Extraordinary Story of Shaun Ryder and Happy Mondays

by John Warburton

The extraordinary and hilarious story of Shaun Ryder and Happy Mondays, with contributions from Tony Wilson, Bez, Chris Moyles, and Fatboy Slim, and the cooperation of Ryder himself Credited with a range of achievements, from creating Madchester and introducing indie kids to dance music to bringing ecstasy to Britain, the Happy Mondays were the rock 'n' roll story that beggared belief. In Shaun Ryder they had an inspired gutter poet; and in his sidekick Bez they had a cultural icon. Here is the story of how this hapless group of ruffians, thieves, thugs, and dealers, prompted by boredom, drugs, and a visit from the taxman, got their act back together after six long years and played a sell-out world tour. Along the way a man was set on fire, an orgy was staged, someone nearly drowned, and every single band member got lost in Europe. There were guns, writs, jellyfish, fights, copious amounts of class As, and a skull on a stick.

Genres: Music, Biography, Memoir

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 6, 2000

Reviews

[Neil Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hedonism and nihilism coming straight outta Manchester! There is little doubt that reading this book had an impact on the writing of Drug Gang, even though this is a rock n’ roll biography and Drug Gang is a crime novel.

Happy Mondays are one of the most important and influential bands ever to emerge from Manchester. Their music formed part of the soundtrack to Manchester’s hedonistic club scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a club scene that continued to thrive into the early 2000s, when Drug Gang is set. The antics of Shaun Ryder, Bez and co. have become the stuff of legend and they are well documented and catalogued in this book.

Reading Hallelujah! The Extraordinary Story of Shaun Ryder and Happy Mondays is a very enjoyable experience. It will twist your melon, man!

[Rol · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a hilarious book waiting to be written about the life and times of Shaun Ryder...

This isn't it.

One chapter on the Happy Mondays. One on Black Grape. After that... drink and drugs and booze and boobs. Now I'm sure all that played a big part in the Shaun Ryder story, but it's neither amusing or revelatory.

Then again, I should have known better: this was "written" by a former Sunday Sport "journalist" for Christ's sake, and the pull-quote on the front is 9/10 from Loaded.

50p from a charity shop... not even worth that.

[Antonomasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"[It] turned into some sort of Carry On movie meets Fear and Loathing, with the whole band and crew staggering drunkenly from one comic moment to the next." That sums up not just the 1999 tour, but the whole book. It's the funniest thing I've read in at least a year.

Hallelujah was written in 2000 by a Daily Sport journalist, but contrary to stereotype there are a very reasonable number of words of more than two syllables, and nothing outrageously offensive in the narrative - it's just laddish, and milder than the tone in some of today's men's mags.

Most of all, this is very sharp, often witty writing that makes a super-fast read. There's rarely a sentence of the narrative that isn't moving the story forward. The paragraphs of direct quotes from band members ramble a tiny bit more, but only enough to give a sense of someone speaking. There's never time to get bored here. To quote Madness, "there's always something happening, and it's usually quite loud."

I wouldn't want this lot as houseguests, but they're very very entertaining to read about.

[Lisa Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great tales of a rock and roller.

[Godzilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a Daily Sport hack, and boy does it show. The prose is stilted and hackneyed, but scratch beneath that Formica veneer and there are some buried gems.
The main focus is on the Happy Mondays reunion gigs, but the dynamics of the group are fully explored and laid bare.
Perhaps because of the poor writing, for me, the "talking heads" type inserts offer the sharpest insights into the world of Mr Ryder et al.
Not as good as Bez's Freaky Dancin' in my humble opinion, but if you like the era and the music, still worth a read.

[Jonny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Bez's Freaky Dancin'

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read into the mad world of Shaun Ryder...enjoyed it a lot