An amazing Paul Ryder letter in today's manchester evening news.

fuckinell!!

its the main letter in the post bag section.

basically, he's slagging off Tony wilson, over things he's said about himself and his brother Shaun.

how Paul left the Mondays, because he wanted no more to do with drugs. Shaun never forgave him.

he loves Shaun, but Shaun wants nothing to do with him. Shaun keeps slaggin him off too, but Paul reckons Shaun is just influenced ny the YES men around him.

Quite a sad letter. and i'm on Pauls side defo.

I wish i could post the letter, but i can't see it on the website.

However, for those mancs about, its in the middle of the paper, in the post bag section.

Please stop telling Shaun that he’s OK IT was with incredulity that I read my friend Tony Wilson’s tirade against me (Postbag, August 11). I’m told I need to learn to be a better brother. I need help here, Tony. My brother has consistently humiliated and undermined me publicly in press interviews, radio interviews and books over the past few years. He has asked people to attack my partner in his newspaper column. He regularly hurled abuse at me on stage in front of tens of thousands of people. The basis of our problem is that I no longer wanted to take drugs and needed to withdraw from a tour in 2000 in order to preserve my health. I gave the band ample notice and plenty of time to find a temporary replacement, but Shaun has never forgiven me for this. Since then, he has reformed our band behind my back, excluding me from everything and is now performing and recording music using my band’s name with Bez and a set of musicians, only one of which is an original member of the band (the drummer). I have effectively been pushed out of the entity that I created, by my own brother. I’ve never wanted to talk about this publicly before, because I find it embarrassing, distressing and incredibly hurtful. So I get clean, rebuild my life, form a new band and write my best album ever. I’m interviewed by the press and am now being criticised for talking about my past. I will not be silent, nor will I lie about the past or cover up the truth. Shaun is not a musician, he is a great lyricist and a unique singer and he has well documented problems, which I do not need to go into any detail about. I worry about my brother every day. In spite of everything he has done to hurt me, I still love him and would always be there for him – indeed four times I have tried to build a bridge. The last time, just three months ago, I was metaphorically spat upon. He prefers to surround himself with sycophants and “yes” men. I know from experience that the more he does this and the more they tell him how great he is and how well he looks, the sicker he will stay. Are you listening, Tony? You may be Manchester’s finest orator and cultural aesthete and I will always love you, but for God’s sake stop telling Shaun that he’s well. As far as being a better brother, for now, that’s the best I can do.

Paul Ryder, Salford

ta J.

well pasted lad!

keeer-ist!

that's great!@

didn't know people from Salford knew--let alone could spell--the word "incredulity".

Tony Wilson is a "cultural aesthete"

wtf?

A sad and intense truth this is. Keep on ranting, Paul.

Blimey - that is really touching. Makes you really empathise with the younger sibling. Shaun is wasting what talent he once had. And yes, the drugs have all but destroyed his credibility. Happy Mondays were once a great band - gritty, dangerous and unique, but once they tasted fame and success...well of course it was all downhill from there wasn't it?

:\ohwell:

By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: Blimey - that is really touching. Makes you really empathise with the younger sibling. Shaun is wasting what talent he once had. And yes, the drugs have all but destroyed his credibility. Happy Mondays were once a great band - gritty, dangerous and unique, but once they tasted fame and success...well of course it was all downhill from there wasn't it?

:\ohwell:

100% behind this one. Seems a shame.

yeah I agree too.

Anyone know what Twatty Wilson put in the letter that Paul Ryder is responding too?

Found it... Postbag Tuesday, 1st August 2006 A genius, alive and well

HOWEVER much they may infuriate and however much they may enrage, it is my happy lot to love all of my musicians, all the young men and women whom it has been my privilege to work with over nearly 30 years in rock and roll. So it was with enormous disappointment that I read in last week’s M.E.N. Paul Ryder, the former bass player of the Happy Mondays, getting column inches for his new outfit, Big Arm, by aiming inelegant and even nasty sideswipes at his elder brother, Shaun, still lead singer of the Happy Mondays. To claim that Shaun – arguably the finest lyricist since Bob Dylan – “has never written a piece of music in his life” is risible. Shaun was the leader of his gang, and he led the entire ensemble through their musical career, which was global in its influence. I would never downgrade Paul Ryder’s contribution. A review of a Wembley Arena gig in the Daily Telegraph from 1990 explained that it was the rhythm section of the Mondays – Paul and Gary Whelan on drums – who had single-handedly adapted the rhythms of house music coming out of Detroit and Chicago to British post-punk and revolutionised the youth culture of Britain and Europe. And don’t let us be such idiots as to think that (and I quote last week’s M.E.N.), Shaun “is not the sharp wit he used to be.” I’ve been that idiot – and I’ve learnt my lesson. I gave up on Shaun. I, too, presumed it was over for that once-great talent. Imagine my sense of shame and delight when the first wonderful bars of Black Grape winged out of my car stereo. And when a friend told me that Shaun’s Australian album of 2002 was “not very interesting”, and Shaun confirmed that the lyrics were “just soundcheck ramblings”, I didn’t search the album out. Fool. I finally chanced upon Scootergirl, was overwhelmed – and have since fallen in love with the whole thing, especially the song, Clowns. Now I have been privileged to hear four of the new tracks from the new Mondays album. Just stunning. Shaun has not lost one iota of his wit, his insight or the ability to use words – which he himself will deny till the cows come home. The genius of Shaun Ryder is alive and well. Can you hear me, Paul? You’re a great bass player. You should learn to be a better brother.

Anthony Wilson, Manchester

fight fight fight fight

Then again, one could make the argument that Happy Mondays were always quite shit both musically and lyrically and only garnered their temporary fame as a flaccid (and now badly aged) product of a particular drug-mad era when musical nonsuch was just fine to dance to but little else. Unfortunate then that a sibling relationship has dissolved over so little...or is it so much? Hard for me to judge.

The Happy Mondays were shit, both lyrically and musically? Fucking hell!

However you judge them, they were brilliant. Popular, innovative and completely of the moment. Their work still sound amazing today, unlike most other bands.

It's a shame that Shaun couldn't contain his drug use, and always a pity to hear of band members faling out. I wouldn't think you'd get much support for the argument that the Mondays were shit.

His Holiness, The Pope wrote: Then again, one could make the argument that Happy Mondays were always quite shit both musically and lyrically and only garnered their temporary fame as a flaccid (and now badly aged) product of a particular drug-mad era when musical nonsuch was just fine to dance to but little else. Unfortunate then that a sibling relationship has dissolved over so little...or is it so much? Hard for me to judge.

I have to agree

and tony wilson's a cunt

About time paul stood up for himself, good on him

Have to be honest, I always thought they were vastly over-rated, their success the product of a media desperate to find something to latch onto rather than being down to great songs etc. Some stuff is genuinely good though, but to me they were another hyped-up band, and some of Wilson's spin proclaiming Shaun Ryder as the greatest poet since WB Yeats was just embarrassing.

For me Kinky Afro was the peak. I really liked Pills and Thrills, but it doesn't quite stand up to Bummed as an album. Squirel and G-Man has got great songs.

For me, you've got the Mondays, great, and the Mondays with Martin Hannet, really great. He did bring out something else in them.

By the way - my Mum and Dad were on the front page of Friday's MEN! I've got a copy of it at home.

Now come on, that's gotta be worth at LEAST £40!