“We don’t do statues in Manchester”: Shaun Ryder on the overlooked brilliance of Tony Wilson
The common misconception that a lot of music fans make, be it in rock, indie or punk, is that the only people who contribute towards the evolution of a genre are the artists that make it, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Shaun Ryder noted this when he spoke about the musical legends who helped make the Manchester music scene what it was – of course, the bands who were making music were a big part of it, but it also came down to the people who ran venues, put on gigs, and were in charge of record labels.
These are the people in music who are so often overlooked… Those who work on the business side of things can both make or break a movement once it gets going, and punk is a good example, as while the Sex Pistols were gearing up to become one of the greatest bands in the world, their manager, Malcolm McLaren, got in the way of things, which led to the band collapsing just as they were gaining momentum.
When Eddie Vedder was talking about the volatility of punk, he made reference to the problems that the Sex Pistols faced, saying, “Most punk bands were pretty much crash and burn… You know, in the Sex Pistols case, thank you Malcom McLaren, for being an ego-driven fool… fuck, for the non-edited version of this VH1 televised event.”
When Shaun Ryder was talking about modern music, he said that he didn’t like it when bands relied too much on nostalgia, adding that the moment that becomes the crux of a musical act, they have a problem – he said that he doesn’t think nostalgia is what keeps the Happy Mondays on the road; instead, it’s a newfound affinity and control over what they do, which both improves their sound, performance, and the band’s attitude when on the road.
“I was 18 when I got the band together, I’m 63 now,” he said. “We’re all fucking old, and we don’t argue over ridiculous bullshit things like we used to do. I appreciate it more than ever. I don’t think it’s nostalgic because I don’t plan ahead, and I never have done. It’s like, something’s either good or shit.”
That being said, while Ryder might not like to rely on nostalgia, that doesn’t mean that he thinks musical legends shouldn’t be acknowledged, and when talking about people who helped to make the Manchester music scene, he said that Tony Wilson, the former owner of Factory Records, should have his own statue.
“We don’t do statues in Manchester,” said Ryder. “I mean, statues of The Beatles bring people to Liverpool, don’t they? We should stick a few statues up. Tony Wilson definitely. Put slots in them so you can fucking stick a pound in and they move about.”
Whether or not such a dedication to the musical legend will happen remains to be seen, but there is no escaping that it’s something the city, which prides itself so much on that era of music, should be thinking about.
