Shaun Ryder says he’d be “dead” if he hadn’t “blown” his chance at Hollywood fame

nme.com:

Shaun Ryder has said that he would be dead now if he had become a successful Hollywood actor in the 1990s.The Happy Mondays frontman appeared in the 1998 spy comedy The Avengers, but in a new interview, Ryder has said that had he pursued acting further, he might not be here today.Speaking on The Chris Moyles Show, Ryder said: “Listen, it’s a good job I blew Hollywood, right, and I don’t mean it like that.

It’s a good job I messed up. My first movie for Hollywood was with [Ralph Fiennes] and Uma Thurman, Eddie Izzard, Sean Connery.

That was my first launch and I blew it.”“I blew it because I was off me nut, said some silly things and Eddie Izzard went to Hollywood and Shaun went back to Salford… But if I’d have not blown it, I’d have been dead!”Last year, Ryder formed a new band, Mantra Of The Cosmos, alongside rummer Zak Starkey (The Who, Oasis), guitarist Andy Bell (Oasis, Ride) and Bez (Happy Mondays, Black Grape).

They went on to release their first singles, ‘Gorilla Guerrilla’ and ‘X (Wot You Sayin?)’.Speaking to NME, Ryder opened up about how the band have been getting on so far. “I love it cos we’re quite new to each other, we’re still going in the studio with a band and putting the old band comfy slippers on and I feel very good with the guys I’m working with,” he said.“Zak’s the one who’s got our beats together, and then I come in and add vocals and Andy adds his guitar.