Along with musicians all over the world, Ryder has had to postpone gigs, with scheduled Q&A tours and shows with Black Grape and Happy Mondays delayed, plus appearances at festivals, including Glastonbury .
“All the work’s gone,” he says. “I’ve got a few voiceovers, adverts, to keep me busy.
” I miss work but I’m all right. I don’t mind it. You know, I basically started self-isolating about (years ago, apart from work.)
“I’m quite happy sat in front of the telly watching everything on Sky, Netflix, Amazon Prime. And the one called Roku. I’ve got the lot. So I’m all right , but my wife’s going mental. “
Because Shaun is at home more?
” Well no, she’s always so busy, She likes to get out. So now she’s decided she’s going to do the garage, which we’ve got about years of junk that she’s now moved into a big pile in the back garden. “
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The music star, pictured with his daughter Lulu, says he is happy being at home with his children
Isolation games in the Ryder household consist of cards – Pontoon, Gin Rummy and “Bastard Brag”, which “causes loads of arguments”.
But now is the time to learn a new skill, he says.
“Pearl is going to teach me chess, because I always I always end up turning it around and saying, no, let’s play draughts. But she can play chess, our pearl. So now is the perfect time to learn chess. “
Ryder says if he was his son’s age, things might be a little different when it comes to coping with the lockdown.
“It must be f mental for them,” he says. “I’m sure if I was 26 or even and this was happening, I don’t think I could stick to it.
“Although I just thought, I was addicted to heroin at that time so actually I could probably just sit in the chair and nod off all day. “
Alongside his Happy Mondays and Black Grape bandmate Bez, Ryder has found a host of new fans in recent years thanks to their partnership on the sofa for Celebrity Gogglebox. As someone tasked with watching TV for a living, what are his recommendations?
“I’m in the middle of watching that one… it’s all the nutcases with the animals. What’s it called? Tiger King. They are absolutely gone with the fairies, they’re all absolutely raving out of the box, the lot of them. All those people with animals like tigers, who’ve got their own zoos in America, and one guy’s got something like 2, 06 tigers in his back garden. It’s absolutely mad. ”
Apart from that, Ryder says he has “watched pretty much everything” so is revisiting old favorites.
“I’m going to have to go back on stuff. There’s one about the FBI and serial killers, a true story… Mindhunter. That was brilliant. I recommend that to anybody. And another one that’s a true story… Unbelievable. That was really good. Very well made. “
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Before coronavirus started to spread, Ryder had been on tour with his bands and also doing solo Q&A shows for fans. The plan is, he says, to maybe start setting up something similar online while the shows are called off.
Production on a film about his life , starring Jack O’Connell as Ryder, has also been delayed.
“The good thing is it all gets rescheduled,” he says. “It’ll be all right.”
However, Ryder says the situation is “terrible” for artists who are not so well-established.
“It’s difficult for musicians all round,” he says. “For record shops too, but at least they can still sell online. That’s a good thing now.”
Ryder says that while the Conservatives “aren’t my party”, he thinks the government has been “pretty good, on the whole” in its handling of the coronavirus crisis.
“I wouldn’t have voted [Boris Johnson] for prime minister but I think he’s done all right. “
Last week, the star posted his own” clap for carers “video on social media in support of the viral campaign encouraging people across the country to support health workers as they fight the virus on the frontline.
“I’ve got family that work in the NHS,” he says . “They’re all amazing people, they do a great job.”
As long as he has his TV and supplies – “I can’t live without Lurpak … and I ‘ ve got fish in the freezer “- Ryder is keeping upbeat, and hopes others are too.
His message for getting through isolation?
“Well, take care. And remember, once a day for your exercises.
” You’ve got to be a bit optimistic. I know I have. If I put anything negative in me then it seems to amplify the situation. I have to think positive.
“I can’t think anything not positive, otherwise I’ll bring it into existence. Like, every time I think of somebody who I don ‘ t want to see they end up knocking on your door. So think positive. “
Shaun Ryder has rescheduled gigs with Happy Mondays and Black Grape planned for later in 2020 and , plus new dates for his Q&A shows from August
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