Shaun Ryder talks ahead of Birmingham record signing

“Pop Voodoo.”

It’s Shaun. Shaun William George Ryder. A man who at the age of 54 ought to be tending his nasturtiums but, in fact, is enjoying the most creative phase of his remarkable career.

Since rocking up as runner-up on the 10th series of I’m A Celebrity in 2010, the former wildman of rock has become a national treasure.

It’s been the unlikeliest of transformations. From crack pipe to daytime TV favourite. From groupie-loving rock ‘n’roller to respected elder statesman of rock.

And yet Shaun deserves the plaudits. His tours with Happy Mondays have been raucous affairs and his new album with his other group – Black Grape – is the best thing he’s recorded since, well, since Black Grape’s debut in 1995. That record, It’s Great When You’re Straight . . . Yeah, showed Shaun at his irascible, irreverent best. And Pop Voodoo, the new album, which hits the streets next Friday, is arguably better.

Shaun certainly thinks so. “Dude. It’s better than the first one, miles better. We got Black Grape back together, me and Kermit. We were just going to do a few shows and then we were asked to write the football song for Europe with Paul Oakenfold and Goldie. We did that and went in my little studio then just carried on writing.

“The next thing, we were going to do a ‘Mondays album but getting everyone together in the ‘Mondays is difficult because everyone’s all over the place. With Black Grape it’s easier because it’s just me and Kermit, there’s two of us, not six. So we decided to have a go.”

Pre-amble complete, terms agreed, it’s time to enter the World of Shaun. Shaun has a teapot, rather than a Dictaphone, iPhone or similar recording device. And the teapot is the source of his greatest songs. I’m a little teapot, short and stout. Bear with us.

“Kermit’s a traditional sort of writer. He’ll sit there with a pen and pad and just write. I just put it on beer mats or bits of paper or torn strips of paper. I shove all the ideas in a teapot. When it’s time to write, I grab all the stuff out of the teapot and turn up with Kermit. We’re like Smith and Jones, looking at each other, then bouncing ideas. Then when we come out with something that starts us up, I start putting the bits of paper together. I did try once time to record on my phone. I tried that Dictaphone technique but it was too complicated.” Thank heavens for teapots.

Shaun and Kermit took their ideas into the studio with renowned producer Youth, the former Killing Joke bassist whose production credits include The Verve, Sir Paul McCartney, U2, Primal Scream, Guns N’ Roses, Pink Floyd and Depeche Mode to name but a few.

“When we got in the studio, Youth asked us what we wanted. We told him we wanted hip hop mixed with The Beach Boys in a Motown-ey style. So we started getting beats up.

“Youth is brilliant, his back catalogue is out of this world. So we would come up with beats and Youth played most of the instruments.”

In four wildly creative weeks, Shaun, Kermit and Youth had made their record. It was based on instinct, rather than some great master plan. Shaun was keen to record the band’s first thoughts. The last thing he wanted was to be ‘considered’.

“We wrote all the songs in about two weeks and I like that. My problem when you work with people that take a long time is that the first instincts go. The more you spend time on something, you tend to mess it up. The first idea is all about buzzing on adrenalin and it usually works. If you end up spending weeks on a track, you end up messing it up.”

Shaun is on the road to promote the record, with an in-store signing at Birmingham’s HMV on August 9. He’s looking forward to meeting the faithful as he visits seven towns and cities around the UK. They’ll be back soon too, hopefully, with a set of tour dates.

“This year, really, we should have done the Black Grape album and no shows. But we’ve got a few festivals and the odd show. Next year it’s all about promoting the Black Grape album. Then in 2019 we’ll maybe get the ‘Mondays album done.

“I had writers block for years with my problems with the receivers and that, which lasted 12 years. I managed to scrape a ‘Mondays album out in 2007 but it was hard then. I was just blocked. Then it just disappeared and I feel great. I really did think when I was a kid or in my 20s, music should be made by young men in their 20s. I thought as soon I’d hit 30 or 40, I’d be finished. But then I’ve proved myself wrong. I’m in my 50s I’m more creative than I’ve ever been.”

Not only is Shaun more creative, he’s also having more fun. Whereas he portrays the early part of his career as being on a treadmill, these days he feels as though he’s in control. His fan base has stuck with him and he’s delighted to be doing the things he loves for an appreciative crowd.

“I like it more than ever now. I enjoy the whole thing. I’m off the treadmill of how it used to be years ago. I felt like a hamster then and I didn’t have time to appreciate the shows or the albums. When we took Bummed on the road a few years ago, for instance, I realised I hadn’t listened to that since the 1980s. And I realised how good it was. So now I appreciate it. Now I enjoy playing better than ever. It really is just for enjoying the music.”

The sex‘n’drugs‘n’rock‘n’roll‘n’more drugs‘n’more sex lifestyle that he once considered ‘normal’ has been consigned to memory.

“It’s not about the rock‘n’roll lifestyle these days. I don’t even do soundchecks. Our sound guy is great and when I walk out on stage the sound is perfect so I don’t need to. These days, if I can, I’ll go home after a show. I don’t do the tour bus thing, I want to get home after a gig. If I’m a long way from Manchester and I’m in a hotel, I’m watching the news 15 minutes after the show.”