Here at CLR we love nothing more than getting a Happy Mondays reference into a story and I’d happily argue the point that somewhere in here there’s a direct link running from Sean Ryder all the way through to Elon Musk.

This latest Elon drama reminds us of the time Shaun Ryder’s massive drug consumption scuppered their album 4th Yes please! and brought down Factory records in the process and sent various Talking Heads members on the first plane back to New York.

When you read thie Quietus review of the making of the album it doesn’t look too far from the state of  X and other Musk ventures in January 2024!

Happy Mondays started 1992 in a very dark place and things only got darker as the year progressed. Their stand alone single, ‘Judge Fudge’, had only made an unimpressive 24 in the UK charts at the end of 1991, and a shockingly homophobic interview with the NME at the start of the year left an enduringly nasty impression of a band once seen as the popular heroes of rave.

By the end of 1992 the band’s label, iconic Manchester imprint Factory, had gone into administration, leaving the band unloved and out of pocket, while Shaun Ryder struggled with his various addictions. Karen Pierce, who interviewed Shaun for The Independent in October 1992, mentioned rumours that he was “sick, very sick”, adding that she half expected a call from his management saying, “It’s too late, the heroin got to him first.”

Between those two points came Yes Please!, the Happy Mondays’ fourth studio album. It has entered into popular legend as the record that killed both band and label, a critical flop reviewed, somewhat inevitably, by Melody Maker with two words: “No thanks”, and a nailed-to-the-shelves commercial disaster that briefly limped to number 14 in the UK charts then sunk like a stone. It is a record that has been subsumed by the tales of its creation, from Shaun Ryder’s improvised poolside crack dens to Bez’s multiple car crashes, whose musical make up is rarely mentioned. And it remains far from critical rehabilitation: Yes Please! celebrates its 25 anniversary this month and there will be no deluxe edition nor anniversary tour nor BBC4 documentary.

Read more https://thequietus.com/articles/23252-the-happy-mondays-yes-please-review-anniversary

(Left) Tony Wilson Founder Factory Records (Right) Shaun Ryder Happy Mondays

Elon – 24 Hour Party Person

Shaun Ryder Not Working In LA

People Must ACCEPT Psychedelics!” – Elon Musk |

The Wall St Jnl’s freak out news story

Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX

Some executives and board members fear the billionaire’s use of drugs—including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms and ketamine—could harm his companies

Elon Musk and his supporters offer several explanations for his contrarian views, unfiltered speech and provocative antics. They’re an expression of his creativity. Or the result of his mental-health challenges. Or fallout from his stress, or sleep deprivation.

In recent years, some executives and board members at his companies and others close to the billionaire have developed a persistent concern that there is another component driving his behavior: his use of drugs.

Read more

https://www.wsj.com/business/elon-musk-illegal-drugs-e826a9e1