An iconic singer from the glory days of the Manchester music scene had the audience in stitches after a personal appearance and interview in Douglas.

Shaun Ryder, the former singer of the Happy Mondays and Black Grape, was interviewed by musician and former journalist John Gregory at the Villa Marina on Tuesday night.

The singer talked about a wide variety of subjects, including living the life as a professional musician and dealing with the pressures of fame and celebrity, and didn’t shy away from talking about his well-documented drug habits.

’What surprised me the most is when he started talking about how he was never satisfied with some of his albums,’ said John.

’You often hear about the wild side of his life, but it often gets overlooked that he was a serious musician with an artist’s mind-set.

’But he was great to listen to. He spoke very openly about his drug use, the financial side of the music industry and his recent health issues and he also debunked loads of rumours about the Happy Mondays.

’He had everyone in stitches at times with his stories about life. He was a great guy and a lot of fun to be with, and we had a really good laugh together.’