Hallelujah!: The Extraordinary Story of Shaun Ryder and Happy Mondays

Credited with a range of achievements, from creating Madchester and introducing indie kids to dance music to bringing ecstasy to Britain, the Happy Mondays were the rock 'n' roll story that beggared belief. In Shaun Ryder they had an inspired gutter poet; and in his sidekick Bez they had a cultural icon. Here is the story of how this hapless group of ruffians, thieves, thugs, and dealers, prompted by boredom, drugs, and a visit from the taxman, got their act back together after six long years and played a sell-out world tour. Along the way a man was set on fire, an orgy was staged, someone nearly drowned, and every single band member got lost in Europe. There were guns, writs, jellyfish, fights, copious amounts of class As, and a skull on a stick.