January 19, 1991
- STAYED AT #1:1 Week
In The Alternative Number Ones, I'm reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it's for members only. Thank you to everyone who's helping to keep Stereogum afloat.
The one time I saw Shaun Ryder live, he looked like a fucked up bum. Ryder was onstage at Harlem's Apollo Theater with his fly hanging wide open and a giant lollipop hanging out of his mouth, and he seemed to have no idea where he was. This was perfect. It was exactly what I'd imagined and exactly what I wanted. If Ryder had his shit even halfway together, he wouldn't have been the deeply messy folk hero I'd seen immortalized onscreen in 24 Hour Party People a few years earlier.
That night in 2006, Gorillaz were in town to play every song from their Demon Dayz album, and they brought almost every guest from the LP with them. Bandleader Damon Albarn stayed hidden in the wings for most of the show, but the guests came out to take center stage: De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Roots Manuva, the Pharcyde's Bootie Brown. At one point, Ike Turner emerged in what I remember to be an extremely flashy suit, playing his piano solo from "Every Planet We Reach Is Dead." At this point, nothing felt real anymore. I was at the Apollo, watching Ike Turner, the clearest music-history villain this side of Phil Spector, and people were applauding. Somehow, Shaun Ryder's presence felt even weirder than that.