| Gary Mounfield | |
|---|---|
Mani at Apres, Southport in 2009 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gerald Gary Mounfield |
| Also known as | Mani |
| Born | 16 November 1962 Crumpsall, Manchester, England |
| Genres | Madchester, indie rock |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | MVB, Silvertone, Geffen, Creation, Sony, B-Unique |
| Associated acts | The Stone Roses Primal Scream Freebass |
| Notable instruments | |
| Rickenbacker 4005 Rickenbacker 3000 Rickenbacker 3001 Fender Precision Bass Fender Jazz Bass Epiphone Jack Casady Bass |
|
Gary Manny "Mani" Mounfield (born 16 November 1962, Crumpsall, Manchester),[1] is an English rock bassist of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. He has a distinctive playing style that combines a fast moving rock style with a dance rhythm or dub groove. During The Stone Roses first album period Mounfield became synonymous with a Rickenbacker 4005 Jackson Pollock-influenced paint splattered bass guitar.
Contents |
Mounfield attended Xaverian College in the Rusholme district of Manchester. At that time his declared ambition was to be a chef. It was also around this period when Mounfield developed a fanatical interest with darts, a sport he'd come to champion throughout his career. He left school aged sixteen in 1979 and joined the band The Stone Roses (part of the "Madchester" music scene) in 1987. Playing on both of the band's albums, Mounfield was in The Stone Roses until they disbanded in 1996, when he joined Primal Scream who he claimed were one of three bands other than the Roses that he would accept the offer from to become a member (the others are reportedly The Jesus and Mary Chain and Beastie Boys).[2] In 2003, with Damon Minchella having left Ocean Colour Scene, he toured with the band supporting Stereophonics, and he also did a DJ set for Ocean Colour Scene at their December 2008 Manchester gig. He is still a full time Primal Scream member, and even fuller-time darts devotee.
He has a guest role in the movie 24 Hour Party People (2002).
Mounfield has often been viewed as the most amiable member of the Roses, both while the band were still together and since their break-up. Whilst in the past he had claimed that the band would reform only after "Man City won the European Cup", he is also viewed as the most likely to be up for a Roses reunion. He occasionally joins Ian Brown on stage for renditions of Stone Roses songs ("Waterfall", "Made of Stone", "I Am The Resurrection"), as happened in 2008 at Summercase Festival (in Madrid and Barcelona), when both Primal Scream and Brown were playing on the same day.
Recently, Mounfield and ex-Stone Roses drummer Reni were interviewed for the Manchester Music show on BBC GMR whilst attending a gig by The Coral. Mounfield toured with The Enemy on their UK tour, which even involved a rare partaking in backing vocals.
Mounfield is an enthusiastic Manchester United F.C. fan. He regularly showcases his love for the team on the Sky One programme, Football Years, giving his views on football seasons of the past. He also revealed on Play UK programme Nu Music that he supports Celtic F.C. in Scotland and, although he is English, he was brought up to support the Republic of Ireland national football team. He has also appeared on the football programme Soccer AM numerous times, earning himself a "Hat-trick Ball" from the show as a result.
He is currently in a band called Freebass with bass players Andy Rourke (ex-The Smiths) and Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order).
Mounfield made a guest appearance on the STV fishing show Trout 'n About along with former Primal Scream guitarist Throb and presenters Gregor Rankine and Paul Campion as they go trout fishing at Drummond Trout Farm & Fishery in Scotland.
Mounfield appeared at the "Manchester Versus Cancer" event on 30 March 2007, performing a DJ set and appearing with Ian Brown for the finale, which was the Stone Roses classic "I Am The Resurrection".
He also appeared as a celebrity guest at the 2009 World Darts Championship.
He made a guest appearance at Paul Weller's performance at the Manchester MEN arena on 4 December 2010, playing tambourine.
After completing touring seminal album Screamadelica for most of 2011 with Primal Scream, on 18th October Mani revealed he had left the band to follow his dream due to the reformation of his original band The Stone Roses.[3]
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Muso Awards – Best Bass Guitar |
| 2005 | Muso Awards – Muso's Muso (as part of Primal Scream) |
| 2007 | NME Awards – Godlike Genius Award (as part of Primal Scream) |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||