Funeral For A Friend's Ryan Richards Creates His Full Circle, Plays Which Ryan Said This & More!

 Ryan Richards is a truly incredible person and it's an absolute honour to have him on The Full Circle this week! He is the drummer and scream vocalist for the incredible band Funeral For A Friend, who are headlining 2000Trees on Friday 10th July! Get last remaining tickets: https://2000trees.co.uk/tickets 

(As an aside, the line up is incredible, and whilst it absolutely sucks that Alkaline Trio have had to drop out (get well soon Matt Skiba!), Don Broco replacing is about as good as you can get from such a rubbish situation.)

Ryan is also the CEO of management company Future History and is one of the most successful rock managers in the world with an incredible roster including Sleep Token, Holding Absence & PRESIDENT and more.

On the show: Ryan reveals the hottest place he's ever performed (we recorded this during the recording breaking heatwave happened in the UK in June), he answers some tough Would You Rather questions (including whether he'd want to perform Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation in full again or Hours in full again), and he plays a quiz called Which Ryan Said This? Where he had to guess if the quote was by him or by Hollywood's Ryan Reynolds, and we also spoke about Wrexham and the impact they have had on Welsh Football.

Ryan also creates his very personal Full Circle ranging from Black Sabbath to Iron Maiden, and ending with Funeral For A Friend (fun fact: my favourite song of theirs!). Playlist for the songs here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2paFMo6cWg7YG8HZ5fXfPJ

Thank you to Ryan for coming on The Full Circle, and thank you for checking out the episode! 

Follow the Full Circle on social media!

https://www.instagram.com/fullcirclepodcastDC

https://www.tiktok.com/@fullcirclepodcastdc

https://www.facebook.com/DCFullCircle/

https://www.youtube.com/@FullCircleDC

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:07

The Full Circle with DC. I have a very special guest on the Full Circle today. He is the drummer and screen vocalist for the incredible band Funeral Friend who are headlining 2000's Trees on July the 10th. At the same time, he is the CEO of management company Future History and is one of the most successful rock managers in the world with an incredible roster including Sleep Token, Holding Absence, Presidents, and a whole bunch of others. An absolute honour to have on the full circle. His name is Ryan Richards. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Hey Ryan.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Great intro. Thanks, Deb. Appreciate that. You're very kind.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Oh pleasure. How are you? I hope you're not keeping I hope you're not too hot.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Um I've just been doing a little bit of gardening as it goes. So there is some residual heat there from that. Just been outside, making sure the lawn is all neat and tidy before the weekend. But yeah, it has been a very, very hot week. Well, I'm not going to complain because I always complain when it's raining and it's when it's cold. So I'm always wishing for the heat. So I'm going to embrace it now. It's here. Yeah, it would be nice if I had a bit of a bit more air conditioning. But other than that, I'm uh I'm quite I'm quite pleased with the heat this week.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

That's fair. No, that's fair. I mean, we're recording this the last week of June, and obviously this will be going out just before your you're doing your headline at Film for Friend, which made me which made me think like, do you remember the like hottest place you've like performed live?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Yeah, actually, actually, uh we we we toured we toured Brazil some some years back and um and that was certainly very, very hot indeed. I remember playing in um in a club out there and they didn't have any air conditioning either. It was pretty brutal. The the the heat in Japan in the summer is actually really really potent too against uh uh well at least when we were there and playing it was it was it was in the 40s then um for all the any anyone listening from America 40 is uh yeah not not not Fahrenheit, um but um Celsius. Yeah, we've definitely had some super super intense hot shows, but uh hopefully 2000 trees will be nice and nice and breezy. Uh hope I'm not cursing it by saying that and it ends up being some sort of hurricane or something, but um yeah, nice, nice, nice and breezy, it'll be good.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Yeah, getting that getting that balance is spot on, I think. I guess when it's when it's like raining, I guess that also has its own challenges, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 2:45

It does, it does. Um I I I recall one year when when when we were playing um doing the main stage at Redin Festival and uh and and the heavens opened and it was the sideways rain that uh that afflicted Forrest Gump so badly when he was out in uh out in Vietnam, it was a sideways rain. And um it was just just just going straight into all our gear and just just blew the electrics on everything, and it just left me to to uh entertain the main stage riding crowd by playing We Will Rock You uh by myself in front of like 60,000 people. So that was fun. Um good for me as a as a as a big Queen fan growing up. Uh it was uh not something I'd uh I'd I'd have planned anyway.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Well, I mean like what yeah, great spontaneous moment, I guess, but probably not in the most ideal of conditions.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

It was not, it was not ideal whatsoever, but uh you know, we we always say about these things one day we'll look back and laugh, and uh I suppose today's the day.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Yeah. Right. You um okay, now the format of the show is guests create a full circle. So they choose songs, that means something to them, or they have a connection too with each song may have perhaps having a link to each other, and then the last song linking back to the first song, hence completing the full circle. Now, Ryan, I guess it's fair to say that maybe we're sort of doing this one on the fly. Is it fair?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Yes, yes, it it is, yes. Perhaps more exciting that way I'm gonna make out like uh I've intentionally done that, but uh but in reality, I'm afraid I've uh glossed uh glossed over the the the the email prep and uh and found myself here. Uh which again, you know, like like the Redden Festival situation, it's uh sometimes you gotta be you gotta think on your feet. Sometimes that makes for some special situation. So we'll uh we'll see what we can do. I've already had something pop in my head because I was thinking about full circle moments that I've had as a musician, and something popped in my head and actually then turned into a bit of a full circle thing where I can think of three songs. Uh so perhaps we'll go with that.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Very nice. Let's do that then. Okay, let's start then with the first song. What's the first song you've chosen for the full circle?

SPEAKER_00 5:08

Uh, the first song I've chosen for my full circle is a song Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. Uh shall I go straight into why, perhaps? Yeah. Yeah. I should say that by going into why I will sort of actually no, it's fine. It's fine, it's fine, it's fine. It kind of gives away my full circle thing, but I think that's okay. Um completely ruined the whole podcast. Yeah, I I I've chosen chosen that song. Well, one of the one of the reasons why is we're just about now to guess maybe maybe even it'll perhaps even be the week that this podcast comes out. It'll be uh around about a year since the um back to the beginning last year with uh obviously Aussie and Sabbath. And um, you know, it was obviously a huge thing at the time, uh, and very poignant even then when when I when I went along to that and um obviously of course more so than since the with with Aussie passing away less than less than a couple of weeks after that. But it it's it's always been it's always been my my my favourite Black Sabbath song. I think I just always liked the the first time I heard it, it was probably the the most evil sounding song that I'd ever heard at the time. My dad was really into uh guitar music and and growing up it was uh it was a lot of well things like you know Clapton and Cream and um Led Zeppelin and things like that, which you know, which I always really liked, and Queen and Brian May, which I always really liked. But uh I guess when you're when you're sort of going into adulthood, certainly for me anyway, you're interested in you start to become interested in things like horror and playing video games where you're shooting you know the things like Resident Evil and things like that, which is you know my favorite game as a kid. And hearing hearing that song, it was like, ooh, yeah, music can do that as well, you know, music can um conjure up those uh that imagery in in in your head and uh and they always have great imagery anyway. So yeah, that was almost always my that was my intro to to Black Sabbath and uh remained one of my favorite songs by them. But you but yeah, I think uh I thought that I was gonna give away my full circle moment thing, but but I don't think I'm gonna have to. I think I can I think I can play this one out and keep the um keep the wheels on the track as as it were. But but yeah, I'm I'm I'm choosing that track. The the the Battle Beginning show uh this time last year was um was really, really incredible for some for I mean for so many reasons. Obviously the Aussie and Sabbath thing. I mean I've always been a huge, huge Black Sabbath fan. I went, I remember going to their their very last show in Inverted Commas in 1999 in Birmingham and um standing in front of Geezer Butler's base stack, I got right to the front. I had seats, but I managed to sort of sneak into the standing area. I got myself right to the front, and uh which which turned out to be a terrible mistake in the end because I was right in front of uh Geezer's bass stack and uh it was so loud that I was literally dead in uh in in one year for almost a week. It was it was it it was really bad, and then eventually my hearing came back. Still not the best today. Um neither is my sight, heads to glasses. Um but no, um that was that that was a really uh big show for me back in the day. And um and then when when Ozfest came around then uh which uh again I think that was pretty much I I saw some anniversary for that recently, and that was the thing that um I guess the middle the middle point between Monsters of Rock at uh at Donindam Park and then Ozfest and then what later became and is now Download Festival. So that was that was a really important day as well. And uh And there you go, yeah, that Black Sabbath by by Black Sabbath.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

Very nice, very nice. Yeah, Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath, the first song on the full circle. And yes, I was also at Back to the Beginning, which as you mentioned, because of what happened afterwards, just made it even more special. I thought Ozzy was great, you know, on the on the throne, and just I thought what an what an incredible show, what a great, what a great day, a great night, just superb. And I it's almost like I wonder if he sort of, I don't know, was there was he sort of like hanging on for that?

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I you know, I I really I really think so. And um and uh you know, not to get too morbid, but I've you know I've I've had that in my own life where yeah, you know, I've I've had a had a family member pass away, but they waited all the way up until this one particular uh special and sort of monumental uh uh occasion and they've been ill for some time and then you know literally passed away the week after. And I always, you know, I always felt that that was a real thing that they'd that they'd sort of held on and and then let themselves be at peace. And um, you know, I wouldn't presume to to know that that was the case with Aussie, but but just knowing that you know how how important music it you know obviously was to him. It was you know, it was his his life, it would it would certainly be something that uh that that that would make sense and uh it was it was amazing to be there to to see his uh Swan song, as it were. And like you say, it was um I I as much as I really did enjoy it, there were the there was there was there was a real sadness with that realization that that would probably be the last time well, you know, the almost certainly be the last time that I'd ever see Aussie certainly perform again because I know down the years and this is something that's not exclusive to Aussie, and it's a it's something that's quite common uh with my with myself even and and and Funniful Friend, where you'll sort of say that it's your your last show, but you get drawn back, and there's always a circumstance to to come back. And um, but this did feel really, really final. It it honestly did, and you know, I'm not sure if you feel the same, but if it it really felt that, and uh you know I walked away with the feeling that I would never see uh Aussie in in the flesh again, and yeah, sadly it was uh turned up to be the case.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Yeah, yeah, sadly. So did you where were you were you standing or were you seated or backstage? Where were you for that?

SPEAKER_00 11:58

I was yeah, I was lucky enough to um to have sort of um you know, thro through some of our connections, we we we were really well looked after there. Um shout out to uh Andy Carpin, who's my sort of um business partner here at uh Future History and uh you know director at the company and he he it was you know very much um very very instrumental in in that whole thing and uh it's uh as he often does was uh very hospitable to to to you know to me and my friends, and we got to you know, we got to watch a few of the bands side stage and we had a really nice vantage point. We actually ended up sitting in the same suite as uh Dr. Brian May, uh, which was uh wow, which is pretty amazing. Yeah, I mean be as as as I I think I said earlier, just being such a huge fan of Queen growing up, you know, being able to, you know, it was my dad's favourite band. That was pretty amazing. Uh I didn't actually I didn't actually go up and uh get a photo or anything but bother him. I actually felt better about not doing that really and uh letting him i i enjoy the event. Uh but it but it but it was that that was that was nice anyway. A nice little uh cherry on the on the cake of what was um what was a really really amazing day.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

Oh incredible, what an incredible experience. And yeah, as he mentioned, sadly the last time we'll we'll see Ozzy and you know have just but but but you know as far as send-offs is go, I'm sure he was so happy about about the way it about the way it went.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

Yeah, yeah, it was um you could see him at at various points throughout the throughout the performance, so almost making an effort to try to stand up and try to get to his feet. Um where realistically, obviously knowing what we know now, the fact that he was able to even be there at all uh and perform in any capacity was um was quite incredible really. So um yeah, it was glad that he was able to to have that moment and to um uh and to sign off in in um I I think the the the way that he'd have liked to. So yeah, it was very cool.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Right. I'm gonna ask you some would you rather questions now if that's okay. Okay, so first one. Would you rather stop performing as a musician forever or stop managing musicians forever?

SPEAKER_00 14:23

That's quite easy for me now in these days, which would be performing. The reason I say that is not because I don't love performing, it's just because you know we've really, really winding down on that. I mean, our show at Trees is the only show that we're playing in 26, and um we're at that point now where there's no guarantee that there'll ever be another, and that's and that's fine because we're just doing it and we're having fun and we have no real agenda other than really enjoying it. Um, so that would be my answer there. I've got a a lot more um a lot more fuel in the tank when it comes to to management. So yeah, I would do that.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

That's fair. Something like that, you mentioned your one and only time this year performing in 2000 trees. I mean, does that make it easier or because it's only the one one performance, does it make it a bit trickier to perform? I don't know how how how is that?

SPEAKER_00 15:10

It's um yeah, I guess it takes more to get everything together really and to um recalibrate is is the main thing because what when when you're in that flow and uh and when you you're all sort of in gig mode, as it were, then it's um it it's it's a lot easier to just get up and um and for it to be easy and and fluid where uh maybe you have to put a little more work into it when you're uh when you're sort of re-relearning some of the tracks and obviously reconnecting and and getting that togetherness there again and that chemistry, if you like. But but so in saying that we've been we've been together for for such a long time. It's uh it is like just getting on an old pair of slippers or or riding a bike. So so it'll it'll it'll be fine, but it's um yeah, something I'm really looking forward to.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Very nice. Yeah, and it's so cool to just have Lucas doing that as well. It's such an incredible, incredible talent.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Yes, he he is, yeah, and it it's it's keeping it really fresh as well, and uh especially when we play song something songs that we haven't played with Lucas before. It's it's it's always cool just to have that experience those for the first time in in that configuration and in that lineup, uh, because he'll he'll put his own he'll put his own sort of swing on things. And um yeah, it's it's very cool, it's very enjoyable. And uh and people who've been checking it out have been really enjoying it too, because I think he was that perfect person, for us the only person who could have come in and um really done these songs justice, being Welsh too, of course. And it's uh very, very important, but fundamentally does he does a great job singing those songs and I guess respecting the the legacy of the band whilst doing his own thing too. So it's it's it's perfect, really. For sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Okay, next one. Would you rather perform casually dressed in deep conversation in full again or hours in full again?

SPEAKER_00 17:10

I'm gonna say and it sounds a bit of a cop-up, but I'm gonna say hours because we performed that last year, Carl Castle, and uh and a warm-up show in Leeds, and it's fresher in my mind, so I wouldn't have to go back as far and learn the songs again, so I'll go for that.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

That's fair. Is that the album? I mean, obviously, if it's like you mentioned, because it's a bit more recent, it's the album you'd rather do. But is that the album you prefer between the two?

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Or um no, I don't think I would say that. I think for me those those two are probably equal. I mean, if I'm being probably probably enjoy, I don't know. I'm setting guessing myself as I'm as I'm sort of saying it. But uh I think I think what that indicates is is probably that they're that they are neck and neck, and I'm trying to differentiate them, but um actually not able to. So uh no, they're very much very much equal in my mind. I I I would quite like, I would I would quite be interested in in actually performing uh one of the other records in full, casually dressed, and ours are the only two records that we have performed in full. I think I'm right in saying that. I'm pretty sure that I am. So it would be it would be nice. I mean, and it if we were to do Tales and Tell Thems, for example, it would be it would have a really different feel to it, the set. It would be a different, different kind of set, uh, which I would find quite interesting. So yeah, maybe one day, another anniversary coming up in a year or two.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Fingers crossed. Really hope so. I mean, obviously, I don't want to say that because I don't know, you know, like you know, I don't want to be pressuring you to be like, hey, you must do more shows and must perform all these albums in full.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

No, no, that's it. I mean, this is the nice thing is we don't feel any pressure and we don't have any really, because we're not promoting a release or um have any pressure from a record label or management or anything like that, really. It's just as and when we want to play, we do. Always has to be something that's new for us at this stage, really, for us to do it. And um, and certainly for me, 2000 Trees is that it's a it's a festival I've always loved. I've um had lots of bands, you know, management clients play there over the years and always loved going to the festival. Uh always really enjoyed it and um always thought to myself that I'd I'd yeah I'd quite like to play it one day. So so to be given the opportunity to headline it, it was um, yep, we'll do that. That'll be the one thing that we do this year, and that's absolutely fine with me. Very nice. No, it's super exciting.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

Okay, last one. Would you rather listen to one song forever or any song but one time only? Oh, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

That's a good question. Yeah, I think I think it'd have to be any song but one time only, I think. Yeah, I think um I think that could probably last me forever. But even thinking about that, it's such a horrible thought. It's such a yeah. Would I would I then forget that song then? Or would I would I be able to sing it to myself or play it, I wonder? And start the band and play it. Maybe that's the cheat. Maybe that's the um yeah, that's the hack. Yeah, I wouldn't be able to hear her again, but um I would um yeah, there you go. I'd I'd I'd get the band to learn it and we could just play it then anytime I wanted. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

How but like I mean, would you be able to learn it without hearing it again? Hearing it that one time.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

Do you know what? I guess if it was a new song, I'd be like, ah, that's fine. I don't need to hear it again. As long as I can listen to I'll be able to learn all my favourites anyway. I think you know, they're still in my head. So yeah, that would be my answer. I would just just just the once, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

Fair. I do I personally think that is the right answer. But if you were to only if it were only one song that you could hear forever and nothing else, what would that song be if you had to choose?

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Um, I don't know, maybe Bohemian Rhapsody, is that's a bit of a bit of a journey. I get my I get my ballad fix, I get my rock fix, I get my opera fix, I get a list, a bit of solo in there, get a bit of punk rock in there.

SPEAKER_02 21:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Bohemian rhapsody, I think. I would I would yeah, I don't mind. I would say it's probably the it could certainly be considered the the best song ever written. I'd I'd I would say it would have to be up there in the uh in the conversation.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

No, I don't I think I think that's completely reasonable. And like you mentioned, it's a bit of a journey, it's not stale. You know, even now it's still like re you know, people would love that song now, even though it's been written 50, 40 years ago. You know, like that's and it doesn't get it doesn't get old, it doesn't get boring, and it's like you mentioned a journey. So I think, yeah, I think that's a fair shout. Okay, cool. Thanks for answering this with your other questions. All right. What's the second song that you've chosen for the full song?

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Okay, second song I'm going to choose is Hallowed Be Thy Name by Iron Maiden. I'm gonna choose that one. And again, I'm able to keep the old cliffhanger as to why I think to the next one. Yeah, I mean, again, like Sabbath Maiden, one of my very favorite bands growing up. I remember one of my earliest sort of musical memories was uh was revising for some early exams in school, and uh my friend at the time lending me a copy of Live After Death before I'd before I'd been to any uh sort of live rock or or metal shows and um just absolutely loving that album and um it just sort of turning me on to live heavy music really. And soon after I went to my um started going to rock and metal concerts and it completely changed my life. I mean, absolutely changed my life in in just so many different ways. And um I suppose a mini full circle moment in itself is is then growing up to with Funeral for a Friend, one of our first big tours on our first record was was going out and supporting iMaden across across Europe and the UK. It was it was it was just us and them. We were the sole support band. They'd invited us out, which was such a such an honor and a privilege. And that every night, pretty much every night, yeah. I mean, uh I would I would say that we would play our set, come off stage, have a quick shower, and uh I would just make my way to the front of house mixing desk and sit there and watch Iron Maiden as a fan every single night on that tour. Most of the nights, their manager Rod Smallwood, uh legendary manager, he was uh, and at the time he was he was our co-manager as well. He would he would be sat up there on the mixing console with a with a cooler full of uh Corona beers, and uh just got such vivid memories of of sitting up there with him and uh sharing a uh you know on a maybe not a nightly basis, but certainly most nights, sharing the old crate of uh Corona and watch watching I and Maiden. And um, yeah, just really, really, really good memories. And it's um again, it would that would probably be up there in the conversation of songs that um that I could listen to forever if it was just one, because that's you know a big big epic. Um I think one of the one of the things Maiden have always been really, really great at is you know dynamically building up a song from a place. Uh and I think you know that's that's one of the best examples of that that particular song. And um one of my one of my very favourite maiden songs. So um so I'll go with that one.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

Very nice. Iron Maiden, Hallowed Be Thy Name, the second song on the full circle. And I I mean this, I don't know if it's gonna be a bit of a shock, but only only this month had I actually seen Iron Maiden for the first time. I went to Rock and Ring earlier this in June. And I don't know, I'm um they were incredible. I can't, I I'm so I don't know why I haven't seen them before, to be honest. Like they're just epic. It was just an epic set. His voice is still on point. So so good. Um, I think he said in the interview actually, he will he'll he will stop only once he thinks he can't perform at that level that he could before. Like, so I think and and it's and I can see that. Like here's the performance was epic and it was just a spectacle. And I know they're doing, I mean, it's the day after your headline show, isn't it? That they're at Nebworth Park.

SPEAKER_00 25:43

Yeah, oh there you go. It is, yes, it is, yeah, yeah. I'd love to be able to get to that, but um I'll be at I'll be at Trees the day after as well. So yeah, I'll be I'll be spending the weekend at Trees, really. It's uh it's not too far from me here in in Cardiff. So um yeah, but um I'm glad you well, I'm glad you got to see them while uh was while while they're still touring. And and yeah, huge respect to as you as you say with with Bruce Dickinson, he's still firing on all cylinders. And um and when Nickel McBrain, the drummer, uh made that decision to step away from the band recently, you know, huge respect for that. He had uh you know, he'd been quite ill and had some health challenges. And as soon as he recognized that uh he wasn't able to, and I'm just repeating the things that he said regarding this, but as soon as he felt that he wasn't able to perform in the same way and give to give the maiden fans the show that they came to expect, then he stepped away. And um, yeah, I have a lot of respect for for that. But uh as you say, still a fantastic live band these days. So uh my my um advice for anyone who hasn't seen Nine Maiden would be to certainly take that opportunity before it's too late.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

Oh, 100%, 100%. Right, Ryan. I've got a quiz. I'm sorry about the name, but it but it but it'll make sense. It's called Rich Ryan said this. Now it's either, now it's either yourself, Ryan Richards, or um Hollywood superstar, Ryan Reynolds. Um, obviously he's got a Welsh connection. I don't know how big you're into football. I know he's he's got a Welsh connection because obviously of Wrexham. I don't know what your views are on that or uh if you have any.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, firstly, I love the show. I do watch the show religiously. Uh I think it's great because I yeah, I am a huge football fan. I go to every Wales game. You know, I I love traveling away with Wales when I can, um, which is less and less these days with with how busy things are. And then I, you know, I live really close to Cardiff City Football Club as well, and um done a lot of things with with them and they're my you know my local team here. But uh, but yeah, it's great, it's great to see what they've what they've done for Rex M Fc, you know, what they've done for them, what they what they've done for the team, what they've done for the town, and also what they've done for for Wales, really, I think, because where you know anyone who's watched the show will sort of uh appreciate that uh they that they've really shared a lot of or shone a light on a lot of uh Welsh culture and Welsh issues. And um it's been really I think you know educational. I would I I would think for people um certainly in the US, for example, who may be um well that that I've found from experience uh not all that familiar with uh with Wales and just well most times assume that it's a part of England or that it's you know that Will Wales is a city or whatever whatever it may be. It is uh there's not a great yeah, the I guess the the education in terms of what of Wales and the history has hasn't been great. Um but yeah, throughout the series it's been it's been really really cool seeing them dive into all that. Uh not just local stuff around Wrexham, but the but the whole history of Wales and the language and and you know everything else. It's it's been really cool. So yeah, I'm I'm I'm a big fan of of Welcome to Wrexham and just you know good to see the positive things that it's done for Wales.

SPEAKER_01 29:19

No, that's completely fair. And I think in the first week of the championship, I think it is actually Cardiff versus Wrexham. It is first game. It it is Are you gonna go?

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, yeah. I mean, we um because we actually as of qu as of quite recently now work with um Neck Deep as well. You know, they're Wrexham, you know, they're front from Wrexham based, and um a couple of those guys are really big Wrexham fans, so uh we'll we'll make a we'll make an event of that. It'll be it'll be really cool.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

Okay, so I've got four four quotes, and you've just got to guess if it's you or if it's uh Ryan Reynolds. I was saying that right? Reynolds, Reynolds, I don't know. Reynolds?

SPEAKER_02 30:06

There you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

Reynolds, yeah. Okay, here's the first one. Right. I guess we'd better get serious.

SPEAKER_00 30:13

I don't think I've ever said that. Um uh my wife will tell you, yeah. Um I don't think yeah, I've ever been well, well, yes. I mean, I I suppose I had semi-serious to to run a management company, but uh doesn't sound like something I would say. And now you're probably gonna tell me that it is something I said.

SPEAKER_01 30:34

Yes, it is something you said.

SPEAKER_00 30:36

Well, there you go then. Maybe I was maybe I was serious in my younger years then.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

I don't ever remember being all that serious in my younger years, but I don't apparently this was you uh say when when Kerrang put you in a feature calling you the most exciting new band on the planet. That is then what you said in response to that.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

Oh wow, okay. Fair enough. Fair enough. Um what do I say to that? Uh have I been was that my was I misquoted in the press? Um no, no. I I'll I'll I'll say that that that could have been true. Maybe maybe that was um some sort of youthful bravado, perhaps. I was um I suppose we did get serious. We you know made some uh some good records and did a lot of touring. I'll tell well, maybe I should take the credit for that then for uh making sure that everyone was was was serious and uh working hard. Yeah, it was it was all it was all down to me. They there's the headline. All all the success was down to me for getting everyone in line, being serious. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 31:35

100%. Is that your ethos then? I mean it sounds like it is, right?

SPEAKER_00 31:39

Apparently. Apparently, yeah, according to Koran. Maybe I'll need to start adopting that one. I need to I need to stop with all the uh the merriment and the uh and the and the hijinks and uh yeah get serious.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

I think so. All right, all right, next one. We brought the fire, both literally and figuratively.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

Ooh. Might I have said that about Download Festival 2024. We put yeah, we play because we played Download Festival in 2024. We headlined this the second stage on the on the Saturday, and we did actually bring a fair bit of pyrotechnics on that one more than we ever had, because we were like, eh, why not? Uh we're at downloading a headlining stage. We should uh bring some fire. That is something that I could have said at that time, so I'm gonna go with it.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

Yes, and it's exactly the reason. Absolutely spot on. There you go. Very, very nice, very nice. And um, yeah, I mean, my favorite, my favorite food for a fan song. I know I know I'm you know massive fan, but my favorite foon for a fan song is All the Rage. And when you bought Charlie Simpson out, so it's just incredible. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 32:55

Yeah, that was uh that that that was that was fun. That was fun. Yeah, that was one of my favorite shows. We really, really enjoyed that. Brought the fire. There you go. Times two.

SPEAKER_01 33:05

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly, exactly. Uh, I wonder what Charlie's doing these days. Right, next one. Any kind of crisis is good, it wakes you up.

SPEAKER_00 33:14

Hmm. Okay. Um I don't in particularly enjoy crises. I'm not sure how to come up with that one. I can see that I can see that being see that being a commentary from Welcome to Wrexham if uh the the team perhaps started in not a very good uh way at the beginning of the season. I don't know. Am I right?

SPEAKER_01 33:38

You're right that it's not you. Apparently, Ryan Reynolds was talking about his divorce of Scarlett Johansson.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

Oh, right, okay. All right then. Um could have been fuckwall, couldn't it?

SPEAKER_01 33:49

Um yeah, I mean any kind of crisis, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, yeah. I I know I know Wrexham didn't have the best of starts the season last year. Needed waking up, potentially. But fair enough, that that one works too, getting divorced, yeah. Would you say you see, but you've got sort of an opposite view on that, would you say? Um I could quite happily live without crises, I think. Um I mean if they if they um if they come along then we deal with them as best we can. We try to do our best to avert a crisis by staying ahead of the game. Yeah, so I'd rather preemptively avert a crisis than having to endure one to wake me up. I'd rather just stay awake anyway, I think would be the best philosophy.

SPEAKER_01 34:49

Oh, yeah, I agree. I can sort of understand where he's coming from in the sense that sometimes you need like a quote unquote wake-up call. So sometimes something might happen, and then suddenly you're like, oh my goodness, I now need to to do to act on this. And I and I can understand that, but you're right, it's better to sort of not need that and hope that that doesn't happen. But I think I understand what he's saying about that one. Yeah. Okay, last one. I'm not really keen on it. It's just one of those things.

SPEAKER_00 35:15

Well, hmm was he maybe referring to being married to Scarlett Johansson? I have said that about things. I mean, I could have said that. Um I could have said it about or could I have said that about many things, really. I'm trying to trying to trying to think of one. Um I could have said it, but I'm gonna say I didn't.

SPEAKER_01 35:42

So it was you that said it. Oh. And please do forgive me for this. I thought I had written down what you'd said, uh, why you said it, but stupidly I didn't. But for my for my memory, it was to do with a music video. And the music video was I think you guys playing in like a pub or like a place where people were just dancing and being jolly, and the song that the music video was for was the complete opposite theme. It was about like sadness, uh yes, and and you weren't very happy about that.

SPEAKER_00 36:18

Yeah, I think that was a I think that was a track called Wrench.

SPEAKER_01 36:22

Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_00 36:23

Yeah, and the video was not very good. Yeah, that's that's what that was. It could have just as easily been the Belgian practice of um putting mayonnaise on top of French fries, could have been that, you know, quite as easily, to be honest. Uh how good, how good.

SPEAKER_01 36:41

Sorry sorry, sorry, sorry. So so putting mayonnaise on top of French fries, that's just not for you.

SPEAKER_00 36:47

Well, as I'm not a fan of it, but it is what it is. Yeah, I won't I won't not eat them, but I'd rather that the mayonnaise wasn't on there. Um so there you go there. I mean, you know, I I can that philosophy works for that as well.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

No, but are you a ketchup guy or no sauce guy?

SPEAKER_00 37:10

Ketchup, yeah. Um I'm I'm I'm a pretty big sauce guy in general, really. I've got quite a well, at any one time I've quite a big selection of sauces at my disposal at home. I'll have a nice hot sauce or a barbecue sauce or a bit of hot honey maybe or just yeah, any sauce really. If I'm going out and having, I suppose not if I'm having like a an a nice meal, I might just sort of just leave it as it is and I need to, but you know, if I'm just going out for like whatever burger and chips or pizza or you know, whatever it might be some um, yeah, I'm just reaching for the source every single time. Yeah. The more exotic, the better. I love finding a nice new source. One of my favorite things in life is going to food festivals, um, like farmers' markets and stuff, and just going around, you know, sampling all different chutneys and sauces and everything. It's one of my favorite things in in life, period. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

I I I genuinely thought that with your mayor, if your mayo comment, you weren't into sources at all. But complete opposite. Complete opposite.

SPEAKER_00 38:20

Yeah, no, I think I think I think mayo is possibly my least favorite sauce. Yeah, which I didn't uh didn't like having for a while. And like my daughter's vegan, and um she's got like a really nice vegan mayonnaise that she buys, and uh I enjoy that a bit more because I'm not a big fan of eggs. I don't really like eggs, and um the fact that it's made without eggs allows me to sort of philosophically enjoy the mayonnaise experience more than I might have.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

So that's fair. What I was gonna ask was obviously you mentioned about that music video for wrench not being keen about and obviously not like having Mayo on chips, but was there anything from Freedom for Friend or from management that happened where you would have maybe said something like that? You know, I'm not really keen that happened, but it's just one of those.

SPEAKER_00 39:10

Uh I mean, yeah, probably a lot. Um as a band member, I was at times probably the the type of band member that gives managers sleepless nights and nightmares in that just sort of overthink everything and be super fussy about things and just always finding fault with something. And it's just the way my brain works, which is uh I think maybe sto stood me in good stead as a manager, really, is is my my brain is just you know, there's just things bouncing around all the time. And uh if someone's managing me, then I'm probably the biggest pain in the ass there is. Um but then on the other side of the coin, uh I like to think anyway that because my mind sort of works that way, then um I'm across details and always thinking about things that I can then fix and then and don't have to worry about that too much. Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_01 40:14

That's interesting, yeah. Because I guess, yeah, now that you're doing the role as a manager, I guess, do you sometimes are like, Oh, I wish I didn't act, I wish I wasn't like that to the managers, or no, actually, I've learned from that.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

Oh, yeah, yeah. And and I've said that to our old manager a few times, like, oh sorry for being such a pain in the ass. Uh fine. Like, no, no, I was uh so you know.

SPEAKER_01 40:41

It's one of those. I mean, like you don't you said it's to do with the way your brain works and it's how you felt at the time, but I guess it's I'm glad you're able to sort of reflect on it and maybe sort of see it from the other other lens.

SPEAKER_00 40:51

Yeah, especially since becoming a manager, then yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 40:54

Yeah, yeah. Thanks for so much for taking part. You actually got two out of four, but but that's not not bad.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

It's all right, yeah. 50-50. That's okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Uh okay, let's wrap things up. What's the last song you've chosen for the full circle and how does it link? How does how does it link back to the first one?

SPEAKER_00 41:16

Yeah, well, I was gonna choose a funeral for a friend song. Um, I wasn't sure which one. I'll go with all the rage though, because you said it was your favorite. I'm gonna go with that one. The reason I'm gonna choose a funeral for a friend song is because it does link everything up in that um everything I've told you now about Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden and everything else. Um after we'd had the chance to tour with Iron Maiden, um we went on a tour of our own, headlining, and we played a headline show in Belfast, Northern Ireland. And um uh around that show, uh Bruce Dickinson was um he was he was doing a sort of special uh radio broadcast because he at the time, and maybe he still is now, but he was uh presenter on on BBC Radio, uh, had his had his own show on the Bruce Dickinson show on there, and um we were gonna be there at the same time and he was gonna be covering that show. So he suggested, oh, since I'm there, why don't we perform a song together um at the show? Which we were like, well, yeah, that would be that would be incredible. That would be amazing. What would you want to do? Would it be like a maiden song or something like that? I was like, no, I'd like to, if you guys are up for it, do a cover of Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. So he's like, well, well, yeah, absolutely. And we did. And um, and for you know, for so many, for for so many of the reasons that I that I mentioned to you on on the maiden side and the Sabbath side, it was just such a mind-blowing, full circle thing that we got to do that, and we and we we performed that with him on the night, which was uh really, really cool. Such a such a massive highlight in my career. We got to do it once again with him as well. Um for his show. We went and did a version at um Made Avail Studios in London. We actually did uh it was ourselves and um Raging Speedhorn were the musical guests that day, and we we did this big sort of bastardized version of the song where both bands were playing it at the same time and Bruce was singing it, and yeah, it was it was super cool. But um, but there there is there is a recording on YouTube of um of the uh of the live performance of us with um with Bruce Dickinson in um in Belfast. So that was really, really cool and um very much a full circle moment. So the reason I chose a funeral song is because funeral playing that night and got to got to do what we do. We did.

SPEAKER_01 44:00

Wow. What sorry. Incredible. Fun of Friend, all the rage, the last song on the full circle. Hence completing the full circle. Yes. Excellent.

SPEAKER_00 44:11

On the fly too.

SPEAKER_01 44:12

Yes. On the fly. You made it seem like it was like planned.

SPEAKER_00 44:17

Yes. Yes. Yes. That's um a skill that a musician has to learn fair fairly early. Um so I'm glad I've still got still got it.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

Excellent stuff. And obviously, everyone should go to 2000 trees and check out Food of a Friend. But was there anything else that you wanted to share with a full circle nation before we wrap things up, Ryan?

SPEAKER_00 44:40

Um, no, just really, really looking forward to 2000 Trees. As I said earlier, it's a festival that I really love going to. So I'm really looking forward to playing it. And I am really looking forward also seeing so many of the other bands on the bill as well. I think um it's it's a really, really cool uh lineup. And it's always a great time. It's uh for those who haven't been, it's such an incredible location for a festival and really family friendly too. The vibes are impeccable, so uh certainly advised. Not just because we're there, uh just go and have a nice time in 2003. It's a great festival.

SPEAKER_01 45:15

Oh, for sure, for sure. Please do go if you can. It's just gonna be a great weekend. Thank you so, so much, Ryan, for coming for coming on. It's been an absolute honor to have you on. Thank you so much, and uh, and I wish you all the best, yeah. Take care.

SPEAKER_00 45:27

Thank you. Cheers, Dev.

SPEAKER_01 45:29

How incredible was Ryan Richards, a top guy, and I cannot thank him enough for coming on the full circle. An absolute honor, an absolute legend, both in the music industry from his drumming and his screaming and just performing for Finn with a friend, and also in the management scene. What an absolute legend. If you are in the area, if you are free this Friday, by this Friday, I mean Friday, the 10th of July 2026. If you're hearing this down the line, then it's a bit too late for you. But if you are hearing this before Friday, the 10th of July, catch them out of 2000 Trees. And for those of you who are already going to 2000 Trees, I hope you have the best time seeing Funeral for a Friend and all the other acts. Let me know who you're most looking forward to. Obviously, the answers Funeral for a Friend, right? If you're still listening to this, you can move on now because Ryan has left, so it's all good nub and he messing. Thank you for listening. It means so, so much. I know I say this quite often, especially at the end of the show, but I've learned that actually giving ratings and rating the shows wherever you hear it actually really helps. I've unfortunately have had some guests that were interested or management were interested or PR are interested. And then when they've seen maybe, maybe my ratings are just lower than maybe some other podcasts they've decided, not in terms of the scoring, but just in terms of how many people have rated it, they just say, nah, don't want to be on it, which is such a shame because there's some interest and it goes. So look, if you are listening to this, especially if you listen to it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, if you can just rate the show, that would just be incredible. And obviously, I can't speak for what number you should give it, but ideally five. Five is is the ideal number, if that's okay. And if you're an Apple Podcast, if you're listening to another podcast, feel free to leave a comment as well. Because again, ideally a positive comment. You can give a negative comment, I don't mind, but ideally a positive comment. And I will read, if I do get a positive comment, I will read them. Maybe not negative comments, but if I do get a positive comment, I will read it on a future podcast episode. Now, for those of you who have been here a long time, you know how it always end the show, but I always have to leave a little disclaimer in case someone's listening to this once, one and done, and they're like, what is this all about? So for those of you who haven't heard this before, I always say this catchphrase at the end of the show because of my Hindu background and it's tongue in cheek. But if you do it, let me know. Just remember this stay safe, don't eat beef.