Manchester Unspun: Pop, Property and Power in the Original Modern City

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Description

Andy Spinoza came to Manchester as a student in the late 1970s and has lived in the city ever since. Working as a journalist, a publisher and a PR supremo, he has observed the vast changes wrought by local councils, national governments, quangos and institutions, as well as the people of Manchester and Salford themselves.

Manchester unspun begins in the post-industrial gloom of a city still bearing the scars of the Second World War and ends among the shiny towers of an aspiring twenty-first-century metropolis. Spinoza recounts the citys recent history through his dealings with council leaders Sir Richard Leese and Sir Howard Bernstein, football icons Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, David Beckham and Gary Neville, developers Fred Done, Tom Bloxham and Carol Ainscow and cultural figures such as Tony Wilson, Anna Friel, Lemn Sissay, Caroline Aherne and Mick Hucknall. The book is an insiders tale of deals done, government and corporate decision-making, nightclubs, music and entrepreneurs.

Reviews

There is a line from the song Natty Dread by Bob Marley that goes If a egg Natty inna de red. Marley is saying if there is life, then I will be at the centre of it. The same can be said of Andy Spinoza in Manchester. Over the past forty years, the most culturally significant period in Manchester's history, Spinoza has been witness to and chronicler of the rise and rise of this city. He always looked the part. He is a writer and journalist, and I am pretty sure that in his City Life column he had a trilby with a pencil tucked behind his ear and a notepad in his pocket. Every great city needs a great chronicler. We are lucky to have Andy. Read on.
Lemn Sissay

From Madchester and the Haienda to United and City, political intrigue and controversial property deals, Andy Spinoza reveals the inside story of modern Manchester. This is a fabulous, compelling book with a cast of larger-than-life characters Tony Wilson, Alex Ferguson, Mick Hucknall, Tom Bloxham, Carol Ainscow, Howard Bernstein, Caroline Aherne and Gary Neville among them. First as observer, then as participant, Andy has enjoyed a ring-side seat in the renaissance and development of Britain's most exciting city.
Michael Crick

Andy Spinoza knows the real story.
Jon Savage

Beautifully written a great read that feels important. The musical thread through the different eras is persuasive without feeling forced. This is an inspiring personal story, in which the power of Manchester rises from the page.
Paul Unger, Editor, Place North West

'A compelling retelling of the origin story of the original modern city.'
Thom Hetherington, Manchester Art Fair

'Its a fantastic book.'
Ian King, Sky News

'Youve got to buy a copy of this book, its a great read.. It really embraces the Manchester we see out of our windows today. The stories in it are just fantastic.'
Phil Trow, BBC Radio Manchester

'As books about Manchester go, there are plenty to choose from, but there are few as well sourced, well written and expansive as this one.'
Michael Taylor, The Business Desk NW

'Andy Spinoza has had a front row seat to the transformation of this city, and it really comes across in his magnificent book.'
Dr. Vikas Shah MBE, author of Thought Economics

'What a great read! At last someone who was there and knows, telling a fascinating story of a citys rebirth. Wonderfully written too I couldnt put it down once Id started.'
Michael Pickering, musician and DJ

Author Bio

Andy Spinoza moved to Manchester from London at eighteen and never looked back. An early member of the Haienda, he reported on the citys music scene for the NME and The Face. He founded alternative magazine City Life in 1983 and spent ten years as a gossip columnist for the Manchester Evening News. As boss of his own PR company, he promoted the dynamic post-industrial Manchester throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Married with three grown-up children, Andy lives in Stockport with his wife, Lynne.