Don't Look Back In Anger
The rise and fall of Cool Britannia, told by those who were there
Published on 5. September 2019
Book
Hardback
528 pages
978-1-4091-8071-5 (ISBN)
Description
'A grade, A list oral history' The Sunday Times
'Eminently, moreishly readable' The New Statesmen
'A rollicking read' Mail on Sunday
'Entertaining' Observer
The nineties was the decade when British culture reclaimed its position at the artistic centre of the world. Not since the 'Swinging Sixties' had art, comedy, fashion, film, football, literature and music interwoven into a blooming of national self-confidence. It was the decade of Lad Culture and Girl Power; of Blur vs Oasis. When fashion runways shone with British talent, Young British Artists became household names, football was 'coming home' and British film went worldwide. From Old Labour's defeat in 1992 through to New Labour's historic landslide in 1997, Don't Look Back In Anger chronicles the Cool Britannia age when the country united through a resurgence of patriotism and a celebration of all things British.
But it was also an era of false promises and misplaced trust, when the weight of substance was based on the airlessness of branding, spin and the first stirrings of celebrity culture. A decade that started with hope then ended with the death of the 'people's princess' and 9/11 - an event that redefined a new world order.
Through sixty-eight voices that epitomise the decade - including Tony Blair, John Major, Noel Gallagher, Damon Albarn, Tracey Emin, Keith Allen, Meera Syal, David Baddiel, Irvine Welsh and Steve Coogan - we re-live the epic highs and crashing lows of one of the most eventful periods in British history. Today, in an age where identity dominates the national agenda, Don't Look Back In Anger is a necessary and compelling historical document.
'Eminently, moreishly readable' The New Statesmen
'A rollicking read' Mail on Sunday
'Entertaining' Observer
The nineties was the decade when British culture reclaimed its position at the artistic centre of the world. Not since the 'Swinging Sixties' had art, comedy, fashion, film, football, literature and music interwoven into a blooming of national self-confidence. It was the decade of Lad Culture and Girl Power; of Blur vs Oasis. When fashion runways shone with British talent, Young British Artists became household names, football was 'coming home' and British film went worldwide. From Old Labour's defeat in 1992 through to New Labour's historic landslide in 1997, Don't Look Back In Anger chronicles the Cool Britannia age when the country united through a resurgence of patriotism and a celebration of all things British.
But it was also an era of false promises and misplaced trust, when the weight of substance was based on the airlessness of branding, spin and the first stirrings of celebrity culture. A decade that started with hope then ended with the death of the 'people's princess' and 9/11 - an event that redefined a new world order.
Through sixty-eight voices that epitomise the decade - including Tony Blair, John Major, Noel Gallagher, Damon Albarn, Tracey Emin, Keith Allen, Meera Syal, David Baddiel, Irvine Welsh and Steve Coogan - we re-live the epic highs and crashing lows of one of the most eventful periods in British history. Today, in an age where identity dominates the national agenda, Don't Look Back In Anger is a necessary and compelling historical document.
Reviews / Votes
A rollicking read....a tale of hedonism and opportunism, of great hope and dashed expectations * MAIL ON SUNDAY * A grade, A list oral history...through this shifting, twisting narrative, Rachel creates a potent record * THE SUNDAY TIMES * Entertaining * OBSERVER * Rachel proves himself, again, the Studs Terkel of British pop political movements, delivering a brilliantly polyphonic pop-cultural history of Britain in the 1990s. Provoking a heady stew of memories for those who lived through it, and acting as a primer for the era for those who missed out, Don't Look In Anger conveys something of the hope, energy, optimism and egalitarianism that seemed to abound then. Things we could perhaps do with rather more of right now -- Travis Elborough, author of THE ATLAS OF IMPROBABLE PLACES Eminently, moreishly readable * THE NEW STATESMAN * We guarantee, this will change the way you think about the era you lived through * DAVID HEPWORTH * The tumult, the triumph and the toilery of the 90s...a who's who of the decade, chocked full of anecdotes from all the runners and riders -- SHAUN KEAVENY * BBC 6 MUSIC * I read this book its really good if you are interested in the 1990s * ALAN MCGEE * Book of the Week * GUARDIAN * Such a good speaker - precise and thoughtful and funny - and full of great theories and stories. Daniel's got an enviable knack of being able to explain really complicated analysis very clearly. It's so original to read about the 90s that takes in all those different perspectives - politics, art, sport, media etc. - and doesn't just paint a picture of a heap of cocaine with Noel Gallagher in the middle of it -- MARK ELLEN, author of ROCK STARS STOLE MY LIFE! A fascinating step back to right before the web, smartphones and streaming changed the face of culture * STYLIST * I tore through it, savouring every high and low point of this hazy, hard-to-define epoch * EVENING STANDARD * The story of Cool Britannia: from the ecstasy fuelled euphoria of the summer of love to the moment the serotonin ran out -- TOM SUTCLIFFE * BBC RADIO 4 * I very much enjoyed reminiscing with Daniel about the 90s and the extraordinarily rich and diverse period for British culture. The political landscape was also interesting as I recall! - a great book * TONY BLAIR * An excellent book, superbly put together. I absolutely devoured it -- CHRIS WARBURTON * BBC RADIO 5 LIVE * [An] absorbing oral history of the 1990s * METRO, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2019 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 50 mm
Weight
811 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4091-8071-5 (9781409180715)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Daniel Rachel
Don't Look Back In Anger
The rise and fall of Cool Britannia, told by those who were there
E-Book
09/2019
1st Edition
TRAPEZE
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Solihull-born Daniel Rachel is a regular contributor on BBC Radio 5 Live and lives in north London with his partner and three children. He is the author of Isle of Noises (a Guardian and NME Book of the Year), Walls Come Tumbling Down (winner of the Penderyn Music Book prize), When Ziggy Played the Marquee by Terry O'Neill (editor) and co-writer of Ranking Roger's autobiography I Just Can't Stop It: My Life in The Beat.
www.danielrachel.com
www.facebook.com/danielrachelbooks
@danielrachel
www.danielrachel.com
www.facebook.com/danielrachelbooks
@danielrachel