Mancunians: Where Do We Start, Where Do I Begin? - Hardcover

by David Scott (Author)

In the late 1990s, Manchester was a city in upheaval. The devastation of the IRA bomb and the closure of the notorious Haçienda nightclub were seismic events that rocked the city's confidence at a time when identikit bands were flooding its clubs and bars, fuelled on anthemic guitar rock and swagger. Stereotypes were everywhere, while the spirit of Manchester was silently suffocating.

Mancunians: Where do we start, where do I begin? is the story of those who didn't fit the typecast: the musicians of colour, the football fans alienated by rampant commercialism, frustrated public figures, optimistic developers and ambitious artists.

Through a mixture of memoir and interviews with well-known Mancunians such as Guy Garvey, Tunde Babalola, Sylvia Tella, Badly Drawn Boy and Stan Chow, David Scott portrays the city at the turn of the century in a way never seen before.

Back Jacket

'Witty and wise ... Mancunians is everything a book about Mancunians should be.'
Daniel Harris, The Guardian

'A great read from one of Manchester's finest wordsmiths.'
Clint Boon

'An honest love letter to the city.'
Christine Bottomley

'A touching and brilliant balance of the personal and the popular, from a time when there was so much change in the city.'
Mr Scruff

In the late 1990s, Manchester was a city in upheaval. The devastation of the IRA bomb and the closure of the infamous Ha?ienda nightclub were seismic events that rocked the city's confidence at a time when identikit bands were flooding its clubs and bars, fuelled on anthemic guitar rock and swagger. Stereotypes were everywhere, while the spirit of Manchester was silently suffocating.

Mancunians: Where do we start, where do I begin? is the story of those who didn't fit the typecast: the musicians of colour, the football fans alienated by rampant commercialism, frustrated public figures, optimistic developers, and ambitious artists.

Through a mixture of memoir and interviews with well-known Mancunians such as Guy Garvey, Tunde Babalola, Sylvia Tella, Badly Drawn Boy, and Stan Chow, David Scott portrays the city at the turn of the century in a way never seen before.

Author Biography

David Scott is a father, author, poet, musician and BBC presenter. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian and Politiken. He was born, raised and lives in Manchester.