Don't Look Back In Anger
The rise and fall of Cool Britannia, told by those who were there
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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 Today, in an age where identity dominates the national agenda, Don't Look Back In Anger is a necessary and compelling historical document.
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 Today, in an age where identity dominates the national agenda, Don't Look Back In Anger is a necessary and compelling historical document.
- Published: Mar 18 2021
- Pages: 528
- 196 x 128mm
- ISBN: 9781409180722
Press Reviews
Travis Elborough, author of THE ATLAS OF IMPROBABLE PLACES
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
- MAIL ON SUNDAY
A rollicking read....a tale of hedonism and opportunism, of great hope and dashed expectations
- THE SUNDAY TIMES
A grade, A list oral history...through this shifting, twisting narrative, Rachel creates a potent record
- OBSERVER
Entertaining
- THE NEW STATESMAN
Eminently, moreishly readable
- DAVID HEPWORTH
We guarantee, this will change the way you think about the era you lived through
SHAUN KEAVENY
BBC 6 MUSICThe 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
- ALAN MCGEE
I read this book its really good if you are interested in the 1990s
- GUARDIAN
Book of the Week
MARK ELLEN, author of ROCK STARS STOLE MY LIFE!
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
- STYLIST
A fascinating step back to right before the web, smartphones and streaming changed the face of culture
- EVENING STANDARD
I tore through it, savouring every high and low point of this hazy, hard-to-define epoch
TOM SUTCLIFFE
BBC RADIO 4The story of Cool Britannia: from the ecstasy fuelled euphoria of the summer of love to the moment the serotonin ran out
- TONY BLAIR
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
CHRIS WARBURTON
BBC RADIO 5 LIVEAn excellent book, superbly put together. I absolutely devoured it
- METRO, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2019
[An] absorbing oral history of the 1990s