Beginning in 1994 and closing in the first months of 1998, the
UK passed through a cultural moment as distinct and as celebrated
as any since the war. Founded on rock music, celebrity, boom-time
economics, and fleeting political optimism, this was "Cool
Britannia." Records sold in the millions, a new celebrity elite
emerged, and Tony Blair''s Labour Party found itself returned to
government. Drawing on interviews from all the major bands
including Oasis, Blur, Elastica, and Suede, and from music
journalists, record executives, and those close to government,
Britpop! charts the rise and fall of the Britpop moment. In this
wonderfully engaging, page-turning narrative, John Harris,
currently the hottest young music journalist in the UK, argues that
the high point of British music''s cultural impact also signaled its
effective demise. After all, if rock stars were now friends of
government, how could they continue to matter? "Cool Britannia was
an empty promise that was bound to end in tears. John Harris
captures the moment when New Labour, desperately wanting to seem
hip, invited Britpop into Downing Street. Irresistible." -Billy
Bragg
關於作者:
John Harris is the author of Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the
Spectacular Demise of English Rock. His work has appeared in
Rolling Stone, Mojo, Q, the Guardian, NME, Select, and New
Statesman. He lives in Hay-on-Wye, England.