From Madchester to Manc-hattan – new book to tell tale of changing city

A first-hand account of Manchester’s rise as a global city is to be published in February.

Manchester Unspun by journalist and PR man Andy Spinoza will tell the inside story of Manchester’s shifting political, business and media landscape. 

Published by Manchester University Press the book is part memoir, part history, from a key player in many of the events that shaped the city. 

Spinoza offers first hand insights into encounters with a who’s who of Manchester personalities, from cultural icons such as Tony Wilson to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He also observes how civic leaders like Sir Richard Leese and Sir Howard Bernstein wield their extraordinary power, both in the Town Hall and in the business world, notably at the property showcase of MIPIM.

Spinoza enjoyed a forty-year career in the Manchester media, firstly as a co-founder of the edgy what’s on magazine City Life in 1983, then as diary editor of the Manchester Evening News and latterly as managing director of SKV Communications, founded originally as Spin Media in 1998.

The book charts the shifts in the media in the city, noting the launch of TheBusinessDesk.com as an agile competitor to established regional outlets.

Broadcast journalist Michael Crick who has read an early draft of the book said: “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.”