Manchester's transformation is an epic tale - and Andy Spinoza is one of its characters. As a journalist in the 80s and 90s, he told the story of a cultural revolution.
That revolution helped attract developers with deep pockets - developers whose interests 'Spin' would represent as a PR guru. Now the story of that career, so closely entwined with the regeneration of Manchester - from post-industrial decline to a city of skyscrapers - has been told in a new book, Manchester Unspun.
It charts the evolution of a city - from punk to the pandemic. Here, the Manchester Evening News' Chief Reporter, Neal Keeling, takes a detailed look at Manchester's journey - through the eyes of a man who had a front row seat. Andy Spinoza arrived in Manchester in 1979 when it was, he says, "sliding into the dustbin of history".
I can relate to this. During the same year I was zipping over to the city regularly from Leeds on musty trains to see a certain nurse at Crumpsall Hospital.
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