’Slowly walking down the hall…’
Dylan Jones is a journalist and writer who currently serves as editor-in-chief of the London Evening Standard and who previously worked as editor of GQ magazine at the tail end of the ’90s. He has written a number of books about music taking in topics such as David Bowie, Jim Morrison and the impact of the iPod. Faster Than a Cannonball: 1995 and All That is a comprehensive deep dive into 1995 but also into the ’90s in general and the wider impact that the decade had on popular culture…
Part oral history and part historical retelling of the main events of the decade, Faster Than a Cannonball is probably the most overarching and extensive look at the ’90s out there. Yes, of course, Jones spends a lot of time on Britpop, but there are also substantial sections of the book devoted to fashion, politics, art, cinema and sport. This book, more than any other, really understands the impact and legacy of ‘Cool Britannia’ and why it spoke to the British psyche in a way that no other art movement had since Beatlemania. While it is quite London-centric, this is more a reflection of the period itself rather than an insularity on the part of the author, and the sheer range and breadth of contributors is astounding. Noel Gallagher, Tracy Emin, Tony Blair, Danny Boyle, Stuart Maconie… and the list goes on… and on.
Faster Than a Cannonball is not just a fascinating document of the last time the country felt truly united (with the possible exception of the Olympics in 2012 – an event that is covered in depth here), it is also the final word on why the culture of the decade has endured in such an all-encompassing way. If you only read one book about Cool Britannia, Britpop and the 90s in general. Make it this one.