Bøker av Alex Hannaford

A long-time Austinite and journalist's exploration of the profound movements that have shaped Austin, Texas--charting the shifts within its vibrant music scene, the impact of rapid urbanization, and the challenges of gentrification--ultimately questioning what this city's transformation signals for American urban identity.Austin isn't what it used to be.This is a common sentiment amongst locals, offered with the same confused--and often disappointed--tone familiar to residents of Seattle, Portland, or San Francisco, where rapid growth and expansion have led to an urban identity crisis. Like those cities, Austin is known for its unique qualities: a thriving live music scene and housing affordability that historically made it a compelling home for creatives and self-described weirdos to roost. But now, as Big Tech infiltrates and climate change looms, Austin has become less familiar--and far less affordable.An exploration of the beloved city's evolution, Lost in Austin also serves as a critical exploration of the transformation that has befallen one of America's most beloved cities--and serves as a warning for what the homogenization of cities means for American urban identity. With a journalist's perspective and the heart of an Austinite, Alex Hannaford delves into the consequences of the city's rapid growth in chapters that chronicle the major movements permanently altering the city: a vanishing music scene, soaring property values, and the encroachment of major industry. Through keen reportage and extensive interviews, Lost in Austin unveils the toll of unchecked growth and the city's shift from its rebellious spirit to commercialization.Through those stories--vibrant, colorful, and clearly full of love for this city--Hannaford raises a crucial question: How do American cities, once celebrated for their unique values, became casualties of their own rapid growth and success? And can they ever return to what they once were?

Pete Doherty, erstwhile singer with The Libertines, is a British icon. Whether he is playing impromptu gigs in his front room or performing at Live 8, he possesses a sense of drama and expectation not seen in a performer since Sid Vicious. He is enigmatic, charismatic and thoroughly entertaining. Since leaving The Libertines, his life has become something of a rock 'n' roll soap opera where rumours of crack addiction abound, gossip about his relationship with Kate Moss is rife, and predictions for his future vary wildly.Written by Alex Hannaford, former rock and pop editor on the London Evening Standard, and with a brand new foreword by Pete's mum, Jackie Doherty, this is the definitive biography of Pete Doherty.