
All rise for Michael Cragg’s exhaustive and deliciously gossipy history of pop from that hallowed 1996-2006 era, when S Club didn’t stop moving and five boundary-busting wannabes were determined to spice up our lives. Told via an oral history format reminiscent of Daisy Jones & The Six, you’ll be impressed by the sheer number of stars Cragg has roped into dishing the dirt on their assent to the top of the charts.
And what a lot of tea there is spill, too. From the lads from 5ive getting into fisticuffs, to the reason why Sugababes’ members had such a short shelf life, to the rightfully bitter and blessedly NDA-free Steve Brookstein ratting out the salacious and often sickening behind-the-scenes machinations at The X Factor.
While some stories will already be familiar to diehard fans, the honest reflections on the day-to-day reality of what it takes to be a pop star should be a sobering surprise to most. Sure to become the definitive account of turn-of-the-millennium pop, it’s a must-read for anyone who spent hours learning the steps to Tragedy or still gets misty-eyed over the demise of Woolworths. As Blue would say, I rest my case.
Reach For The Stars, Michael Cragg (Nine Eight)
Price: £25. Info: here
words RACHEL REES
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