Review
You'll run into them in every bar from LA to Bangkok: Northwest of England grafters, with fingers in every pie. Ian Hough is a terrific writer and our sharpest cultural commentator, and he charts the phenomenon of the clued-up lads-on-the-make abroad. If you're interested in British working-class culture, this is an essential read. --IRVINE WELSH, author of Trainspotting, The Acid House and Filth
Product Description
Perry Boys Abroad describes a long, crazy journey from British cities and towns to the exotic corners of the world. Smugglers, drug dealers, bricklayers, agricultural migrants and regular travellers on the Magic Bus to Athens all hit the road, during the heyday of casual culture. With Manchester s changing fashion and music scene as a backdrop to the oral memories of those included in this book, Ian Hough explains how the casual revolution pioneered many modern fashions and attitudes. Best-selling authors Colin Blaney and Cass Pennant are among those who tell their own stories of how Britain s designer football hooligans colonised foreign lands and waged war on their terrace rivals abroad. Others provide vivid tales of skulduggery, mayhem and the grafting of counterfeit designer clothes. Perry Boys Abroad illustrates how much times have changed. If you think casual culture was limited to fighting at football matches, think again. Author Ian Hough experienced the casual revolution at firsthand, travelling for long periods and working with other British expats in a variety of circumstances and cultures. Taking in the experiences of the post-rave Brits now living permanently in Australia, Thailand, America and Mexico, Perry Boys Abroad explores their lives, their adventures and their ultimate destiny as a dying breed.
About the Author
Ian Hough is from Manchester. His first book, Perry Boys, tracked the casual hooligan trend from its origins on northwest England s terraces to its later metamorphosis into the rave/ Madchester culture. A regular contributor to the Manchester United fanzine United We Stand, he currently lives in the United States.
