The Talk Of Liverpool: 33 years of conversations with my heroes (and some villains!)

The Talk of Liverpool is a unique record of life in one of the world's most talked about cities across four headline-making decades. Paddy Shennan covered the biggest subjects and talked to people who dominated Merseyside life between the 1980s and the present day. A master of the big interview, he is a leading authority on high-profile news stories including Hillsborough, the murder of James Bulger and the abduction of Madeleine McCann. But this compelling book also reveals its author to be a true all-rounder, capable of writing about any subject - including comedy (interviews with Ken Dodd, Alexei Sayle and many others), politics (the "Liverpool 47" and many others) and football (read how he upset Joe Royle and Jim Beglin but delighted Wayne Rooney's family and Barry Horne). Paddy had the pleasure of interviewing many of his heroes - including Tony Benn, Alan Bleasdale, Jean Alexander, Mark E. Smith of The Fall and Nigel Blackwell of Half Man Half Biscuit. He also relished variety; whether it be telling the stories of those who knew The Beatles best, going behind the scenes at Ann Summers or hearing the confessions of a funeral director. As Alastair Machray, his former editor, says: "Paddy is a simply brilliant writer who can bring any subject to life with a turn of phrase that is gifted and not learned. He has a rare ability to communicate with his audience despite that audience being an eclectic mix of ages, cultures and demographics. He writes with flair yet with insight, with humour yet with sensitivity; with courage yet with wisdom."