After completing a degree in history at the Polytechnic of North London, Neil takes a job at Marvel Comics, anglicizing spellings and indicating where over-risque woman needed to be redrawn decently. While there he interviews comic fan Marc Bolan, who politely points out that his tape recorder wasn’t working. In 1977 he works at Macdonald Educational Publishing, later moving to ITV Books. In June 1982, he joins Smash Hits.
The Pet Shop Boys perform ‘You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk’ on Top of the Pops.
A video created by artist Wolfgang Tilmans for ‘Home and Dry’ debuts, focusing on mice filmed in the London subway. Originally it didn’t feature Neil and Chris at all, but they were later inserted for brief appearances.
The Boys are currently in Los Angeles working on their next album (as yet untitled) with the up-and-coming producer/engineer Andrew Dawson.
Drawing upon an old instrumental track Chris had composed a couple of years before, the Boys (who are currently in Berlin) begin writing ‘The Pop Kids.’
A mysterious week-long ‘What Is Super?’ promotional campaign begins with YouTube ads, a dedicated website, and posters in several European cities. (It will lead, seven days from now, to the announcement that the Pet Shop Boys’ new album, due April 1, will be titled Super.)
The Pet Shop Boys’ official website announces that they have donated a complete set of signed Catalogue: 1985–2012 vinyl albums and a signed limited edition of Neil’s book One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem for a charity auction benefitting the Elton John AIDS Foundation.