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History

July 1975

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.

On this day

1987

Chris and Neil are winding up a three-week stint in South London and Clacton filming It Couldn’t Happen Here.

1994

The Pet Shop Boys perform in Mexico City for a second night.

2006

Continuing their post-touring vacation, Neil and Chris enjoy an evening as spectators at a Mexican wrestling match at the Monterrey Coliseo.

2009

The Boys perform in Thessaloniki, Greece.

2010

Neil and Chris are interviewed on Matthew Rudd’s Q Radio show, during which records by other artists selected by them are also played. The most delightful surprise to this writer? — Bob Lind’s big 1966 folk-pop hit ‘Elusive Butterfly.’

2011

London department store Fortnum & Mason unveils their 2011 Christmas window decorations. The store’s creative director, Paul Symes, tells an interviewer that this year’s display is inspired by the Pet Shop Boys’ music video for ‘What Have I Done to Deserve This?’ He points out, ‘We’ve been very careful to stay on the glamorous side and not stray into anything seedy.’

2014

The Boys are in Punta Del Este, Uruguay in preparation for their concert there the following evening.

2015

As noted a few days later on their official Facebook page, Chris and Neil pay a backstage ‘surprise visit’ this evening ‘before the final curtain call’ to the cast of the revival of their musical Closer to Heaven at London’s Union Theatre.

2017

The Boys are in Berlin. Today they work on a new song, ‘Only the Dark,’ after which they visit an electrical shop called Saturn.