On August 19th, Neil and Chris meet by chance in an electronics shop on the Kings Road. Realizing they have a common interest in dance music, they begin to write together. Initially they call themselves West End; later they come up with the name Pet Shop Boys, a name derived from some friends who work in a pet shop in Ealing. “We thought it sounded like an English rap group”.
Neil attends an invitation-only live set by Depeche Mode at a South London TV studio. The DM performance, in which they debut tracks from their soon-to-be-released album Ultra, is videotaped for later broadcast on MTV.
Chris begins work in a London studio (sans Neil, but assisted by Pete Gleadall) on the music for ‘Nine Out of Ten.’
The Boys tape their appearance on Later… with Jools Holland, to be aired two days from now. They perform four songs.
They work on several tracks, including their first attempt at the old Madness song ‘My Girl.’
The CNN website runs a story about how the Pet Shop Boys had rejected a recent request by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) that they change their name to the ‘Rescue Shelter Boys’ as a gesture toward educating the public about the downside of pet shops. CNN even makes it the subject of a poll on the home page of their website.
Chris and Neil attend Boy George’s show this evening at London’s Leicester Square Theatre. Afterwards George writes on Twitter, ‘Lovely to see the Pet Shop Boys tonite. Neil is looking über well and Chris is still a lovely rascal!’