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 and Chris are in the studio working on ‘Positive Role Model.’
The Fundamental Tour comes to Miami Beach.
Still in Buenos Aires following their concert the night before, Chris and Neil watch television coverage of the funeral of former Boyzone singer Stephen Gately. On their official website they write, ‘We got to know him a few years ago and he was always such fun to be around. A very sweet guy gone far too soon.’ Later the Boys fly to Lima, Peru, where fans greet them at the airport. They are then driven directly to a TV studio for a live evening appearance on El Show de los Sueños (‘The Show of Dreams’). They perform two songs—‘Love etc.’ and ‘Always on My Mind’—and are interviewed by host Gisela Valcárcel.
They work all day in the studio on the song ‘Odd Man Out.’
Neil and Chris make a live appearance at the Rough Trade East record store in London to sign copies of an exclusive seven-inch vinyl single of ‘Leaving’ as well as copies of their most recent album Elysium.
Neil and Chris attend Cliff Richard’s concert this evening at London’s Royal Albert Hall. They share a box-seating section with Chris’s mother and sister.