On February 28 the Pet Shop Boys begin a short, four-concert Russian tour, visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg, inspired by their visit to St. Petersburg to see Brian Eno the previous summer. In Moscow they perform twice in one night, once in a large arena then later in the middle of an over-crowded nightclub. The local media ask them whether they speak Russian, “We’re very good at saying ‘nyet’,” they explain.
On April 13, Twentieth Century Blues: The Songs of Noel Coward is released. It is an album of Noel Coward songs covered by contemporary musicians, co-compiled by Neil, who has been working on it for the past eighteen months. He has loved Noel Coward’s music since he first heard it in about 1970. “I think as a songwriter he’s slightly underrated,” Neil says, “simply because his plays are so famous, and people forget.” The Pet Shop Boys do a version of “Sail Away”, and amongst the other interpreters are Elton John, Paul McCartney, Suede, Robbie Williams and the Divine Comedy. “We tried to choose artists,” Neil explains, “who somehow seem to be in the Noel Coward tradition of wit, theatrically and style.” To promote the album, Neil appeared along on TFI Friday where he sang along with a busker playing Pet Shop Boys songs on an acoustic guitar.
At the request of their former American record company, the Pet Shop Boys agreed to the release of ‘Essential Pet Shop Boys’, a compilation of early Pet Shop Boys songs recorded between 1985 — 1990, including a number of rare remixes, as part of a series of limited edition CDs by other artists.
At the behest of director Gus Van Sant, the Pet Shop Boys wrote a new song, with Tom Stephan, at extremely short notice for the soundtrack of Van Sant’s remake of ‘Psycho’. It is called “Screaming”. “It’s about an obsessive fan, written from the obsessive fan’s point of view,” Neil says. “Or actually just by someone obsessed with someone who doesn’t love them.”
Although it’s not their first live appearance on the show, which won’t come for another week, the Pet Shop Boys receive their first mention on Top of the Pops as they enter the U.K. Top 40 for the first time: ‘West End Girls’ at position #40 on the nose during its gradual climb to #1.
The Pet Shop Boys appear on BBC2’s Rapido to talk about their latest album, Behaviour.
The Boys perform in Berlin, Germany.
They meet in Los Angeles with Dr. Dre’s programmer, Camara Korman, about possibly working with him.
BPI awards a U.K. gold record to PopArt.
Neil Tennant is among thirty celebrities (also including Tracey Ullman and Holly Johnson) who, in an open letter to the Evening Standard, protest the pending demolition of London’s Earls Court arena by real estate developers. They argue that the famed Art Deco structure should instead be preserved and restored. (Unfortunately, it’s nevertheless subsequently demolished.)
The Boys perform this evening at the ‘Poppodium’ in the Dutch city of Tilburg.
Neil and Chris reportedly attend this evening’s performance of American composer Nico Muhly’s new opera Marnie by the English National Opera in London.