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History

March 2018

On March 10, the first American production of the Pet Shop Boys’ ballet The Most Incredible Thing premieres at the Knight Theater, Charlotte, North Carolina, performed by the Charlotte Ballet. This premiere is originally scheduled for one day earlier, but is delayed when a truss snaps during the afternoon dress rehearsal. For this new production, the Pet Shop Boys’ recorded score, mixed live, is used instead of a live orchestra, and the competition at the centre of the story is now staged through shadow-play. Neil attends. “In my opinion it was an improvement on the original,” he says. “I thought it was brilliant.”

November 2018

On November 1, a book by Neil, One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem, is published in Britain by Faber & Faber. (Neil had past history with Faber & Faber: “In the late Seventies and early Eighties I used to do freelance work for them as a copy-editor and sometimes as a proof-reader. Then in the mid-Eighties I sold a book, Like Punk Never Happened by Dave Rimmer, to them, and edited it. That was the last thing I ever did in the world of book-publishing.”) He selected the lyrics during train journeys between London and Durham, choosing those he thought would read best in this form. One reason for also including a poem was “to point out that the lyrics aren’t poems, they’re lyrics”. He also wrote an introduction and added annotations to the lyrics. “It is kind of like an autobiography, really,” he says. “Surprisingly, I think it’s quite revealing. More so than I normally would be.”

History

On this day

1998

A various-artists book-with-CD compilation titled We Love You is released. The CD consists mostly of somewhat techno-oriented collaborations, including the first appearance of the Pet Shop Boys’ pairing with Sam Taylor-Wood on ‘Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus.’

2000

Neil records vocals for the song ‘Motoring,’ after which the Boys go out to celebrate Neil’s sister’s birthday.

2005

They play their newly completed album Fundamental to their management and various friends, including Janet Street-Porter and Mark Farrow. The initial order of tracks, however, will later be scrapped for a new running order.

2006

The Pet Shop Boys conclude their North American Fundamental Tour with a show in Monterrey, Mexico.

2015

This evening Chris attends a performance of the one-woman show An Audience with Princess Julia at the London bar/cabaret/theatre The Glory. On the Boys’ official website, Chris writes, ‘So many great memories. An absolute legend of the London fashion and club scene!’

2016

Tonight the Pet Shop Boys end the U.S. leg of their Super Tour with a show at the Jackie Gleason Center in Miami Beach.

2018

They work with Stuart Price on the tracks ‘Monkey Business’ and ‘Collector’s Item.’ Mid-day they walk to the Christmas market at Potsdamer Platz for lunch.

2021

Neil and Chris attend the Soft Cell concert this evening at London’s Hammersmith Apollo (now formally the Eventim Apollo, but still popularly referred to by its older name). Afterward they post on their website how much they loved the show and note that Chris and Soft Cell’s David Ball had attended the same school in Blackpool.

2023

Neil’s performance singing ‘Cricket Wife’ and ‘Legacy’ with orchestral accompaniment, recorded six days earlier in Berlin, is broadcast this evening on Sven Helbig’s radio show.

2024

The Boys are in Chris’s hometown of Blackpool, where they perform on this evening’s edition of the TV show Strictly Come Dancing.