Neil Tennant
#4: Smashing pop’s pomposity
The Pet Shop Boys hated the pop aristocracy of the 1980s. When he worked as a journalist at Smash Hits Neil Tennant coined the phrase “it’s like punk never happened” to describe the new breed of pomp-rock superstars.
More Pet Shop Boys
#5: Spooky timing
Actually included a track called King’s Cross, which, with its lyric “dead and wounded on either side / you know it’s only a matter of time” appeared to be about that year’s fire at King’s Cross Station, which killed 31 people. In fact the album was released two months before the fire.
Selina Scott
#6: Sleeping on the job
The first TV interview the Pet Shop Boys ever did was with Selina Scott on eighties breakfast TV show TV AM. Chris fell asleep.
#7: Coming out
Despite the fact that it was an open secret that he was gay, Neil didn’t officially come out until a 1994 interview with magazine Attitude. Chris has never commented on his own sexuality but for years many people, even ex-manager Tom Watkins, assumed incorrectly that they were a couple.
