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Pet Shop Boys versus America
No other pop group in recent history has faced fame with such intelligence, humour and shrewdness as the Pet Shop Boys. In 1991, the band toured North America for the first time shadowed by journalist Chris Heath and legendary rock photographer Pennie Smith. They visited fourteen cities in one month, confronting the American music industry and colliding with the likes of Liza Minnelli, Steven Spielberg and Axl Rose. This is more than a documentary of a tour; it is an unusually intimate portrait of two maverick British musicians always reluctant to compromise.
‘There was a time when the Pet Shop Boys seemed to exist entirely on radio, television and in magazines. This is the other world of the Pet Shop Boys in concert, travel and backstage, as they bring their art and glamour to America. It’s funny too.’
Johnny Marr
‘A brilliant book, to be read over and over again. How could anyone not love these men?’
NME
‘There was a time when the Pet Shop Boys seemed to exist entirely on radio, television and in magazines. This is the other world of the Pet Shop Boys in concert, travel and backstage, as they bring their art and glamour to America. It’s funny too.’
Johnny Marr
‘A brilliant book, to be read over and over again. How could anyone not love these men?’
NME
296 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 1993
6 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 5, 2023
Me: *Writes 600+ words on how much I fucking love PSB for absolutely no one but myself 🫶*
This is the second of Chris Heath’s two journals chronicling the Pet Shop Boys’ tours of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The first (Pet Shop Boys, Literally) follows them on their inaugural world/UK tour, while this one tracks their misadventures in American touring, and is the vastly superior (and more entertaining) of the two volumes.
In the foreword, Heath himself admits that the first book was too comprehensive, bogged down by almost anthropological observations of the pop duo on their travels through Japan, Hong Kong, and back home in Britain again (even I, a PSB obsessive, found myself bored and slogging through repetitive logs of minutiae like what the boys bought, wore, received from fans, etc.). Having learned from his rookie mistakes, this one reads more like a highlights reel, or “snapshots,” as he calls them. Here, Neil and Chris’ pithiest quips, bewildering moments of culture shock, and the strange characters and celebrities who come through the revolving door of their dressing rooms are organized in brief paragraphs, balanced by Pennie Smith’s black-and-white photography (the first volume would also have benefitted from more images). The result is a funnier, faster-paced, and more cohesive read, encapsulating the whirlwind of pop stardom, the Boys’ derision for American society and rock’n’roll culture, and their determination not to make tour life feel like Spinal Tap.
This volume is also considerably more interesting than its predecessor given that it was a time of significant — yet largely unspoken — tension and transformation for the duo, and there’s a palpable sense of fragility throughout. They found themselves acclimating to the nonstop, high-anxiety touring atmosphere while contending with pressures from their label to produce another hit, criticisms from the media, and identity crises of their own as aging pop stars. While Neil remains the more levelheaded and business-like through all this, Chris repeatedly threatens to walk out — on interviews, TV appearances, and even the tour entirely — and the Pet Shop Boys feel on the edge of collapse. In one particularly telling interview given by Neil at the tail end of the tour, the reporter goading him with none-too-subtle questions about his sexuality and calling him “dishonest” (for not, it’s implied, being out). The exchange is uncomfortable to read (Neil would only come out three years later, in 1994) and clearly rattles the two of them; after the fact, they have a frank conversation about their musical identity, nearly swearing off all public appearances and jesting, with just a touch too much gravity, about disappearing entirely. It is a strange and jarring discussion given how steady they have always seemed throughout their career, at least from the point of view of an outsider, gazing back upon it. It highlights how their precarious state in the music world was compounded by intrusions into and suspicions about their personal lives amidst the AIDS epidemic, ie, a time of great hostility towards gay people. But it only made my heart swell with enormous tenderness and admire them all the more for how authentic, candid, vulnerable, and unafraid they have always been throughout their career, especially at times when it was not so simple to be so.
Though there’s really nothing here for readers who aren’t obsessed with Neil and Chris’ quirks and humor and endless quotability, it is a delightful read for those who are (like ✨meeeeeeee✨), and I’ve enjoyed flipping through a few pages here and there every day over the course of the past few months. It’s also a great companion piece to read while watching the performances and interviews referenced throughout (the entire Tonight Show fiasco, in which Chris walked off set and Neil awkwardly completed the interview solo, is even more hilarious and chaotic to watch now knowing the entire backstory). Oh well, back to poring over old magazine clippings, interviews, and Youtube clips for my daily hit of my beloved Tennant and Lowe charisma 🫶…
This is the second of Chris Heath’s two journals chronicling the Pet Shop Boys’ tours of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The first (Pet Shop Boys, Literally) follows them on their inaugural world/UK tour, while this one tracks their misadventures in American touring, and is the vastly superior (and more entertaining) of the two volumes.
In the foreword, Heath himself admits that the first book was too comprehensive, bogged down by almost anthropological observations of the pop duo on their travels through Japan, Hong Kong, and back home in Britain again (even I, a PSB obsessive, found myself bored and slogging through repetitive logs of minutiae like what the boys bought, wore, received from fans, etc.). Having learned from his rookie mistakes, this one reads more like a highlights reel, or “snapshots,” as he calls them. Here, Neil and Chris’ pithiest quips, bewildering moments of culture shock, and the strange characters and celebrities who come through the revolving door of their dressing rooms are organized in brief paragraphs, balanced by Pennie Smith’s black-and-white photography (the first volume would also have benefitted from more images). The result is a funnier, faster-paced, and more cohesive read, encapsulating the whirlwind of pop stardom, the Boys’ derision for American society and rock’n’roll culture, and their determination not to make tour life feel like Spinal Tap.
This volume is also considerably more interesting than its predecessor given that it was a time of significant — yet largely unspoken — tension and transformation for the duo, and there’s a palpable sense of fragility throughout. They found themselves acclimating to the nonstop, high-anxiety touring atmosphere while contending with pressures from their label to produce another hit, criticisms from the media, and identity crises of their own as aging pop stars. While Neil remains the more levelheaded and business-like through all this, Chris repeatedly threatens to walk out — on interviews, TV appearances, and even the tour entirely — and the Pet Shop Boys feel on the edge of collapse. In one particularly telling interview given by Neil at the tail end of the tour, the reporter goading him with none-too-subtle questions about his sexuality and calling him “dishonest” (for not, it’s implied, being out). The exchange is uncomfortable to read (Neil would only come out three years later, in 1994) and clearly rattles the two of them; after the fact, they have a frank conversation about their musical identity, nearly swearing off all public appearances and jesting, with just a touch too much gravity, about disappearing entirely. It is a strange and jarring discussion given how steady they have always seemed throughout their career, at least from the point of view of an outsider, gazing back upon it. It highlights how their precarious state in the music world was compounded by intrusions into and suspicions about their personal lives amidst the AIDS epidemic, ie, a time of great hostility towards gay people. But it only made my heart swell with enormous tenderness and admire them all the more for how authentic, candid, vulnerable, and unafraid they have always been throughout their career, especially at times when it was not so simple to be so.
Though there’s really nothing here for readers who aren’t obsessed with Neil and Chris’ quirks and humor and endless quotability, it is a delightful read for those who are (like ✨meeeeeeee✨), and I’ve enjoyed flipping through a few pages here and there every day over the course of the past few months. It’s also a great companion piece to read while watching the performances and interviews referenced throughout (the entire Tonight Show fiasco, in which Chris walked off set and Neil awkwardly completed the interview solo, is even more hilarious and chaotic to watch now knowing the entire backstory). Oh well, back to poring over old magazine clippings, interviews, and Youtube clips for my daily hit of my beloved Tennant and Lowe charisma 🫶…
September 1, 2013
A brave and authentic report of two remarkable artists
When in 1991 the Pet Shop Boys toured for the first time in America, they were closely scrutinised by writer Chris Heath and photographer Pennie Smith. The result is this book, or to put it more correctly: this tour report.
Much can be said about the format: a transcription of a few conversations the boys had during their eventful American tour. At first you may fear to get bored by this format, but strangely enough it's quite the opposite. Because nothing is really interpreted by the author, it gets a very authentic feel to it. The quite remarkable -not always generally accepted- opinions of Chris and Neil are left untouched, and ready to be put into perspective by the reader himself. That in itself proves the courage of the 'boys' to allow such a report to be published. I can imagine that people tend to get a bad opinion -to put it mildly- about the egos of both artists, because what is in this book is not all nice and happy. But if you allow yourself to look behind this curtain of the two personalities, you can only appreciate the dedication they produce for their 'art'. Not many artists are prepared to put their image at risk in favour of authenticity.
The black-and-white pictures shot by Pennie Smith are completely in line with the works of the Pet Shop Boys. Sombre settings dictate most of the pictures, but at the same time illustrate the feeling of detachment the 'boys' suffer while travelling through that strange, but fascinating land: America.
To conclude: a warning! Although this book is a must-read for everybody who likes (or dislikes) to be referred to as a 'Pet Shop Boys-fan', it might not have the same effect on people who only 'like' what the Pet Shop Boys create. This book is a bit too 'fan-focussed' to be appreciated by a broader audience, to my humble opinion. As some kind of a footnote: I belong to the first category.
When in 1991 the Pet Shop Boys toured for the first time in America, they were closely scrutinised by writer Chris Heath and photographer Pennie Smith. The result is this book, or to put it more correctly: this tour report.
Much can be said about the format: a transcription of a few conversations the boys had during their eventful American tour. At first you may fear to get bored by this format, but strangely enough it's quite the opposite. Because nothing is really interpreted by the author, it gets a very authentic feel to it. The quite remarkable -not always generally accepted- opinions of Chris and Neil are left untouched, and ready to be put into perspective by the reader himself. That in itself proves the courage of the 'boys' to allow such a report to be published. I can imagine that people tend to get a bad opinion -to put it mildly- about the egos of both artists, because what is in this book is not all nice and happy. But if you allow yourself to look behind this curtain of the two personalities, you can only appreciate the dedication they produce for their 'art'. Not many artists are prepared to put their image at risk in favour of authenticity.
The black-and-white pictures shot by Pennie Smith are completely in line with the works of the Pet Shop Boys. Sombre settings dictate most of the pictures, but at the same time illustrate the feeling of detachment the 'boys' suffer while travelling through that strange, but fascinating land: America.
To conclude: a warning! Although this book is a must-read for everybody who likes (or dislikes) to be referred to as a 'Pet Shop Boys-fan', it might not have the same effect on people who only 'like' what the Pet Shop Boys create. This book is a bit too 'fan-focussed' to be appreciated by a broader audience, to my humble opinion. As some kind of a footnote: I belong to the first category.
January 29, 2008
A incredible inside look at the Pet Shop Boys' 1991 tour of America. The book is not set up with chapters, but rather with dates, so you get an almost play-by-play of the entire tour. The book is also filled with fabulous pictures! The cover picture was actually taken in Salt Lake!
January 15, 2025
Absolutely Fabulous, Actually.
I mean, what do you say?
If you're a fan, you're a fan.
You bought the book.
You laughed, frowned, widened your eyes, looked philosophically out the window, then laughed again.
No one reading the book (or this virtually worthless summation of it) won't know that the subjects are intelligent, delightfully un-show-bizzy, and mordantly funny.
Heath just follows them round, writes down what they do and say with a sharp eye and a very similar sense of the absurd. His style suits his subjects perfectly.
It's a delight that I can dip into just whenever.
Very introspective? Yes Please.
I mean, what do you say?
If you're a fan, you're a fan.
You bought the book.
You laughed, frowned, widened your eyes, looked philosophically out the window, then laughed again.
No one reading the book (or this virtually worthless summation of it) won't know that the subjects are intelligent, delightfully un-show-bizzy, and mordantly funny.
Heath just follows them round, writes down what they do and say with a sharp eye and a very similar sense of the absurd. His style suits his subjects perfectly.
It's a delight that I can dip into just whenever.
Very introspective? Yes Please.
April 9, 2022
The winner of Pet Shop Boys vs America is me. A brilliant record of their first American tour; an Introspective treat.
September 14, 2024
Este es el segundo y último relato de Chris Heath, que continúa el recorrido iniciado en el primer libro (Pet Shop Boys, Literally. En este caso, Heath nos ofrece una visión más centrada en las experiencias del grupo durante su primera gira por los Estados Unidos a principios de los noventa, sus desaciertos en cómo enfocarse al mercado estadounidense y el porque de los mismos (la verdad que el dúo es sumamente orgulloso, especialmente Chris).
Si bien la primera reseña se enfocaba en las pequeñas revelaciones y la franqueza del relato, en esta ocasión se añade una mayor profundidad en las interioridades sobre las dinámicas del grupo durante este período crucial. Aunque no se descubren grandes secretos, como ya se adelantaba en la lectura anterior, esta obra sigue aportando detalles íntimos que capturan la esencia del grupo en ese momento de su carrera, sumergiéndonos aún más en su universo.
En definitiva, ambas obras se complementan, ofreciendo una narrativa cercana que invita a conocer más sobre los Pet Shop Boys, consolidando la idea de que siempre han sido mucho más que una banda de los ochenta.
3.75 / 5
Si bien la primera reseña se enfocaba en las pequeñas revelaciones y la franqueza del relato, en esta ocasión se añade una mayor profundidad en las interioridades sobre las dinámicas del grupo durante este período crucial. Aunque no se descubren grandes secretos, como ya se adelantaba en la lectura anterior, esta obra sigue aportando detalles íntimos que capturan la esencia del grupo en ese momento de su carrera, sumergiéndonos aún más en su universo.
En definitiva, ambas obras se complementan, ofreciendo una narrativa cercana que invita a conocer más sobre los Pet Shop Boys, consolidando la idea de que siempre han sido mucho más que una banda de los ochenta.
3.75 / 5
January 22, 2014
Once again, Chris Heath's fly-on-the-wall writing style spins a fantastic account of Pet Shop Boys's first tour in America during 1991. We hear about rock-obsessed American radio, crazy fans, outrageous parties, That Infamous Jay Leno Incident, and all the little mundane details of life on the road. A quick, engaging read for anyone who's fascinated by the world of pop music (and PSB in particular).
June 29, 2012
A witty travelogue of a non touring band touring the the USA with the most un rock'n'roll show you can imagine. Full walk by various celebs and suitably catty or surreal moments, a refreshing read compared to many tour biogs ..
Makes you want to see the shows again :)
Makes you want to see the shows again :)
February 15, 2016
Similar to Literally, this book follows Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant and records their hilarious conversations and comments on fellow musicians and anything coming to their mind. Very funny and entertaining.
May 23, 2021
This is an astoundingly well observed piece of documentary. Every piece of minutiae is fascinating - regardless of interest in the band itself, this is well worth reading for anyone even vaguely interested in how performers tick backstage.
November 28, 2021
"Now they're following me" I paraphrase Madonna, who hired the Pet Shop Boys for a remix of her "Sorry" track from 15 years ago, back when the mother goddess to the Gay Community was in her 40s. No, Madonna is not a gay man, and this is a note about PSB. I wanted this book back in the 90s because of the coverage of the Pets' first American tour, I being an major fan, what they call a Pethead (like Dead Heads for the GD.) 1989 ended up being the Pet Shop Boys' last year with major hit songs in the USA market ("Domino Dancing" and their singular productions for Liza Minnelli) and then this concert tour is from a couple of years later. The discussion point is this: can a music group wait seven years after their first popular Stateside releases (1984's "West End Girls" and "One More Chance" dance club anthems) to tour a mega-market like the USA. Waiting to give fans and consumers a live show apparently cannot wait that many years in a row, but the band did a have a string of minor hit songs in the 90s and after, and this tour may have helped with those bare-to-nothing niblings. Now everything and anyone is back catalogue sales out of the iTunes store, and the PSB appear to have about a million proper fans, so well done. They tour again next year with New Order.
January 9, 2022
This one isn't as funny as Literally but it's still pretty amusing. The PSBs tour America to mixed reception. Heath basically writes down everything that happens, however mundane, but as always it's Neil and Chris bickering and bitching and secretly quite enjoying themselves that's the point. Unexpected (by me) cameo from Katie Puckrik, who was a dancer on this tour. Also featuring (or not) many other famous people. Axl Rose comes off surprisingly well (!). As with all pop/rock/music books, you don't have to care about the PSBs music to find this entertaining and revealing about life on the road etc.
Neil refusing to allow them to play the video of Spinal Tap on the tour bus because it's 'too awkward' is fun. Also the gloom before various shows replaced by shiny delight afterwards when they've felt it was successful.
Neil refusing to allow them to play the video of Spinal Tap on the tour bus because it's 'too awkward' is fun. Also the gloom before various shows replaced by shiny delight afterwards when they've felt it was successful.
May 8, 2024
um documentário em livro, ao contrário de um filme ou especial televisivo, tem uma credencial diferente: o ponto de vista é um só escriba discreto, um gato-pingado no canto com o seu caderno. continua a ser intrusivo, apesar da autorização (são deliciosos os momentos em que alguém diz uma baboseira, apercebendo-se logo a seguir da presença do Chris Heath, e ameaçando-o com um processo). mas acredito que tirar notas é o trabalho documental mais facilmente esquecido, e que portanto leva a que a comitiva fale de forma mais ou menos espontânea e sem filtros.
é assim que, talvez ainda mais do que no volume anterior (Pet Shop Boys, Literally), temos uns Pet Shop Boys gloriosamente inteligentes, mal-encarados e más-línguas. nesta era de celebridades em microgestão de todas as merdas que dizem, saudades do que não vivi!
é assim que, talvez ainda mais do que no volume anterior (Pet Shop Boys, Literally), temos uns Pet Shop Boys gloriosamente inteligentes, mal-encarados e más-línguas. nesta era de celebridades em microgestão de todas as merdas que dizem, saudades do que não vivi!
September 13, 2020
See this post on my blog site for my full review https://hoodcp.wordpress.com/2020/09/...
February 3, 2025
Well paced, sharply observed travelogue, following everyone's favourite good cop / bad cop 80s pop duo as they tour their lavish, quintessentially British stage show around an incredulous United States.
Neil Tennant is as lucid and charming, and Chris Lowe as endearingly curmudgeonly as anyone has any right to expect.
Bonus appearances from a random bunch of celebrity co-stars, including Axl Rose, Liza Minelli, Joni Mitchell, and Stephen Spielberg, keep things reassuringly star-studded.
Neil Tennant is as lucid and charming, and Chris Lowe as endearingly curmudgeonly as anyone has any right to expect.
Bonus appearances from a random bunch of celebrity co-stars, including Axl Rose, Liza Minelli, Joni Mitchell, and Stephen Spielberg, keep things reassuringly star-studded.
October 11, 2025
“It’s only been a week: we’ve cancelled a show and walked out on The Tonight Show. It’s like the Sex Pistols’ final tour.”
This is a strangely compelling travelogue, as we follow the Pet Shop Boys across their North American tour of 1991, with PSB proving to be quirky and unpredictable company in this refreshingly frank account which is largely devoid of the usual airbrushed BS you get in such accounts, particularly in the current era.
They aren’t afraid to air their shortcomings and appear happy to share them here, they repeatedly slag off their record label, and the idea of various corporate sponsors as well as boldly criticizing their fellow musicians, like when Madonna’s then single “Rescue Me” comes on the radio Tennant calls out, “Count the clichés!” and later on, “I don’t really like Andrew Lloyd Webber. Andrew Lloyd Webber is kind of like the Margaret Thatcher of pop music. ” We also get the odd cameo too from people as diverse as Liza Minelli to Axl Rose and some decent photos in the mix too, courtesy of Pennie Smith.
This captures life on the road in all of its ennui and banality, tantrums and petulance and occasionally lit up with moments of drama and euphoria. In so many ways nothing really much happens at all, and yet throughout this remains, dry and funny as the seemingly perma- unimpressed duo run the gauntlet of the US/Canadian tour circuit, negotiating all sorts of absurdities along the way.
Often this feels like a giant middle finger to America and so much of the madness and nonsense which goes on in the corporate media environment. It often reads like an extended interview piece by a music magazine and seems to inhabit a space somewhere between Pennebaker’s Depeche Mode’s “101” and “This Is Spinal Tap”. But overall this should be greatly appreciated by fans of the band.
This is a strangely compelling travelogue, as we follow the Pet Shop Boys across their North American tour of 1991, with PSB proving to be quirky and unpredictable company in this refreshingly frank account which is largely devoid of the usual airbrushed BS you get in such accounts, particularly in the current era.
They aren’t afraid to air their shortcomings and appear happy to share them here, they repeatedly slag off their record label, and the idea of various corporate sponsors as well as boldly criticizing their fellow musicians, like when Madonna’s then single “Rescue Me” comes on the radio Tennant calls out, “Count the clichés!” and later on, “I don’t really like Andrew Lloyd Webber. Andrew Lloyd Webber is kind of like the Margaret Thatcher of pop music. ” We also get the odd cameo too from people as diverse as Liza Minelli to Axl Rose and some decent photos in the mix too, courtesy of Pennie Smith.
This captures life on the road in all of its ennui and banality, tantrums and petulance and occasionally lit up with moments of drama and euphoria. In so many ways nothing really much happens at all, and yet throughout this remains, dry and funny as the seemingly perma- unimpressed duo run the gauntlet of the US/Canadian tour circuit, negotiating all sorts of absurdities along the way.
Often this feels like a giant middle finger to America and so much of the madness and nonsense which goes on in the corporate media environment. It often reads like an extended interview piece by a music magazine and seems to inhabit a space somewhere between Pennebaker’s Depeche Mode’s “101” and “This Is Spinal Tap”. But overall this should be greatly appreciated by fans of the band.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews