Interview commenced: 12:51pm Tuesday 15th June 1999, Radio 1

JW - Jo Whiley (DJ/Interviewer)
NT - Neil Tennant
CL - Chris Lowe

JW: We only have one of them here. So is there a split in the ranks? We have Neil Tennant. Have you ditched him then? Where's Chris?

NT: No. His taxi went to the wrong part of London. He's on his way; he'll be here within minutes.

JW: Oh right. So he will be on the show?

NT: Yes. He'll be in a really bad mood probably because of the taxi.

JW: Is he prone to bad moods?

NT: No, not normally, but it's always annoying when taxis…

JW: This is great! We can just bitch about Chris!

NT: <laughs> But he might be listening in the taxi!

JW: Oooh! Even better!! So. how are you?

NT: I'm very well. A bit of hayfever - it's very hot here in London.

JW: It seems to be going around viciously at the moment

NT: Yeah, I haven't had it for years, but it is going around at the moment.

JW: So, we find you well at the moment then. . The Pet Shop Boys doing the business over the next few months.

NT: Yeah. We've got a lot coming up. We've got the new single; it got its first play today on Radio 1.

JW: Yup, we'll play that later.

NT: Great. We're playing the Creamfields Festival - we're headlining it on the August Bank Holiday in Liverpool. Then we're doing a tour in the autumn and we have a new album coming out in October.

JW: So busy, busy, busy.

NT: Busy, busy, busy.

JW: The new look then. I've read the press release and it says Pet Shop Boys. New look!. I was expecting you to turn up looking like Nik Kershaw circa 1981.

NT: Er, yeah. It's the video…

JW: But you do look like Nik Kershaw!

NT: Er, I hope I don't.

JW: No, you do.

NT: Erm. Are you serious?

JW: Yeah!

NT: Right. The videos cancelled!

JW: <laughs>

NT: … It looks like a mixture between punk and the Japanese samurai look. We got this idea about huge trousers and when we saw a picture of a Japanese guy with orange hair we just sort of nicked the idea. I think at the moment pop music all looks very regimented to me.

JW: Hmmm. That's what I was wondering. Obviously you were involved with Smash Hits at the very beginning so you're kind of abreast of what's going on in pop music. So I was wondering what you thought of Steps, B*witches, Billie…

NT: Well, I think they all have their place. I love the hair-washing dance that Steps do! I think that's good. I think a lot of music's a bit formulaic - I think it's fair to say that. Erm. You know, I think in America they make those kind of records better. Like TLC for instance. I like their records. Erm. I mean, it all has its place. I think its great when pop music has a real integrity and imagination to it. And I don't think we've had much of that for a while.

JW: Yeah. Are there any British artists that you admire at the moment?

NT: Erm. I like that group called Groove Armada. You know them?

JW: Yup.

NT: I like that track called 'At the River' particularly. But no, actually I've been listening to quite a lot of American music recently. Like TLC, Brandy...I quite like Eminem's album actually.

JW: Do you!? So is this any indication of the sound of the new album?

NT: There's one track on the new album, which is kind of hip-hoppy. It's actually based on a piece of music by Rhachmaninov (spelling?) but it's sort of hip-hoppy at the same time. It's lyrical, but funky.

JW: So was it quite an exciting time doing this album?

NT: Yes, it's taken over a year and a half I think and we've worked with people like David Morales who produced the new single in New York and that was great! Actually, we worked at the studio I discovered that Tupac was shot! Right off Time Square. That was a great, funky American studio. We worked with Rollo who you'll know - he does all the Faithless records. So that was great, that was in London. And then we worked with a guy called Craig Armstrong.

JW: Oh yeah!

NT: ... who's a film composer mainly. He did Romeo and Juliet, Plunkett and MacLean. He's also worked a lot with Madonna and Massive Attack.

JW: I've had people calling in with questions and they're saying 'We've heard that you've worked with Kylie as well on this album.'

NT: Yes. There's a duet with Kylie; a song called In Denial, which is a most unusual song. It's a ballad. We wanted a woman to come and sing it and Kylie was top of our list.

JW: Why her?

NT: Well, 'cos she's.. She's fab! What better reason? She's an icon!

JW: Yeah. Are you kind of surprised that you're still around at the moment? How long has it been in the business?

NT: It's 13 or 14 years since West End Girls.

JW: Has it turned out the way you imagined?

NT: It's one of those things where you don't really imagine. We just make records and we try to do new things. We love writing songs. We like to try and develop the form of the pop song, if you like. And we do that with varying degrees of success. And also in the late 80's and early 90's we were into touring which we never started off doing. We love doing big shows! When I was a kid I was very interested in the theatre and so we like to try and bring in different things. We did that show like an opera at the beginning of the 90's and after that a lot of people started. even boybands like Take That... started to do stuff like that.

JW: So what plans do you have for the live shows this year?

NT: This show is going to be very different. We're working with an architect called Zaha Hadid who's a very leading architect.... Oh. He's HERE!

JW: Sit down.

CL: It's not my fault!

JW: No. Really. We believe you...

CL: It wasn't my fault!

JW: Welcome to the show....

JW: Chris... welcome to the show. OK, Neil was just telling us about the live shows and what's gonna be going on.

CL: He knows then, does he?!

NT: <laughs> Yes, it's in the very early stage. We don't come to Britain until December and the tour doesn't start until mid October, so we're just starting to work on it. But it's going to be very interesting.

JW: Sorry. Chris? What are you reading?

NT: He's reading a press release about Creamfields.

<Everyone laughs>

JW: You're there! You're headlining OK? Chris. How are you?

CL: I'm very well. I've just had a haircut for radio.

JW: It's very nice! We were just talking about how many years you've been in the business and how long it's been going on. Has there ever been a time when you were going to...

<Everybody laughs>

JW: ...Has there ever been a time when you've thought you might run out of inspiration or that you might split up?

CL: What did Neil say?

JW: He said 'Yes'

CL: Oh, did you?

JW: No. No. He said when you walked out that time...

<Everybody laughs>

CL: No, we're never short of inspiration. It's always there.

JW: We'll let you catch your breath and we'll play a record and we'll talk after this...

<TWO RECORDS ARE PLAYED - Rest Assured, "Treat Infamy" and Suede, "She's in fashion">

JW: We've got Chris and Neil from the Pet Shop Boys here now. Last time you came on Chris you were beside yourself, I think it's fair to say, because Nicky Campbell was in the studio...

CL: Yeah. Where is he?

JW: He doesn't work for us anymore. This just shows how often you listen to Radio 1! But what are you watching on TV at the moment? Wheel of Fortune was obviously your big thing then.

CL: It was my big thing. Erm. I haven't really watched much telly recently. Frasier. but I think this series hasn't been as good. It's gone a bit slapstick.

JW: Right. We've cleared up the tour. It's a concept thing. All will be revealed.

NT: Well, it doesn't start until the end of October so we haven't' started work on it much. But we're talking architecture. It's going to be very innovative and that's all we can say.

JW: Do you get very nervous about these sort of concepts you have when you reveal them to the rest of the world?

NT: Yes, I mean, in the video we're in these wigs and big trousers that look almost like dresses. Yeah, it takes a bit of nerve to do that.

CL: Especially when you have to wear them in the street! We took photos in the New York subway and that took a lot of nerve! On the train to Coney Island via Brooklyn dressed like that!

NT: Particularly when the schools came out!

CL: Yeah.

<Everybody laughs>

JW: Did you go out very po-faced and intend to say 'this is how we always look'..

NT: You just pretend it's not happening! And actually, it's the same in London or any big city - people sort of don't really necessarily pay that much attention. They just think 'Oh, that doesn't impress me' and they get on with reading their newspaper. But of course, the kids are all laughing which is quite sweet...

JW: What's been your favourite moment being in the Pet Shop Boys. I know that's an IMMENSE question to ask, but there must be some point when you've really enjoyed yourselves.

CL: Well, for me its Go West being played at football matches. When Arsenal won the European cup. That was the occasion for me.

JW: And Neil?

NT: I think when we played the Roskilde Festival and there was an enormous number of people there. Something like 80,000 people and it rained all day long and it was the first festival we'd ever played. We went on stage and it stopped raining and just the reaction from the crowd was absolutely amazing. I'd never even BEEN to a rock festival to be honest and I just thought it was great. I like festivals now.

JW: And low points? A period that you've really hated...

CL: Well, I'll tell you what the worst thing is doing days and days of interviews. It's really demoralising, particularly in somewhere like Japan 'cos they work you really hard there. They wake you at 8 in the morning and you just answer the same questions over and over.

JW: Are you one of those people who just invent answers?

CL: What happens is you have a translator and in the end the translator can do the whole interview for you, so you don't even have to give an answer.

JW: And Neil, had there been a low point?

NT: I can't remember a specific low point. OH! I remember a low point! The first time we toured America. We had a lot of success in America in the late 80's and then our first concert was in Miami in 1991. MTV were there, it was a whole big deal and they used to call us the most successful group never to tour and they're now gonna tour. And the first concert there was a problem with the sound and the whole audience came and it had to be postponed and they had to go home.

JW: Oh no!

NT: There was about 10,000 people there and they all went home and had to come back the next day! <Laughs> But that was a low point. We had to go back to the hotel.

CL: No, no. That was a high point!

<Everybody laughs>

JW: People have been calling in. Lou says "Are you doing the Mardi Gras or Pride in London this year?"

NT: There isn't a Pride.

JW: Isn't there? Oh Lou...

NT: And we can't do Mardi Gras because we're on holiday at the time.

JW: Anywhere nice?

NT: South of France.

JW: Very nice! Elle from Dundee says, "How many hats have you got Chris?"

CL: Oof, I don't know. I don't wear that many hats now.

JW: It's because you've got such a natty haircut. And Andy Thomas says "Chris, have you retired from doing vocals or are you doing any on the new album?"

CL: Erm. No, not on the new album. There might be some b-sides maybe in the future. I get fed up doing the same songs all the time, so maybe I'll do a new song for the tour.

JW: Ok. And is it true that you've recorded Je T'aime?

NT: Yeah. We recorded it with a friend of ours; an artist called Sam Taylor Wood. There was an album made last year where they had artists collaborating with musicians it was called 'We Love You' and so it was her idea to do Je T'aime. It's on CD2. And she duets with an Apple Macintosh. You know the voice that speaks? She duets with that

JW: Ok. We'll play the single now. This is the Pet Shop Boys. Do you want to introduce it?

NT: Yeah, it's called I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore...

PLAYS SINGLE

JW: That's the brand new single by the Pet Shop Boys. Did you hear that going out this morning on the breakfast show?

NT: I did, yes. I got up to listen to it and quarter past eight.

JW: Chris, surprisingly, didn't! And did you like it? Did you think 'Cor.!'

NT: Yeah, it's exciting hearing your record on the radio for the first time. You feel a bit nervous, I felt a bit sick before hand. I had to make a cup of coffee. I thought it sounded good.

JW: Excellent. And did it sound good to you? You just talked all the way through that one! You didn't even hear it then! A few questions to ask you. Did you ever have a pet? Neil.

NT: Actually I just got a pet this year. I've got a dog - a Lakeland Terrier.

JW: What do they look like?

NT: They look a little bit like the dog in Tin Tin. Actually, that's a slightly different kind of terrier and that's white and mine's black and tan, but it's got that rather rectangular face. It looks a bit like Snowy.

JW: What's it called?

NT: It's called Kevin.

JW: <laughs> After anyone in particular?

NT: No. I was either going to call him Kevin or Boris and I went and picked him up at a service station on the A1 and I thought 'He's a Kevin!'

CL: Dodgy!

NT: Well, actually, he's a show dog but he's too tall to be in shows so the people who had him wanted to get rid of him. He's got a good home now.

JW: Good. And Chris?

CL: Well, I've got three dogs but I don't look after them at the moment because I can't really but they're three little Yorkshire terriers. And they're trouble.

JW: Right. I've just realised I've asked you about pets and you're called the Pet Shop Boys and you're bound to be thinking 'God everybody asks us about pets!'

NT: <laughs> Actually we've never been asked that before!

JW: Have you ever worn anything you've regretted in your career?

NT: Ooh, there's lots of those. Yeah, there's a picture of me in Japan in about 1987 and I look like I'm dressed like Boy George. I bought this Isse Miyake beret or hat - actually I gave it away - and this huge coat and I remember thinking that looks really awful!

JW: Embarrassing. Chris?

CL: Well, yeah, there are but I can't think what they are...

JW: One of your hats no doubt.

CL: Thanks! Particularly NOT the hats! <Giggles>

JW: Do you have a temper Chris?

CL: A temper? Not so much now. I'm pretty calm now. It's more frustration when things aren't running smoothly.

JW: What kind of thing does stress you out? Is it being late?

CL: Yeah, I think yeah - people messing up an arrangement when you've already got your side of it done. Like what happened this morning!

JW: Did you give that cab driver a hard time? Does Neil have a temper?

CL: Not really, no.

JW: He never loses it? Really?

CL: Sometimes you'll kick the odd chair in.

NT: If someone's outrageously late that annoys me.

JW: So you kick things. You're a kicker. What's Chris's home like? Is it tidy?

NT: Yes. Very tidy. Very minimalist.

CL: If you've got a minimal interior it has to be tidy unfortunately.

JW: What's Neil's place like?

CL: Tidy. <Laughs>

NT: My place is being tidied as we speak.

JW: And what's Chris's worst habit?

CL: We don't do these questions!

NT: We don't do these questions! Pretending he doesn't know something he knows about and then saying "Nobody told me that!"

CL: I don't think that's true.

JW: Of course its not. And Neil's worst habit?

CL: Always being right. <Giggles>

JW: And if you were going to go shopping this afternoon, what would you be likely to buy?

NT: Clothes. Actually, I want a pair of sunglasses. I have to get prescription lenses so I've got to go to a proper opticians. I like those ones called Oliver Peoples from Los Angeles.

JW: Right. I've got no idea what you're talking about. And Chris?

CL: I'd just get some T-shirts, some underpants probably.

JW: What sort do you wear?

CL: I've got these ones that I got in New York last time, they're Polo Sport sort of boxers. Or a knitted brief! They might be called that, I'm not sure!

JW: Neil, do you answer these sort of questions?

NT: I'm wearing Calvin Klein.

JW: Listen, thank you both very much for coming in today. It's been a pleasure to meet you. Good luck with the tour, the single and the album. When is the album?

NT: The albums out at the end of October.

JW: Has it got a title?

NT: Er. no, it doesn't yet. We haven't got it delivered till the end of July. On the CD REC is says 'New Album'

JW: That'll do.