What's New? – Recent Updates and Additions
May 11, 2008
I've posted the final results of the previous poll, in which I asked my site visitors to choose the song from the Beatles' "middle period" that they would most like the Pet Shop Boys to cover. My new survey for the week ahead asks your opinion of the recently released track "Here Comes the Bear" (aka "It's the Bear"), which Chris created back in the early 1990s with Dainton Connell. (If you haven't heard it yet, there's an option covering that circumstance, too, although it is available for purchase from iTunes.)
Meanwhile, I've modified yesterday's entry regarding "Rumor #21" about the Pet Shop Boys and I've added yet another one, #22. And I've added "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More" as Item #28 in my list of PSB songs that have been used in films or "non-musical" TV shows. Thanks once again to Andrea Dasso for telling me about this latter fact!
May 10, 2008
I've added a new rumor (#21) to my list of rumors about the Pet Shop Boys. Thanks to Lasse for telling me about this! I've also decided to expand my list of PSB songs that have been used in "non-musical" TV shows to embrace films as well, which results in (among other things) the addition of "Being Boring" to the list. (This also results in the text for "Always on My Mind" and "It's a Sin" in that list being modified as well. One of these days I'm going to have to reorganize that second list so that the songs appear in a more logical order, whatever that logic may turn out to be.) I extend my thanks to Andrea for informing me of the use of PSB music in the film Melissa P. I had already known for quite a long time about I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.
Finally, I've added "My Girl" to my PSB setlist table.
May 7, 2008
I've just gotten back from being out of town for a week, and I have several site updates in the works. So far I've created a new entry for the Pet Shop Boys' demo cover of the old Madness hit "My Girl," and I've provided info about a new takeoff of the iconic Actually cover by the Conchords. (See the last image on that page.) Thanks to Maksim (aka Drem) for telling me about this second item! Further, I've made a few slight modifications to my entry on Sniff Petrol's PSB parody based on some information about Alain Prost provided by site visitor Jeff Koch, who also happens to be a professional writer on the subject of automobiles. Thanks, Jeff!
I'd also like to share with you a delightful caricature of the Boys that site visitor Vincenzo S. Zumpano sent to me. I hope you like it as much as I do! Thanks, Vincenzo!
I'm still investigating a couple of very intriguing leads shared by folks who wrote to me while I was away. If I come up with anything definite, I'll be sure to post it here!
Finally, those of you who live in or near Edinburgh may wish to check out a special DJ set slated for tomorrow evening (May 8) at Cameo Cinema, starting at 9:00 p.m. It's called "A Night of … Pet Shop Boys." If I were in Scotland tomorrow night, I'd probably be there!
April 29, 2008
I've just added Iain Marley to my Thank You page in recognition of his contribution of information on April 25 (see below). Thanks again, Iain!
April 28, 2008
I've added a succinct new entry for "Playout Music," which is performed over the closing credits of the Cubism DVD. Thanks to Roy for bringing this to my attention!
April 27, 2008
I've posted the end results of last week's poll, in which I asked my site visitors to choose their favorite Pet Shop Boys album art/packaging. Since this was the second time I've asked this question, you may wish to compare these results to those from the first time around nearly seven years ago.
Because I'm going to be out of town and won't have computer access next weekend (more about that in a moment), my new survey will run for two weeks. I always try to find a "special" question for those occasions when my polls run for two weeks, and I hope this one qualifies. Inspired by the fact that the Pet Shop Boys once attempted to record the Beatles song "Fool on the Hill" but quickly abandoned it, I'm wondering—if Neil and Chris were to cover a song from the Beatles' great "middle period" (late 1965 through early 1968), which song would you most like them to cover?
I've also just added JCRZ's stunning remix/mashup (which you can listen to on YouTube) of the Boys' "God Willing" with Anne Clark's "Hardest Heart" to my list of my favorite PSB mashups. (I like it so much that I've made it the second item in the list.) And I've added a new item (#8, "Bollywood") to my list of perhaps surprising influences of the Pet Shop Boys on others. Thanks so much to A Powerful Friend for telling me about the latter, which I personally find absolutely delightful! If you're interested, you can read a bit more about this and even listen to the songs in question at the blog "End (-) of (-) World Music."
April 25, 2008
I've added a new item to my list of PSB/Doctor Who connections (see #10). Thanks to Iain Marley for bringing this to my attention!
April 21, 2008
I've added a new item to my list of "performance parodies" of the Pet Shop Boys: the video for the German band Die Prinzen's 1993 single "Alles Aur Geklaut." Thanks to Maksim (Drem) for telling me about this delightful video—which, if you like, you can view on YouTube. He also reminded me of the fact that Chris and Neil had at one time hoped to do a remake of the Italian record "Ti Sento" with Dusty Springfield, which I've now noted in my pre-existing entry for that track in my list of songs that have been mistakenly identified as unreleased PSB recordings. Thanks again, Maksim!
On an altogether different note, even though it's not really a "frequently asked question"—this has been only the second or third time in more than seven years of running this website that somebody has written to me along similar lines—I've decided to add to my FAQ section a question that I received the other day from someone who's obviously not a Pet Shop Boys fan, along with my succinct reply. (It's the final question on the page.) Not to be self-satisfied about it or anything, but I hope you get as much of a kick out of reading it as I had responding.
April 20, 2008
I've posted the final results of this past week's survey, in which I asked my site visitors to rate the "melancholia" (or the "degree of melancholy") of each Pet Shop Boys studio album. This week's new poll is actually a rerun of a question that I first asked nearly seven years ago, when I had far fewer voters each week as well as several fewer options to choose from: Which PSB album boasts your favorite cover art or packaging? Thanks to Rik for suggesting (quite some time ago) that I ask this question again!
I've also updated my page providing capsule descriptions of the Pet Shop Boys' music videos to include the Derek Jarman background projection for "Always on My Mind," which I've finally seen (in a slightly altered version) on YouTube. Finally, thanks to Andy for offering additional insight into the stylistic characterization, so to speak, of "Here Comes the Bear."
April 18, 2008
I've added a new paragraph—to be specific, the third paragraph is the new one—to my entry for the mysterious "Here Comes the Bear," outlining the two differing perspectives (as I understand them) on the controversy surrounding its release. I sincerely hope that I've been able to offer a reasonably accurate explanation of the situation while also doing equitable justice to all concerned parties. Incidentally, thanks to Lydia for keying me in on trip hop (aka "acid rap") as a perhaps imperfect but nevertheless appropriate succinct description of the style of the track.
April 14, 2008
I've implemented "Part 2" of the many site updates recommended by Drem. This batch includes eliminating quite a few broken links on my Links page; adding two new items to my list of "the strangest things the Pet Shop Boys have done" (check out #13 and #14); adding "Twentieth Century" to my list of PSB songs with "Russian connections"; adding three new entries ("Dreaming of the Queen," "In the Night," and "Nothing Has Been Proved") to the list of songs with literary references; and embellishing my previously listed item about Britney Spears in the list of PSB rumors to include the very similar and roughly contemporaneous rumor about Paris Hilton. Thanks again to Drem for all of this extremely helpful input!
April 13, 2008
I've posted the final results of last week's poll, in which I asked my site visitors to choose the path that best illustrates the PSB "trajectory." My new survey for the week ahead is inspired by the cliché (deserved or not) that the Pet Shop Boys, their music, and/or their lyrics are "melancholy." I'm wondering how you would rate the melancholia of each of their studio albums on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning "Not melancholy at all" and 10 meaning "Despairingly, almost suicidally melancholy." Thanks so much to Vince for suggesting this question!
Yesterday my frequent correspondent Maksim (aka Drem) sent me a lengthy email listing literally dozens of suggested additions and updates for my site. I haven't had time to implement them all yet—believe it or not, I do lots of things besides work on this website
April 12, 2008
I've added two new items to my page listing cover versions of Tennant-Lowe songs: Marit Bergman's remake of "Rent" and Julie Neumark's cover of "Love Comes Quickly." Thanks to Lee Richards for telling me about the latter!
