In Depth Pet Shop Boys Podcast

In the second part of their Nonetheless double-bill, Graham and Chris go track-by-track, meeting a cast of characters along the way including James Ford, Rudolf Nureyev, Oscar Wilde, Les Petites Bon-Bons, Bowie, Cardi B, Brandon, Kylie, Putin, Ted Lasso, Kraftwerk, Tracey Emin, Spitting Image, and Taylor Swift.

There’s also time to discuss first plays, formats and nudity in PSB lyrics, before getting down to the really big questions - what do Pet Shop Boys songs smell like? and how does Nonetheless rate in the Pet Shop Boys canon?

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In the first part of a new album double-bill, Graham and Chris inadvertently go so In Depth talking about Nonetheless, they don’t even have time to talk about Nonetheless.

Nonetheless, there’s loads to say on life since Hotspot and the excitement of the campaign build up, including Pet Shop Boys on both big and small screens, singles, artwork, fonts, photos, titles, labels, haircuts, Johnny Marr, and the sheer joy of seeing a crate of old demo cassettes.

Plus, Chris wows Graham with his PSB sporting knowledge, while Graham boards the clean air hybrid electric bus to quiz Chris on their transport connections.

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“Let’s do it, let’s break the law!”

In an In Depth first, Graham and Chris leave the (un)comfort of the garden shed to take the train to London on a Very Big Pet Shop Boys adventure.

Visiting places immortalised in PSB history and song lyrics, the podcast pair stop off at classic PSB landmarks to nurse their blisters, download their journey and recall London gigs and events attended over the years.

“Highlights” include the world’s worst PSB pub crawl and a failed attempt to recreate the Home and dry video.

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Graham and Chris set the controls to 1999 to immerse themselves in one of Pet Shop Boys’ most polarising releases.

Echoing Nightlife’s celebration of both night owls and homebirds, Chris’s nocturnal flashbacks cover Creamfields and culottes, while Graham settles down to experience a total (solar) eclipse of the heart.

Fright wigs, goths, vampires, insomnia, early internet fandom and the small matter of a musical… all get surfaced as In Depth’s gruesome-twosome exhume the Boys’ spookiest 12-tracker.

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Graham and Chris answer the killer question “who’s your favourite Pet Shop Boy?” by attempting to curate a complete history of “early Neil”.

From a hatred of football to a love of the theatre, In Depth gets under the skin of Neil’s childhood influences which helped shape the PSB sound and attitude.

Plus: Beatles! Bowie! Zithers and whimsy! Never-ending redundancy money and what were the key factors which informed Pet Shop Boys’ first Camden studio sessions?

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Pet Shop Boys don’t like to look backwards, but Graham and Chris are more than happy to do it on their behalf. Season three kicks off by marking 40 years of PSB recordings with a forensic examination of the catalogue, in a quest to spot those key tracks which helped propel them forward. From Please to Nonetheless, In Depth makes the case for 15 songs which signposted where Neil and Chris would venture next. But - quiz alert - how often do Pet Shop Boys’ album titles crop up in their song lyrics?

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In a surprise festive episode, Graham and Chris timewarp to 1987 to revisit “peak Pet Shop Boys Christmas”.

With a cassette of Bruno Brookes’ Christmas chart countdown and Graham’s teenage diary as map and compass, Television and Annually are re-unwrapped, Going Live rewatched and the thrill of our heroes’ finest chart victory re-lived.

But will Always on my mind still be number one in Chris’s arbitrary top 12 days of Neil and Chris-tmas?

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Graham and Chris answer the killer question “who’s your favourite Pet Shop Boy” by taking an In Depth look at what makes the world’s coolest synth icon tick.

Along the way, the conversation visits Blackpool, honours Issey Miyake, consults Smash Hits and celebrates Mr Lowe’s most famous strops. Plus; from playing the keytar and the trombone to even writing the odd tune - Graham and Chris attempt to get to the heart of what it is “the other one” actually does.

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Recognising it often takes more than two Pet Shop Boys to change a lightbulb, Graham and Chris go In Depth on PSB musical collaborations.

From Bobby O’s Passion to Harold Faltermeyer’s abattoir, producers and remixers past, present and future come under the podcast microscope. There are deep-dives on Dusty and Electronic, and tales of Glastonbury and Hyde Park before, to conclude the season, Graham and Chris curate Disco 5 and pick a fight with Noel Gallagher as a result.

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Graham and Chris take a deep-dive into Pet Shop Boys’ 2009 album Yes, to rediscover a soundtrack of love, trust and hope set against a backdrop of financial crisis and global turmoil.

As well as celebrating the songs, the sleeves, the clothes and the Brits, there’s time for Graham to take the “real people named in PSB songs” quiz, and for Chris to share a new take on a classic bedtime story.

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Graham and Chris order in the oysters and 1942 Chateau Latour to relive the highs and horrors of Pet Shop Boys’ cinematic landmark It Couldn’t Happen Here, before descending into a discussion that proves, from lyrics to videos, that films are a major PSB influence.

Chris shares what he’s learned from the internet’s foremost James Cagney and Nosferatu fans while Graham battles with a game of “identify the film sample” before, to finish, the pair attempt to distill PSB DNA by boiling down four pivotal celluloid influences.

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Graham pays a visit to Chris’s inner sanctum, where together they explore his Pet Shop Boys collection and share memories and stories about the music and memorabilia they unearth.

Along the way, Graham reveals his most embarrassing PSB coach trip and Chris makes a surreal case for the world’s most Pet Shop Boys’ bridge. But which personalised 1992 PSB item does Graham own which Chris doesn’t?

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Graham and Chris quickly rework their podcast plans to celebrate the surprise reissue of Relentless, transporting themselves back to the early 90s to go song-by-song through Pet Shop Boys’ secret six-tracker.

There’s also time to get bang up-to-date, and string together the clues that have been dropped around the forthcoming new album. From Russian ballerinas to GarageBand to analogue synths, Graham and Chris collate the factors that may well help shape 2024’s grand return.

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We’re back, back, BACK!

Just a note to let you know that we have finished recording another six Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcasts - the first episode  of Season 2 will be out on FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER, marking the exciting 30th anniversary reissue of Relentless. 

We’ve learned loads since the two of us first met back in February and launched In Depth in May. As complete podcast novices, we’ve been bowled over by the feedback from Pet Shop Boys’ fans all over the world - we’ve listeners in over 70 countries, and in June we even hit number one on the Apple Podcast music chart. Of course this was helped in no small part by a mention on the official PSB social channels, which was a thrill in itself. 

On the back of our sixth episode we tentatively launched a small fundraiser and online T-shirt store - the proceeds of which meant we were able to buy a small mixer and a couple of microphones, and also cover our hosting costs. We were extremely humbled by these contributions - it meant a great deal and we’re extremely grateful. You can still grab a t-shirt via the link below. 

We’ve tried to up our game on all aspects of content and production and really hope that you like the results. It’s been a lot of fun. But the core aim has stayed the same - to celebrate 40 years of Pet Shop Boys, by going In Depth on all aspects of their career. So expect more PSB chat, facts, memories, theories, and more ridiculous quizzes. Your feedback, as ever, will be greatly appreciated. 

Please follow or subscribe to get each episode as soon as it’s available. 

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We wind up season one of In Depth with a look at some of Neil’s favourite lyrical themes, or “Tennant's Tropes”. Graham then turns quizmaster to expose Chris’s lack of lyrical knowledge, before a final study of PSB album closers uncovers that, just like in Shakespeare, you’re never far away from a wedding or a funeral. 

You can get bonus content and contact Graham and Chris on Twitter here:

@InDepthPSBPod

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Help us make more episodes

Producing these podcasts has been quite a journey for the two us. Making them was very much a learning process and we were nervous about “putting ourselves out there” and how they would be received. But we have been bowled over by the positivity and nice comments from fans around the world. Who knew what a nice place the internet secretly was? Or maybe it’s just Pet Shop Boys fans that are a decent bunch. Clearly the mention on the official PSB socials was a key moment for us and we I am sure we will both milk our number one Apple music podcast status for many years. 

Many people have already asked if we are planning to make any more. The answer is that we would love to. Clearly the podcast could run indefinitely and we have firm plans for at least another six episodes. But the first six were very much a product of circumstance. We had access to free studio time through Graham’s work, but that door has now closed. In addition, hosting costs are £100 a year.

So it is with some trepidation that we are once again testing the water. Today we’re opening up a crowdfunding page via justgiving, with a target of £500. This will pay for:

* Two years of hosting across all main podcast platforms 
* The equipment necessary to set us up to be able to record self-sufficiently, to a high quality, without the reliance on studio time or any third party 

You can visit our gofund page here: https://gofund.me/9439d154

We appreciate that some people may prefer to get something more tangible for their investment, so today we are also opening our In Depth online T shirt store. There’s a range of designs, with all profits (approximately £10 per T shirt) going to support the podcast. 

Anyone kind enough to donate or buy a T shirt will get a shout out in the credits of a future podcast.

You can visit our t-shirt site here: https://in-depth.teemill.com/

Fundraising in this way isn’t ideal but it’s the only way we can think of to keep In Depth going, given we can’t afford to wholly subsidise it ourselves.

Another ask would be to head over to the Apple Music or Spotify apps and give us a nice review. And please consider following us on Twitter. @InDepthPSBPod

Thank you again for all your support to date; it’s meant a great deal.

Graham and Chris discuss Behaviour, Release and Elysium and pose the question: are these the three most important albums in Pet Shop Boys’ catalogue? En route, Graham shares his Uni Tour memories and Chris predicts what a James Ford produced PSB album might sound like. 

Get bonus content and contact Graham and Chris on Twitter here: @InDepthPSBPod

Listen to the music discussed in the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7LDuRrcOZy7GP6YpqvkAKK?si=9e49b965d57d4860

To coincide with the release of the new Pet Shop Boys’ singles compilation SMASH, Graham and Chris go In Depth on PSB’s greatest hits, past and present - including the nail-biting debut of the SMASH disc two versus SMASH disc three game. There’s also time for an appraisal of the new Lost EP.  

Get bonus content and contact Graham and Chris on Twitter here: @InDepthPSBPod

Listen to the music discussed in the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4fCijxCFmfFpsRAn1OlPpS?si=a8d88ee681c84084

Graham and Chris puzzle over Introspective’s extended track times, eclectic instrumentation and out-there sleeve and address the question no-one else is asking: is Introspective really a secret prog rock album? Among their findings they reveal the inspiration behind the famous Introspective stripes. 

Get bonus content and contact Graham and Chris on Twitter here: @InDepthPSBPod

Listen to the music discussed in the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2EfctW0b8SYFn5eM1xqt5V?si=9513a8ad1bbf45ff

In this second episode, Graham and Chris - while grateful for almost 40 years of Pet Shop Boys' output - discuss the items that are still on their wishlists.

They share their fantasy PSB reissues, dream concert setlists and venues, the catalogue gaps they’d like to see filled - and there’s some speculation about some of their favourite unreleased song titles. 

Get bonus content and contact Graham and Chris on Twitter: @InDepthPSBPod

Spotify playlist of songs discussed: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45jk93YZ0Z1Y8ztPhSSLpa?si=_woDf0NET9WtFcMkr75pYA

In Depth is the podcast for Pet Shop Boys fans, created by two fans from the north of England who wouldn’t normally do this kind of thing.  

In this first introductory episode, Graham and Chris discuss their favourite PSB introductions, reminisce about how they were first introduced to PSB music, and share some of the things they’ve been introduced to as a result of orbiting planet PSB.

The pair have previously only met once, so join them on a journey of discovery that takes in New York, Berlin, the Carlyle hotel on South Beach Miami, and a Halifax record shop. Not only do they share their memories, but discover some surprises too. 

Spotify playlist of songs discussed:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3UgGmtIfffw4JBcDnooYm3?si=HjAYMa49QcWFGegpkiFK6A5QJ97CxOIlQ9bBpd38bGNt?si=qIogtmQVSdit8b9I2-zPEA

Get bonus content on Twitter: @InDepthPSBPod