In Depth Pet Shop Boys Podcast

There’s an end-of-term feel to the In Depth season finale as Chris subjects Graham to the full technicolour horror of the Pet Shop Boys “Colours” quiz! With his co-hosting position on the line, Graham comes out fighting with some of his brightest, boldest Pet Shop facts to date. But with Chris moving the goalposts (“that’s indirect!”) and Graham getting increasingly desperate (“I’m going colour-adjacent!”), will he end up with a gold medal or a red face? From Brother Brown to Pink Noise, Purple Zones to Little Black Dresses, why not brush up on your own Pet Shop Boys colour-related facts and play along at home? Just be prepared for some shady interpretations! To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8   Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com   And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In the second half of their Discography double bill, Graham and Chris dive “Double In Depth” into the remaining nine tracks. The Introspective singles take them raving with Frankie Knuckles and the dawn of Acid House, while Behaviour sees them smoking about cigarettes and harping on about harps. There’s even chance for them to show off Graham’s amateur percussion skills, and Chris’s even more amateur language pronunciation skills. C’est la vida é! But can they squeeze in a countdown of the top 10 longest Pet Shop Boys song titles?” To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8   Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com   And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001  

Graham and Chris celebrate the blue vinyl reissue of double album Discography by going “Double In Depth” to trade some of their most obscure facts yet. From the first record alone, they unearth early draft lyrics, an old BBC Two documentary, an Elvis TV special, the 1988 UK singles chart, and Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine - while also examining the roles of both the saxophone and Pink Floyd in the Pet Shop Boys canon. But who knew Enya was stalking Neil and Chris’s every move? More next week! To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8   Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com   And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

Whether it’s a catastrophe or a bourgeois construct, Pet Shop Boys have much to say on love. And so do Graham and Chris - first putting their own love for the band under the microscope to try and uncover where love becomes obsession. Then comes the lyrical deep-dive, unpicking all the ways Neil “Man of Mystery” Tennant crafts a love song, before Chris “Intense Urges” Lowe derails things and we all need to go for a cold shower. Plus: there’s a high-stakes middle bit where two straight middle-aged men talk about sexuality, and a more familiar climax where they compile the ultimate Pet Shop Boys love album: Slush. To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8   Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com   And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In their second Actually episode, Graham and Chris unearth the stories behind some of Pet Shop Boys’ most loved songs, with tales of paranoia, privatisation, puppets and Pavarotti. There’s a comprehensive breakdown of inspirations and collaborators - from Bobby O and Ennio to Cameo and Gazebo - and analysis of everything, including the kitchen sink. By the time the last train pulls out of King’s Cross, they’ve uncovered the album’s major themes, and things are looking bleak. Thankfully love is discovered in a pair of Heart singles. But - own up - who forgot to book the orchestra?” To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8   Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com   And you can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

In the latest of their album deep-dives, Graham and Chris rewind life’s cassette to summer 1987 to set the scene for the arrival of Actually. Graham’s teenage diary shines new light on the headlines and music charts of the day, before the album’s upfront singles are comprehensively unpacked, with a little help from Jonathan King (boo!) and Ed the Duck (hurrah!). After deconstructing the sleeve and mourning the memorabilia they’ve lost to Pet Shop Boys heaven over the decades, it’s fantasy setlist time, with Chris pitching his ideas for the Actually tour which never actually happened. Part two next week! To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com   You can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

Graham and Chris turn TV hosts to present a special edition of This Is Your Life, calling out Pet Shop Boys’ 10 greatest achievements from the famed Big Red Book. Career highs recalled include having their first 12” available in Soho’s Record Shack, rescuing Dusty and aiding the drive to pardon Alan Turing, as well as subverting UK institutions and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty. There’s also In Depth analysis of Hallo Spaceboy’s cut-up lyrics and Neil’s only published poem, while guests lining up to pay tribute include Bobby O, Madonna, Sammy Davis Jr, Es Devlin, Emily Eavis and Jimmy Tarbuck himself. But will Neil and Chris accept their knighthoods for services to pop? There's only one way to find out...

With the tour that nearly never began now threatening never to end, Graham and Chris don their robo-tuning-fork-rabbit-ears to consider what Pet Shop Boys fans really want from a greatest hits show. Deep cuts are welcome - unless it’s to the singer’s thumb. Stories are shared from Hull, Rome, Koko and Funny Girls, and there’s talk of theme parks, toilet breaks, inflatable beds and popstar dreams. Plus, in a dream sequence inspired by Neil’s Marvel Comics days: Is Pet Shop Boys’ career simply one long journey through a multiverse of overlapping Dreamworlds? And - for an encore - Graham and Chris get their dream call to curate the setlist for ‘Dreamworld 2: Return To Dreamworld’!”   If you would like to share your own PSB stories and by possibly be part of a future 'fans' episode - please complete our fans survey. https://forms.gle/tBRi5C5aX2XJZfyw9   To support the Pet Shop Boys In Depth podcast visit our Crowdfunder: https://gofund.me/5a755ef8 Or visit our T-shirt store: https://in-depth.teemill.com   You can get additional In Depth content on social media: Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Bluesky: http://tiny.cc/jc7h001 X: http://tiny.cc/lc7h001

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? You can get additional content on social media via our Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz To support the podcast you can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

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. You can get additional content on social media via our Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz To support the podcast you can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

“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. You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

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. You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

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? You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

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? You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page:http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com

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? You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com  

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. You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com  

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. You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can support the podcast by buying a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com  

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. You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com  

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. You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com  

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? You can get additional content on our socials: You can follow us on social media via our new Facebook page: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz Or on X: http://tiny.cc/5jhcvz You can buy a t-shirt here: in-depth.teemill.com