PET SHOP BOYS LIVE CHAT - 17 November 2003 time 19.30

BBC Host: Hello, and welcome to tonight's Live Chat with the Pet Shop Boys.

Question from Daniel: The Miracles video looks fantastic. Who was it made by and how much did it cost?

PetShopBoys: It was made by Hal Greenov. He's done quite a few videos for us, like Go West.

PetShopBoys: Neil: It cost almost £100,000 I think.

Question from Doctor Vibestein: You've recorded some very interesting cover versions, are there any songs you'd like to cover that you haven't yet got around to?

PetShopBoys: Chris: Elton John suggested we should cover Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. We did try it, and you can do quite a good electroclash version of it!

Question from Adrian Rogers: Neil - What type of literature do you read

PetShopBoys: Neil: English! Actually I read quite a lot of foreign literature in translation. I read a lot of history.

Question from Ashley: How often do you see each other outside work?

PetShopBoys: Neil: Quite often. Chris: We work seven days a week, so every day!

PetShopBoys: Neil: We may work til 8pm then go to a club or something.

BBC Host: If you have Real Media on your PC you should be able to see the web chat, live from the BBCi Chat Studio in London.

visitor dominodancer do you think miracles will be a top 10 hit?

PetShopBoys: Neil: Down to the public. Who knows? I was reading in Mojo magazine that Heroes by David Bowie, their No.1 single by him, got to No.24.

PetShopBoys: So sometimes the chart position doesn't really matter. Being Boring scraped into the top 20.

Question from visitor Clare Is Love Comes Quickly still one of your favourite tracks?

PetShopBoys: Chris: Yes, and Blank & Jones have remixed it on the remix part of our compilation.

Question from Bowesy5573 On PopArt Why is the album version of Heart included and Why is I wouldnt Normally Do slightly different?

PetShopBoys: Neil: The album version of Heart is the 7" version. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing is the 7" version.

Question from Simon: With the current trend for remakes, remixes and reissues of 80's classics, can we expect the same treatment of old (80s)PSB tracks?

PetShopBoys: Chris: Yeah, it's possible. Somebody really good is making a version of a really good PSB song at the moment. But we don't want to spoil the surprise!

BBC Host: Hello, and welcome to tonight's Live Chat with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe - aka the Pet Shop Boys.

Question from Christina Matthews: Are you planning any more musicals after the wonderful Closer to Heaven?

PetShopBoys: Neil: Yes, I don't know when. The next project is really the next album. We realised that a musical takes a long time to do and we learnt a lot from Closer to Heaven. It would be a waste not to put that to practice, but I don't know when.

PetShopBoys: Neil: But we do have a long-term project for the West End but I don't know if it'll happen.

Question from visitor psb1977 Do you think you would have got past Simon Cowell if Pop Idol existed in the early 80's?

PetShopBoys: Chris: I wouldn't have gone in front of him! It's a talent show like Opportunity Knocks or New Faces, and I didn't like those at the time. I think we'd have failed!

PetShopBoys: Neil: I was once auditioned by Jonathan King. He put an ad in the press looking for young singers and I auditioned for him! He was very polite, but not that impressed.

PetShopBoys: Chris: They have a very narrow definition of what makes a pop star.

PetShopBoys: Neil: Individuality seems to be frowned upon. The News of the World gave away a CD of Simon Cowell's greatest hits - unfortunately we were in Germany so we didn't get it, but it would be a fabulous thing to have - a great indictment of Simon Cowell.

Question from visitor archy513 Regarding you song from "Bright Young Things", will it be released on the movie soundtrack or as a single? Is there a movie from the past you wish you had been able to contribute a song?

PetShopBoys: Chris: Sound of Music?!

BBC Host: If you've already submitted a question and are waiting for it to be answered, please bear with us, we're doing our best to answer as many as possible.

PetShopBoys: Neil: Stephen Fry originally asked us to sing a Noel Coward song, but they ended up using the Noel Coward version. He was trying to bring a contemporary spin to the music of the 20s but it didn't really work. But we did write a song which we like very much. Someone unfortunately put it on the internet! It might be on the next album.

BBC Host: Remember, if you can't stay for the duration of the chat you can come back later in the week and the transcript and video will be on the website.

Question from visitor zupzong Of all your music videos, what is your favourite?

PetShopBoys: Neil: Probably Being Boring. A beautiful video. The other I really like is the video for It's Alright - Chris and I with about 50 babies! I think it was a really good idea.

BBC Host: If you have Real Media on your PC you should be able to see the web chat, live from the BBCi Chat Studio in London.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I don't think it'll be out next year, but it could do. I think it'll probably be Spring 2005, and there'll definitely be a tour.

Question from will there be a new complete album coming out next year and what style will it be? eletronic? and what about a tour?

PetShopBoys: Neil: I don't think it'll be out next year, but it could do. I think it'll probably be Spring 2005, and there'll definitely be a tour.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I think we've tried different styles with each album...

PetShopBoys: Chris: We've been going a bit more minimalist with the electronics.

Question from AlejoChile Any Chance to do Another movie like It Couldn't Happen Here?

PetShopBoys: Neil: No, is the simple answer! It Couldn't Happen Here started out as a documentary for the South Bank Show on ITV. It was like placing us in our songs, and while it was being planned we had two No.1s, so there was demand to do a movie and it extended to a film.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I don't think we'd have agreed to do that if we were planning a movie from the beginning.

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PetShopBoys: Neil: It's rather an odd narrative and a bit self-indulgent, a bit like Magical Mystery Tour.

Question from Mike If you could give dusty the Elvis makeover treatment what track would you update and why, and would Neil singalong?

PetShopBoys: Neil: I think with Dusty's records, I don't think they need updating. The best records sound great and very fresh. With Elvis they've taken relatively obscure ones.

PetShopBoys: Neil: There's a Dusty record that's a northern soul hit that might work.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I can't remember what it's called!

Question from Steve Wilkinson: Hi Neil and Chris, I was just wondering how much influence over the finished track someone like Adam F has when you work with guest producers?

PetShopBoys: Chris: In his case, tonnes. It's his track, really.

PetShopBoys: Neil: We never got it finished with Adam, we brought someone else in to finish the record. But the Adam F collaboration is unusual in that it's not like any collaborative record I've ever done before.

Question from Mike Boyes You have done so many things and worked with so many people in music, is there anything left that you'd like do next? Is there anything you'd NEVER do?!

PetShopBoys: Chris: We're not really thinking like that at the moment. Singers we like - we saw Donna Summer at a charity ball and she was fantastic...

BBC Host: Remember, if you can't stay for the duration of the chat you can come back later in the week and the transcript and video will be on the website.

Question from CarolineX Neil and Chris you have obviously travelled to many places but is there anywhere you would like to go which you haven't visited yet?

PetShopBoys: Chris: Yep, the Ukraine! We've wanted to go for ages and were meant to go last year but it was cancelled. We'd like to go to Kiev.

PetShopBoys: Neil: We have quite a few fans in eastern Europe. I'd like to play the Middle East. We went to Istanbul and Israel recently and we find it a fascinating culture. I'd also like us to play in Tehran - we seem to have fans there.

BBC Host: Remember, if you have Real Media on your PC you should be able to see the web chat, live from the BBCi Chat Studio in London.

Question from tweetyuk01 What do you think about down-loading music from the web ?

PetShopBoys: Chris: It's Neil on this one! I do it when I can't get a record in the shops...

PetShopBoys: Neil: I get annoyed when a record is on the internet a month before it's released, or even before it's finished.

PetShopBoys: Chris: Then the fans criticise it saying it's not finished!

PetShopBoys: Neil: You spend ages creating this piece of music and the right to release it how you want is taken away from you. It's then decided by a fan in Germany or a journalist in America. They release the record - we don't.

PetShopBoys: Chris: The 12" vinyl of Miracles is so beautifully packaged - you can't download that from the internet.

PetShopBoys: Neil: Sometimes the internet seems a bit claustrophobic - everything gets recorded as fact even if it isn't true.

Question from angelspirit Do you still get nervous on stage?

PetShopBoys: Chris: I don't get nervous generally.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I do just beforehand.

PetShopBoys: Chris: I think I'd be nervous if I had to remember the lyrics to all the songs, and sing them!

PetShopBoys: Chris: I'd want the lyrics to be on autocue!

BBC Host: If you've just joined the chat, we're LIVE from the BBCi Chat Studio with the Pet Shop Boys.

PetShopBoys: Neil: Sometimes I forget Go West... Together... We will.. something or other! Or I sing the same verse twice.

PetShopBoys: Neil: The first time we did that song was a charity concert for Derek Jarman and the lyrics all blew away!

dvr Is it less exciting to promote a greatest hits release as a new album?

PetShopBoys: Neil: I suppose in theory it should be. Personally I've been quite enjoying it!

PetShopBoys: Chris: It's just different. We spent a lot of time involved in the artwork and what it looks like - we received it all today and it all looks good. It's nice to look back and take it all in. Then you feel you can move on and have a clear idea of what you want to do.

John I'm afraid I nicked the bassline from 'Love Comes Quickly' for my GCSE composition 12 years ago. I feel bad about it but i did credit you and I got an A! My question is... Out of all your songs, what are your favourites musically and lyrically? Keep up the good work!

PetShopBoys: Chris: Plagiarism!

PetShopBoys: Neil: I'm delighted to hear that!

BBC Host: Remember, if you have Real Media on your PC you should be able to see the web chat, live from the BBCi Chat Studio in London.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I've always liked Can You Forgive Her? I think it's an unusual lyric and I like the music as well.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I like the romantic songs. It's difficult to choose one. The single track I'm most satisfied with is Being Boring.

vesedese Do you like it when your song comes on the radio or do you switch it over?

PetShopBoys: Neil: I like it! I was in the Virgin Megastore in Chelsea today to check the single was in stock, and the Virgin radio station was playing the new single. So I loitered in the classical music department!

chris gould what do you think of the many unofficial websites devoted to you?

PetShopBoys: Neil: I think it's good. It's amazingly flattering. There's a huge list of sites devoted to us, and it's good, especially when it happens in different languages.

BBC Host: Just five minutes to go with Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant - aka the Pet Shop Boys.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I like the ones that don't just recycle stuff from our website!

BBC Host: Stay online to see what are the last questions to be asked.

PetShopBoys: Neil: There's a guy in America who has done a commentary to the lyrics of every single we've done. Often he's wrong in his conclusions, but it's an amazingly thorough piece of work.

PetShopBoys: Chris: There's a list of ten reasons how we wrecked our career in America!

PetShopBoys: Neil: 100% true!

PetShopBoys: Neil: I think it's nice when people do something new. The fans come together from different countries and languages, and it's an incredible thing.

Chris will anything happen with all your costumes from dwon the years? Any chance of a exhibition?

PetShopBoys: Neil: There is, yes. There's an American art curator who approached us, wanting to do an exhibition with galleries in North America. Chris and I are a bit sceptical, we don't want to present what we do as fine art.

PetShopBoys: Neil: I don't think the costumes look very good exhibited, but there might be one at some point.

BBC Host: That is all we have time for. Here are Neil and Chris with a final word ...

PetShopBoys: Chris: It's nice to have this opportunity to answer your questions.

PetShopBoys: Neil: Good questions - better than most TV shows!

BBC Host: Thanks to our guests the Pet Shop Boys, and to all of you who logged on tonight.

BBC Host: Sorry if your question didn't get answered - there just wasn't enough time to cover them all.

BBC Host: For more information about the Pet Shop Boys take a look at the Official Pet Shop Boys website

BBC Host: Thanks to our guests the Pet Shop Boys, and to all of you who logged on tonight.
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