Neil’s an old friend from our days back at Smash Hits in the early ‘80s. The first Pet Shop Boys demos were played on the office tape machine, though he was a bit self-conscious about “the one with the rap on it”. He’s always had a journalistic capacity for story-telling, remembering everything in famously entertaining detail, and we had so much material from this reunion we turned it into a two-part podcast. Here’s a taste of what you’ll find in this second half ...   … “every group has to have an angle”.   … pop’s current obsession with identity.   … why Bronski Beat were so significant.   … David Bowie’s scathing one-word reviews of Michael Jackson and Oasis at the Brits.   … “the whole world of pop songs is a giant ever-expanding artwork”.   … meeting Frida from Abba, “a song waiting to happen”.   … the ‘Pits & Perverts’ gay benefit for the miners in 1984.   … London clubs in the early ‘80s - “we had a competition to see who could wear the highest heels”.   … how everyone at Smash Hits thought Michael Jackson’s Thriller was “a damp squib”.   … recording West End Girls.    … first hearing a 12-inch single.   … appearing on Soul Train with Don Cornelius – “like being on a different planet”.   … why Dusty Springfield gave Jerry Wexler a nervous breakdown.   … seeing the last Ziggy Stardust show.   … meeting Steven Spielberg, Micky Dolenz and Joni Mitchell.   … and Boy George's gag about George Michael. -----------------------------------   PSB tour dates: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/pet-shop-boys-tickets/artist/735852   Order the new Pet Shop Boys album ‘Nonetheless’ here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/nonetheless-Deluxe-2CD-Shop-Boys/dp/B0CTKKBBVF ----------------------------------- Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon for early - and ad-free - access to all of our content, plus a whole load more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear   Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.