Neil Tennant
Birthday:
July 10, 1954 in North Shields, Tyne-and-Wear, England, UK
Birth Name:
Neil Francis Tennant
Height:
179 cm
Neil Francis Tennant was born on July 10th in North Shields, Northumberland. In 1975, Neil plays in a group in Newcastle called Dust: Their most popular song is a preposterous affair he has written called "Can you hear the dawn break?". They are heavily influenced by The Incredible String Band. "We were convinced we would become terr...
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Neil Francis Tennant was born on July 10th in North Shields, Northumberland. In 1975, Neil plays in a group in Newcastle called Dust: Their most popular song is a preposterous affair he has written called "Can you hear the dawn break?". They are heavily influenced by The Incredible String Band. "We were convinced we would become terribly famous. It was a very kind of stoned seventies but we used to think it was absolutely brilliant at the time".After completing a degree in history at the Polytechnic of North London, Neil took a job at Marvel Comics, anglicizing spellings and indicating where over-risque woman needed to be redrawn decently. While there he interviewed comic fan Marc Bolan, who politely pointed out that his tape recorder wasn't working. In 1977 he worked at Macdonald Educational Publishing, later moving to ITV Books. In June 1982, he joined Smash Hits.On August 19th 1981, Neil and Chris Lowe met by chance in an electronics shop on the Kings Road. Realizing they had a common interest in dance music, they began to write together. To begin with they called themselves West End; later they came up with the name Pet Shop Boys, a name derived from some friends who worked in a pet shop in Ealing. Show less «
An issue I've had is: is it possible to be a pop star without selling sex? And ultimately I think to have mass selling pop music it is not p...Show more »
An issue I've had is: is it possible to be a pop star without selling sex? And ultimately I think to have mass selling pop music it is not possible to do it without selling sex. That's why I think we're not as successful as I think our music could be. Show less «
We do politics through satire. I think when you get activist pop, that's the problem. I think there's only been one successful activist pop ...Show more »
We do politics through satire. I think when you get activist pop, that's the problem. I think there's only been one successful activist pop song, which is Free Nelson Mandela, because I think it did a great pop thing - it made Nelson Mandela famous. Show less «
On my own lyrics, John Betjeman and T.S. Eliot are always quite a strong influence.
On my own lyrics, John Betjeman and T.S. Eliot are always quite a strong influence.
[in 2009] In the '70s I used to like punk and new wave and I used to hate Fleetwood Mac - and over the years recently I've got to like Stevi...Show more »
[in 2009] In the '70s I used to like punk and new wave and I used to hate Fleetwood Mac - and over the years recently I've got to like Stevie Nicks's voice. I didn't appreciate her at the time. I still like the punk but I also like Fleetwood Mac. We like women with a lot of star quality. Show less «
I think the world should be one community.
I think the world should be one community.
I didn't want to wear a checked shirt and grow a mustache - that's what you had to do, and everyone did.
I didn't want to wear a checked shirt and grow a mustache - that's what you had to do, and everyone did.
We've been working on a new album, which is going to come out next spring, which is very different, a change of style for us - it's going to...Show more »
We've been working on a new album, which is going to come out next spring, which is very different, a change of style for us - it's going to be almost like rock music. Show less «
I think there's an element where people get very comfortable in their ghetto. Which is fair enough.
I think there's an element where people get very comfortable in their ghetto. Which is fair enough.
I think we've come a long way since then. The big thing that changed was when ecstasy came along in Britain.
I think we've come a long way since then. The big thing that changed was when ecstasy came along in Britain.
Since we started, Chris (Chris Lowe) and I had theatrical ambitions.
Since we started, Chris (Chris Lowe) and I had theatrical ambitions.
The big gay clubs like Heaven started having mixed nights in the late '80s.
The big gay clubs like Heaven started having mixed nights in the late '80s.
We decided we didn't want to do a musical for TV because the idea of writing a musical that would be seen on television once seems insane.
We decided we didn't want to do a musical for TV because the idea of writing a musical that would be seen on television once seems insane.
We thought it would be great to see if you could put pop music back into musical theater.
We thought it would be great to see if you could put pop music back into musical theater.
A lot of what used to be known as gay culture - broadly speaking, homoeroticism and being camp - has been brought into mainstream culture. I...Show more »
A lot of what used to be known as gay culture - broadly speaking, homoeroticism and being camp - has been brought into mainstream culture. I think we should be moving to an era where it's just sex. Show less «
At one time musical theater, particularly in the '40s and '50s, was a big source of pop songs. That's how musical theater started, really - ...Show more »
At one time musical theater, particularly in the '40s and '50s, was a big source of pop songs. That's how musical theater started, really - it was just a way of linking several pop songs for the stage. Show less «
Because some people have sex with people of the same sex, an entire culture has been created, broadly speaking, out of oppression. Which in ...Show more »
Because some people have sex with people of the same sex, an entire culture has been created, broadly speaking, out of oppression. Which in a rational world would not be an issue. Show less «
For a while we were chasing a book by Graham Greene to do Le gang des tueurs (1948) as a musical. We didn't get the rights, so we decided to...Show more »
For a while we were chasing a book by Graham Greene to do Le gang des tueurs (1948) as a musical. We didn't get the rights, so we decided to create something from scratch, with Jonathan. By that time we were big fans of his work. Show less «
He comes to London and gets a job in a nightclub, a gay club, where he's known as Straight Dave by the bar staff - and no one believes he's ...Show more »
He comes to London and gets a job in a nightclub, a gay club, where he's known as Straight Dave by the bar staff - and no one believes he's as straight as he claims to be. He meets the daughter of the club manager, and he has an affair with her. Show less «
I'm always uneasy with messages. I think if there is a message, it's about taking control of your life. Not becoming a victim. Be true to yo...Show more »
I'm always uneasy with messages. I think if there is a message, it's about taking control of your life. Not becoming a victim. Be true to yourself. In essence it's about love in the drug culture. Show less «
It was most exciting when people first came up on the stage and then when they came back for the encore. We wanted to make a show that kept ...Show more »
It was most exciting when people first came up on the stage and then when they came back for the encore. We wanted to make a show that kept on developing, that was interesting, so we tried to do that with our live shows. Show less «
She's been a smack addict, she's had big success in Europe in the '70s, and she's lost everything. She's been rediscovered in the '80s, and ...Show more »
She's been a smack addict, she's had big success in Europe in the '70s, and she's lost everything. She's been rediscovered in the '80s, and as we meet her she's just about to sign a new recording contract. Show less «
The first song is called 'London.' It's about two Russian soldiers who desert the Russian army and escape to London, where they indulge in a...Show more »
The first song is called 'London.' It's about two Russian soldiers who desert the Russian army and escape to London, where they indulge in a life of crime. Show less «
There's also a subplot about a guy who manages pop groups. Dave is a very ambitious boy, and he gets offered an audition but only wants to d...Show more »
There's also a subplot about a guy who manages pop groups. Dave is a very ambitious boy, and he gets offered an audition but only wants to do it on his terms and conditions. He wants to maintain his integrity. Show less «
They've pursued their own agendas, and they've done what they've wanted to do and not pursued traditional careers in the music industry. The...Show more »
They've pursued their own agendas, and they've done what they've wanted to do and not pursued traditional careers in the music industry. They've followed their own instincts, and they are in many ways maverick performers. Show less «
To a certain extent, this tour is a celebration of individuality and that you can invent and reinvent yourself. You should have the power to...Show more »
To a certain extent, this tour is a celebration of individuality and that you can invent and reinvent yourself. You should have the power to be able to do that. Sexuality is a part of that. It should release you. It doesn't have to be an issue. It shouldn't box you in. Show less «
We hope we are moving toward a world where sexual orientation is not an issue, because we hate the idea of a gay ghetto. I think that it's a...Show more »
We hope we are moving toward a world where sexual orientation is not an issue, because we hate the idea of a gay ghetto. I think that it's a real shame that people become restricted by their sexuality or define their whole lives by their sexuality. Show less «
We shouldn't feel restricted by our sexuality, and our sexuality doesn't have to be a cultural choice. That's an amazing variety of music wi...Show more »
We shouldn't feel restricted by our sexuality, and our sexuality doesn't have to be a cultural choice. That's an amazing variety of music within those five main performers. Show less «
When I was I younger I didn't want to be gay. Not because I was scared of the sexual thing; I didn't want to be a clone. Now this was in the...Show more »
When I was I younger I didn't want to be gay. Not because I was scared of the sexual thing; I didn't want to be a clone. Now this was in the late '70s. Show less «
When we did concerts, we wanted them to be theatrical events - collaborations with designers, choreographers, and directors - because we tho...Show more »
When we did concerts, we wanted them to be theatrical events - collaborations with designers, choreographers, and directors - because we thought traditional rock concerts were boring. Show less «
I remember as a boy hearing ''Strawberry Fields Forever'' and also reading John Lennon's explanation that he wanted it to be like a conversa...Show more »
I remember as a boy hearing ''Strawberry Fields Forever'' and also reading John Lennon's explanation that he wanted it to be like a conversation, and that had a very powerful impact on me. And I remember reading an interview with Frank Sinatra where he said you should phrase lyrics like a conversation. I've always tried to do that. Someone who you might not think of as the world's best lyricist is Madonna, but she always gets the emphasis on the right syllable. Show less «
I always thought banality was a particular talent
I always thought banality was a particular talent
