After completing a degree in history at the Polytechnic of North London, Neil takes a job at Marvel Comics, anglicizing spellings and indicating where over-risque woman needed to be redrawn decently. While there he interviews comic fan Marc Bolan, who politely points out that his tape recorder wasn’t working. In 1977 he works at Macdonald Educational Publishing, later moving to ITV Books. In June 1982, he joins Smash Hits.
The Boys debut ‘Always on My Mind’ during the taping of a U.K. television tribute to Elvis Presley titled Love Me Tender. (The show will be broadcast two days later, on August 16.)
The Pet Shop Boys headline the Bilbao Festival in Bilbao, Spain.
Still in Prague following their concert there the night before, Neil and Chris get to play tourist, including a visit to the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art.
They perform this evening at the Way Out West festival in Gothenburg, Sweden.
With Neil in attendance, Tim Young creates the masters for ‘No Boundaries’ and ‘Burning the Heather’ at Metropolis Studios. At this point, the Boys consider the album Hotspot finished.
The Pet Shop Boys bring their ongoing Dreamworld Tour to the Royal Sandringham Estate near England’s North Sea coast. Scissor Sisters are the support act, and their lead singer Jake Shears guests onstage with the Boys to sing Olly Alexander’s part in the song ‘Dreamland.’