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At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Fri 05 Aug 2022, 10:21 am
by Pod
On Radio 1 in the early 90s there used to be a regular ‘skit’ called at home with the pet shop boys. They were only a minute or so long and were played on steve wright’s show I believe. It was basically 2 actors voicing Neil and Chris in stereotypical style (Neil talkative, chris grumpy). As I recall they were quite funny. Anyone remember them? Wish I had a recording of them, I used to have a few but sadly now long gone.

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Fri 05 Aug 2022, 12:01 pm
by rashomon
Now you mention it Pod I do have a vague memory of this.

This is from Geowayne's site http://www.geowayne.com/newDesign/lists/parodies.htm:

8. Steve Wright/BBC Radio 1 (again) - "The Pet Shop Boys at Home"

For a while back in the late 1980s and early 1990s Wright also used to run on his afternoon radio show a recurring comedy sketch called "The Pet Shop Boys at Home." Apparently one of the running gags of the skits was that "Neil" (reportedly portrayed by one of Steve's"regulars, Richard Easter) would be very expressive—"effusive and over the top," as one writer has put it—while "Chris" just grunted or groaned from time to time. One edition in particular featured "the Boys" recording "Go West," but instead of the actual lyrics "Neil" simply listed a string of English towns.

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Fri 05 Aug 2022, 1:28 pm
by Dog
I recall Steve Wright didn’t like Pet Shop Boys.

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Fri 05 Aug 2022, 7:29 pm
by OakeyDokey
I'm not sure Chris Morris liked them either but he also did a parody song. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery etc.

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Fri 05 Aug 2022, 9:00 pm
by Patrick Bateman
The Chris Morris one is pretty funny; I particularly like the line 'and we litter our songs with this irritating noise' before we hear some synth stabs a la Chris. :lol:

Steve Wright and his 'posse' were pretty homphobic in the 80s - I didn't listen to his show regularly but there was certainly an element of that in his PSB skits.

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Fri 05 Aug 2022, 11:38 pm
by Dog
Patrick Bateman wrote:Steve Wright and his 'posse' were pretty homphobic in the 80s - I didn't listen to his show regularly but there was certainly an element of that in his PSB skits.
Yes that is my memory as well.

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Fri 05 Aug 2022, 11:44 pm
by Dog
Chris Morris Pet Shop Boys’ parody from Boxing Day 1990:

https://youtu.be/7SJtWCFvDpk

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Fri 05 Aug 2022, 11:51 pm
by Dog

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Sat 06 Aug 2022, 12:01 am
by Dog
Mary Whitehouse Experience:

https://youtu.be/iLUFvUKj8ZU

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Sat 06 Aug 2022, 12:07 am
by Dog
Flight Of The Conchords - Inner City Pressure

https://youtu.be/WUAcN9UCnbU

This is genius

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Sat 06 Aug 2022, 9:15 am
by jasonjohn
Nobody cares, nobody sympathizes /
so you just stay home playing synthesizers

❤️

the Chris Morris one is incredibly cutting - Chris would of loved it

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Sat 06 Aug 2022, 10:05 am
by tottenhammattspurs
Steve Wright, around the time of Rent, had a song parody credited to “the cat shop boys” called “it’s the same as the last one”that he played out on his show. The chorus imitated the chorus of What have I done to deserve this? with the “witty” refrain “we never, we never, we never repeat things twice, no we never, we never, we never repeat things twice…” High brow satire indeed. 😳

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Sat 06 Aug 2022, 10:20 am
by Drico One
I don't mind a bit of PSB satire - the Spitting Image parody was savage (and homophobic) but still funny - but coming from a miserable beta male like Wright I'll pass.

I mean, was Weird Al Yankovic busy those years?

Drico.

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Sat 06 Aug 2022, 10:33 am
by Dog

Re: At home with the Pet Shop Boys

Posted: Sat 06 Aug 2022, 10:57 am
by leesmapman
Drico One wrote: Sat 06 Aug 2022, 10:20 am I don't mind a bit of PSB satire - the Spitting Image parody was savage (and homophobic) but still funny - but coming from a miserable beta male like Wright I'll pass.

I mean, was Weird Al Yankovic busy those years?
He was busy with his (underrated) movie UHF. It flopped and he was kinda in a slump. His Nirvana spoof revived his career. Ironically, the band that killed fun in music in the 90s revived one of the greatest musical comedians.