PSB Potemkin news...

[Joemoz]

BBC news website

Pet Shop Boys bid for Battleship tour

The Trafalgar Square screening tied in to anti-war protests last year
British duo the Pet Shop Boys have expressed their hopes of touring with their soundtrack to the classic Sergei Eisenstein film Battleship Potemkin.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe first gave a public performance of the soundtrack at a free concert in London's Trafalgar Square in September last year, alongside a screening of the 1925 film .

At the time, the concert was linked to anti-war sentiment in the UK capital.

Tennant told BBC World Service's The Music Biz programme he was hopeful of taking the performance on tour - specifically to places where the film's message could be highly sensitive.

"We would love to do it in other, specifically political places - I think to do this in Tiananmen Square would be incredible; to play the Odessa staircase sequence where that terrible massacre happened," he said.

"I don't think they'd ever let us do it - which is interesting, because it's a Communist regime, and it's a supposedly Communist film.

Of course, the massacre didn't really take place at the Tiananmen square but in the surrounding streets. Also, while nominally communist, it is hardly news that the Chinese political system no longer resembles communism in its original form, and thus it probably feels little kinship to the revolutionary message of Eisenstein's film.

On the other hand, it is somewhat shallow of Neil to say "they'd probably never let us do it etc." when he hasn't actually asked.

Not that he would be allowed, of course (there is no tradition of that sort of performances on that square), but he should let the regime make its own decisions before jumping to conclusions.

[Zeus On The Loose]

I disagree with this. A consequence of PSB performing in Iran would be that they agree with the government in this country. The way you say it, it appears that their personal preference as artists ('a place that intrigues them') is more important than the crimes against humanity this country commits. And despite some threatening language from the USA, Iran is currently not in war with any other country, as far as I'm aware.

Of course they are first of all artists, but they are also both openly gay. Would you come to perfom in the Netherlands, if we had a law over here that says: "All Greeks should be killed" ?

I absolutely would because performing there would be a major political statement against the particular Dutch law and PSB performing in Iran would be too, for world order in general and gay rights in particular, which just wouldn't be the case if they did a charity performance in London protesting against gay supression in the M.E.

As for the rest of your post, so basically, since PSB don't agree with the death penalty and Chris is anti-war and U.S.A has been performing crimes against humanity, they should never perform in the States again? I think your answer will be no so you seem to believe that people should make decisions such as those based only in what disturbs their own community and micro-cosmos which I find very narrow-minded and inward.

[dVTB]

I absolutely would because performing there would be a major political statement against the particular Dutch law and PSB performing in Iran would be too, for world order in general and gay rights in particular, which just wouldn't be the case if they did a charity performance in London protesting against gay supression in the M.E.

As you said yourself, the movie is not about gay rights, so the subject wouldn't get any attention. Did it ever occurr to you that they are actually putting their lifes at risk as openly gay men, performing in Iran? Are you aware of the fact that two teen boys were recently executed in public, for being gay?

As for the rest of your post, so basically, since PSB don't agree with the death penalty and Chris is anti-war and U.S.A has been performing crimes against humanity, they should never perform in the States again? You seem to believe that people should make decisions such as those based only in what disturbs their own community and micro-cosmos which I find very narrow-minded and inward.

No, don't put words in my mouth that I didn't say. And don't make incorrect comparisons. PSB aren't rejected by the USA for what they are. Iran does: there's a death penalty for homosexuality in Iran.

Still, it *could* be a choice for an artist NOT to perform in certain places, if you don't agree with something. It *could* be. It depends on how strong people feel against a certain issue. But the situation with PSB visiting Iran is different: the country doesn't tolerate them in the first place.

[Zeus On The Loose]

So, what? Why should Iran not tolerating gay people stop PSB from performing and why would it not be a major political statement, two gay men performing in a country that condemns homosexuality, even with NO gay references in the show or musical content? And I don't see exactly how Iran rejects PSB for what they are. Being gay is not what you are, it's who you choose to sleep with.

And no, it wouldn't be risky for them to visit Tehran, the two teenage boys were caught in the act and arrested for lewd behaviour. I'd say if Neil and Chris don't decide to cruise a Tehran park and are not arrested sucking some random bloke, they'd be pretty safe, what with it being an official visit of two westerners conducted via the embassy.

[dVTB]

Being gay is not what you are, it's who you choose to sleep with.

If this is indeed your view about homosexuality, further discussion is totally useless.

[Zeus On The Loose]

Of course that is my view about homosexuality, it's who you sleep with, not what you are. But you're free to explain us how it's also about loving showtunes and I Will Survive...

[jamie1978]

Why do you continue to emphasize that the album has failed miserably? Trafalgar Square was totally filled on 12 September 2004 and the concerts in Germany were also attended well enough. The album has entered the German album charts (one of their 2 biggest markets), so that's even a small commercial success for a low-key side-project.

What do you expect? That this album spends weeks in the UK album Top 10 or so? If they wanted to achieve such a result with this album, they would have promoted it with singles.

Really? Well, hold the front page: "free concert attracts crowd!". Never thought that would happen. Lets get real here - if they had been charging £25 for a ticket, Trafalgar Square would have been two thirds empty.

The concerts in Germany where in very small venues, an even then, they were not full.

The album has entered one European chart in a very low position, and is entirely absent from the top 75 in the UK.

What I expected was this: That the album would be moderately successful by PSB's usual standards (at least entering the lower regions of the UK top 40). Even that very low expectation has not been met.

So, yes, I feel perfectly justified in saying it has been an abysmal commercial failure which has captured the interest of very few people.

[Joemoz]

I absolutely would because performing there would be a major political statement against the particular Dutch law and PSB performing in Iran would be too, for world order in general and gay rights in particular, which just wouldn't be the case if they did a charity performance in London protesting against gay supression in the M.E.

As you said yourself, the movie is not about gay rights, so the subject wouldn't get any attention. Did it ever occurr to you that they are actually putting their lifes at risk as openly gay men, performing in Iran? Are you aware of the fact that two teen boys were recently executed in public, for being gay?

That's how it was portrayed in several media, but from what I could gather they were actually convicted of raping a young boy, which of course is also a crime in most other countries (though not punishable by death). Whether that was a false accusation and a miscarriage of justice is under dispute, but that is a different discussion - many innocent people have been executed in the US too.

[jamie1978]

Being gay is not what you are, it's who you choose to sleep with.

If this is indeed your view about homosexuality, further discussion is totally useless.

Well what the hell do you think being gay is all about?

When people meet me, my sexuality is only an issue if they want to sleep with me.

So, its entirely about who you sleep with. What in the name of Christ would it be about otherwise?

[Zeus On The Loose]

Ugh, when will this Potemkin misery end?

The album has been released, and it has failed miserably to ignite anyones interest apart from their own.

Why do you continue to emphasize that the album has failed miserably? Trafalgar Square was totally filled on 12 September 2004 and the concerts in Germany were also attended well enough. The album has entered the German album charts (one of their 2 biggest markets), so that's even a small commercial success for a low-key side-project.

What do you expect? That this album spends weeks in the UK album Top 10 or so? If they wanted to achieve such a result with this album, they would have promoted it with singles.

Not really. If they believed that the album stood any chance of being successful and that it had songs that could work as singles, they very much would have released it under the band's name and would have promoted it with singles and otherwise. They simply realised that it was going to flop one way or another and decided not to lose money by releasing a single and promoting it and ruin their chances of any hype for the proper album. They were lucky that they got EMI to release it, asking for more would have been OTT.

[Zeus On The Loose]

Being gay is not what you are, it's who you choose to sleep with.

If this is indeed your view about homosexuality, further discussion is totally useless.

Well what the hell do you think being gay is all about?

When people meet me, my sexuality is only an issue if they want to sleep with me.

So, its entirely about who you sleep with. What in the name of Christ would it be about otherwise?

Loving Kylie?

[Syncratic]

Don't think Iran even know the PSB exist. Although I would have thought a performance from any western acts would be good for propaganda. Now North Korea would be difficult but interesting. As for Tiananmen square, I believe Jean Michel Jarre did a gig there last year, something to do with links between China and France, but he was asked, so you never know.

But I think that will be it for Potemkin, They'll be focused on the album till Nov/Dec then a quick holiday then prepare for promotion. Can't see the Boys arsesing about with any more concerts on Potemkin. It's a low key project that's all, even despite the performance at Trafalgar.

[Janet Street-Porter]

Personally I think it would be a noble idea to perform in places like Iran and North Korea but Neil's kidding himself if he thinks it's going to happen. Still I suppose if you don't ask then you don't get.

And Potemkin wasn't a failure. Does anybody seriously think they were expecting anything other than the sales they got? It's art for art's sake. There are people on here who couldn't give an Eisenstein about it so it was never likely to storm the charts. I'm delighted they made it; the moody electronica bodes well for the new album and I don't have a problem with their side projects unless they directly affect the quality of an album; ie: Closer to Heaven and Nightlife.