Pet Shop Boys Community

Episode 34 - Please (part one)

Unboxing the opening chapter of their 40th-anniversary super deluxe celebration of Please, Graham and Chris rewind to PSB Year Zero - the moment an “ex-Smash Hits journalist” met a “weird architect” and began politely reshaping pop. They trace the stories of five pivotal Please people who helped turn Neil and Chris into Pet Shop Boys: eight-track mentor Ray Roberts; Hi-NRG maverick Bobby O, maximalist manager Tom Watkins; rock-steady producer Stephen Hague; and legendary vocalist and Dylan collaborator Helena Springs. 

Along they way, they tell the full, cinematic origin stories of West End Girls and Opportunities - from knee-slapping demos and New York studio bills to T.S. Eliot, sealed trains and chart-dodging false starts - and share their own first steps into PSB fandom. It’s the beginning of a two-part deep dive into the album that started everything. 

Plus: stay tuned right to the end of the credits for news of the first ever In Depth podcast competition!

Spotify: http://tiny.cc/f4a0101
Apple: http://tiny.cc/g4a0101

Support our War Child fundraiser and get your name in the credits of a future episode: https://www.justgiving.com/page/pet-sho ... th-podcast

nice, will take a listen. The older it (and I) get the more I love that era of PSB. It still all sounds so fresh.

Really enjoyed this - great lead-up to April 6 - thanks so much, guys!

psbnyc wrote:Really enjoyed this - great lead-up to April 6 - thanks so much, guys!

Thanks for that - really glad you enjoyed it

Hi Graham and Chris if you are reading this, wouldn't it be a fun episode to speculate about the Obscure setlist? You could take a look at our entries in the competition in this forum and enter your own setlist. I'm sure with you In Dephts insight you would be strong contenders.

Huray for a mention of the song "Popcorn"!

Frippe1970 wrote:Hi Graham and Chris if you are reading this, wouldn't it be a fun episode to speculate about the Obscure setlist? You could take a look at our entries in the competition in this forum and enter your own setlist. I'm sure with you In Dephts insight you would be strong contenders.

Hey there Stay tuned Frippe! After our Please anniversary double bill we’ve got an Obscure preview episode, and a Volume episode.

Dog wrote: Mon 16 Mar 2026, 7:44 am

Frippe1970 wrote:Hi Graham and Chris if you are reading this, wouldn't it be a fun episode to speculate about the Obscure setlist? You could take a look at our entries in the competition in this forum and enter your own setlist. I'm sure with you In Dephts insight you would be strong contenders.

Hey there Stay tuned Frippe! After our Please anniversary double bill we’ve got an Obscure preview episode, and a Volume episode.

Great, can't wait!

Henrik

I tried listening but 2 and a half minutes in and they're still stringing together song title puns. I get that it's witty but I was kind of expecting something more real and conversational.
Oh well, I'm glad some people like it. Not for me though.

DopeFiend wrote:I tried listening but 2 and a half minutes in and they're still stringing together song title puns. I get that it's witty but I was kind of expecting something more real and conversational.
Oh well, I'm glad some people like it. Not for me though.

If you’d listened to an even a little bit more you’d have realised it’s the basis for a competition. But this was clearly trumped by your desire to criticise.

Dog wrote: Mon 16 Mar 2026, 9:25 am But this was clearly trumped by your desire to criticise.

Please do not feed the trolls,
it just offers encouragement.
You offer total positivity in your contributions, which I always look forward to seeing!
Thank you!

This member often disappoints me
*(Foe feature long since activated)

Xakrij wrote:

Dog wrote: Mon 16 Mar 2026, 9:25 am But this was clearly trumped by your desire to criticise.

Please do not feed the trolls,
it just offers encouragement.
You offer total positivity in your contributions, which I always look forward to seeing!
Thank you!

This member often disappoints me
*(Foe feature long since activated)

"Trumped by your desire to criticise" is a b-side title just waiting to be written!

Dog wrote: Mon 16 Mar 2026, 9:25 am

DopeFiend wrote:I tried listening but 2 and a half minutes in and they're still stringing together song title puns. I get that it's witty but I was kind of expecting something more real and conversational.
Oh well, I'm glad some people like it. Not for me though.

If you’d listened to an even a little bit more you’d have realised it’s the basis for a competition. But this was clearly trumped by your desire to criticise.

I honestly wouldn't bother with people like that, mate - as always, it was a fantastic episode and it's a great podcast from you two (and a great quiz idea, to be honest!).

Just hope I win

Very evocative! Made me wish a TV drama of The Pets formative years existed.