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Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 11:30 am
by telys
My daughter received a school task to make a presentation about a british city. Turned out she was given Newcastle. Now my idea was to use Neil's writing/experience as a starting point. So what does the Forum respond to what has Neil written or said about Newcastle?
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 11:43 am
by Sandy Shaw
Main thoughts - Catholic Church, Young People's Theatre. I don't really know whether Neil has said much else on record about the city itself.
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 12:05 pm
by PSB-90
In his youth he spent a lot of time at the Lit & Phil (Literary & Philosophical Society) Library and has spoken about that. Interesting piece here:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... il-tennant
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 12:35 pm
by nonesuch
He talked a bit about it in the Life in Pop documentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsmjTNJh9Ug
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 12:54 pm
by leesmapman
The only PSB lyric mentioning Newcastle is Truck Driver and His Mate:
Acting out of compulsion
after hours sitting in the van
taking coals to Newcastle
talking man to man
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 2:45 pm
by Sandy Shaw
leesmapman wrote: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 12:54 pm
The only PSB lyric mentioning Newcastle is Truck Driver and His Mate:
Acting out of compulsion
after hours sitting in the van
taking coals to Newcastle
talking man to man
Depending on the age of the daughter, this may or may not be appropriate to mention...
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 5:40 pm
by Morse
telys wrote: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 11:30 am
My daughter received a school task to make a presentation about a british city. Turned out she was given Newcastle. Now my idea was to use Neil's writing/experience as a starting point. So what does the Forum respond to what has Neil written or said about Newcastle?
Neil hasn’t written extensively about Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a city in a formal, travel-guide sense but he’s spoken and written about it in a few really useful ways that you could build from.
While not explicitly “about Newcastle”, songs like Suburbia, It’s a Sin, Being Boring and West End Girls (contrast with London) reflect the kind of environment he grew up in. From interviews and commentary (including broader writing about PSB themes), Tennant often uses boredom set against ambition, wanting to escape, not fitting in, and observing society from the edges as constant themes of his youth. That would align very closely with growing up in and around Newcastle in the 60s/70s.
Neil has never been outwardly sentimental about Newcastle-upon-Tyne in a cliché way, but there’s a clear thread of pride in being northern, a slightly dry, observational take on British life which is combined with an awareness of class differences. So, in essence Newcastle isn’t romanticised by Neil. His experience of northern life helped shape his writing about British society, class, and city life.
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 5:46 pm
by leesmapman
Sandy Shaw wrote:leesmapman wrote: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 12:54 pm
The only PSB lyric mentioning Newcastle is Truck Driver and His Mate:
Acting out of compulsion
after hours sitting in the van
taking coals to Newcastle
talking man to man
Depending on the age of the daughter, this may or may not be appropriate to mention...
Yeah, I thought so too...
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 5:52 pm
by telys
leesmapman wrote: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 5:46 pm
Sandy Shaw wrote:leesmapman wrote: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 12:54 pm
The only PSB lyric mentioning Newcastle is Truck Driver and His Mate:
Acting out of compulsion
after hours sitting in the van
taking coals to Newcastle
talking man to man
Depending on the age of the daughter, this may or may not be appropriate to mention...
Yeah, I thought so too...
The expression "taking coals to Newcastle" fits the presentation perfectly. It says a lot about the city.
"This must be the place I waited years to leave" is also a good expression, thinking about the de-industrialisation and the migration from north to south.
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 6:38 pm
by PSB-90
Of course there's also the text at the start of the "Being boring" video:
"I came from Newcastle in the North of England. We used to have lots of parties where everyone got dressed up. And on one party invitation was the quote 'she was never bored because she was never boring'. The song is about growing up—the ideals that you have when you're young and how they turn out."
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 7:35 pm
by le petit corbusier
Newcastle's nightlife scenes from the So hard video, maybe.
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 10:06 pm
by ea39
He sings "The Dumpling Song" in a Geordie accent (well, Newcastle via Sunderand via Chelsea...)
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Fri 20 Mar 2026, 7:17 am
by petshopgrrl
Sandy Shaw wrote: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 11:43 am
Main thoughts - Catholic Church, Young People's Theatre. I don't really know whether Neil has said much else on record about the city itself.
He's mentioned visiting Newcastle Central railway station at night with a friend to imagine running away to London (inspiration for Two Divided By Zero and launch point for Being Boring). I think mostly he's just railed against St. Cuthbert's.
He did post about the closure of the J.G.Windows music store, where he used to listen to records and window-shop for guitars.
They did perform Battleship Potemkin at the Swan Hunter shipyard in Wallsend in 2006. Used to be a booming center of British shipbuilding but closed six months after the performance. (Don't think you can blame the curse for that one though...)
Here's a good article from the Newcastle Chronicle that has a lot of local color - an interview with Neil on the Release tour:
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-o ... me-1678809
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Fri 20 Mar 2026, 8:34 pm
by richwill
Morse wrote: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 5:40 pm
telys wrote: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 11:30 am
My daughter received a school task to make a presentation about a british city. Turned out she was given Newcastle. Now my idea was to use Neil's writing/experience as a starting point. So what does the Forum respond to what has Neil written or said about Newcastle?
Neil hasn’t written extensively about Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a city in a formal, travel-guide sense but he’s spoken and written about it in a few really useful ways that you could build from.
While not explicitly “about Newcastle”, songs like Suburbia, It’s a Sin, Being Boring and West End Girls (contrast with London) reflect the kind of environment he grew up in. From interviews and commentary (including broader writing about PSB themes), Tennant often uses boredom set against ambition, wanting to escape, not fitting in, and observing society from the edges as constant themes of his youth. That would align very closely with growing up in and around Newcastle in the 60s/70s.
Neil has never been outwardly sentimental about Newcastle-upon-Tyne in a cliché way, but there’s a clear thread of pride in being northern, a slightly dry, observational take on British life which is combined with an awareness of class differences. So, in essence Newcastle isn’t romanticised by Neil. His experience of northern life helped shape his writing about British society, class, and city life.
No AI, please.
Re: Neil and Newcastle
Posted: Sat 21 Mar 2026, 1:05 am
by Vintage Youth
I was in the Lit & Phil recently and had a nice chat with one of the librarians. He also worked in St Cuthbert's. He said the school was once a bit sore about Neil writing about his unhappy school days, but suggested they should actually lean into it a bit more, as no good/famous art was ever inspired by happy jolly educational experiences!!
A beautiful building with some interesting stuffed animals from an old museum next door which made way for the expansion of the station.
When I passed the next day it was closed and someone was sleeping in the doorway.
I was already aware of St Cuthbert himself through the writings of the young adult fiction author Robert Westall, who was also born in North Shields and has a housing development named after him and his books. Tennant Way, Suburbia Street, beckons, surely??