The 10 Decisions That Doomed Pet Shop Boys in the U.S.

[Nickname]

I've found this on Youtube and I think it could be an interesting way to go deeply on the movements that made PSB a non successful pop duo in US:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6wDvWqVQhw

[nonesuch]

Is it cribbed from Geowayne's list?
http://www.geowayne.com/newDesign/lists/suicide.htm

[thomashenry]

Theiving AI slop.

[geowayne]

I wouldn't mind the use of my list in this way if I were properly credited as its original source. They even "borrow" much of my written language. I've now noted this in a comment on the video in YouTube and I submitted a complaint. I also looked into submitting a formal copyright violation claim with YouTube, but it looks like a rather tedious, troublesome process with obvious legal implications. Let's see if anything is done in response to the less formal, less "legal" complaint that I've made. In the meantime, thomashenry's description of it as "Thieving AI slop" is absolutely on-target.

Update - Less than a half-hour after I posted my comment in YouTube about the content stolen from me, that comment now appears to have been deleted. I guess they don't appreciate the criticism. It looks like it's now up to YouTube to respond to my complaint.

[goldes]

That's unfortunate on the copyright infringement.

On the topic itself, I went to a lecture/seminar in New York in the mid 1990s where a former MTV executive said they made the decision not to air any Very-era PSB videos as they were deemed to be "too gay" for an American audience. Back then, MTV was a big influence on what music Americans listened to. It somewhat ties in with Geowayne's #10. It's such a shame that MTV felt that eay, but I'm so glad the PSB made the artistic decision they did

[Nickname]

That's unfortunate on the copyright infringement.

On the topic itself, I went to a lecture/seminar in New York in the mid 1990s where a former MTV executive said they made the decision not to air any Very-era PSB videos as they were deemed to be "too gay" for an American audience. Back then, MTV was a big influence on what music Americans listened to. It somewhat ties in with Geowayne's #10. It's such a shame that MTV felt that eay, but I'm so glad the PSB made the artistic decision they did

I don't know about MTV's USA but MTV's Europe supported the Go West video a lot. In fact, the first time I watched the video was on MTV and PSB went Russia to promote the arrival of MTV there. In fact, the appeared on MTV news and the host of the show went to Russia too when they were shooting the video in the Red Square.

PSB on MTV's news from Russia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2xg8f1FhCo

So Go West could be the most connected to MTV song ever with the exception of West End Girls.

Shooting Go West and and Can You Forgive Her? interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWQCl318ql0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eccbolZBvs

Shooting and interview of I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSof99x5LFg

[telys]

That's unfortunate on the copyright infringement.

On the topic itself...

Well, the topic is the copyright infringement. There is no need to discuss yet again the proposed failure of PSB in the US.
So basically somebody took the text from Geowayne's site. Put an AI voice to it and added a video and uploaded it to YT. Why? TO make a few cents? Could it actully be worthwhile? How long does it take to do?

[NotInvisible]

I mean, realistically the only thing that doomed them in the US was the implosion of synthpop as a genre here. The armchair quarterbacking doesn’t amount to much once you realize there was just no way in the world this kind of music was going to survive into theb’90s. You might as well ask how rock bands doomed themselves in the 2020s. It’s fashion, not video choices that would have sailed over the average person’s head.

[Morse]

Well, that YouTube clip is all bit dramatic, isn't it??

Pet Shop Boys were never a big mainstream US pop force in the way Madonna, Prince or even Depeche Mode sometimes were. But they are a long-running, very successful US dance/electronic chart act, which is a different thing entirely from making out they were once as big as U2 or something - far more niche.

Basically, the video relentlessly mistakes Pet Shop Boys being different for an error. I mean, the claim that “Opportunities” made the US suspicious of them somewhat ignores the fact that it was a US Top 10 hit. If America was scandalised by the satire, it had a funny way of showing it.

That stuff about “Disco” being an act of aggression is nonsense. By the mid-to-late 80s dance music was hardly some forbidden radioactive substance. Also, Neil and Chris went on to become one of Billboard’s biggest-ever dance acts, with 11 No. 1s on the dance club chart on Billboard’s all-time rankings.

I could go on.....

The whole bloody thing treats integrity, irony, queer ambiguity, visual control, album experimentation and delayed touring as ten separate self-inflicted disasters, when they were just never willing to become a conventional pop act. Which, to be, is why we all love them anyway for heaven's sake.

[Nickname]

I think the story had been different if they could have released Suburbia (single version with intro) like a second single. Opportunities had made much better like a third single and a song like Two Divided By Zero like a fourth single. A double A-side single of Paninaro/In The Night had been working quite well for Disco.

I even think they had could include Always on my Mind in Actually for Christmas, realizing Actually with the second single: It's a Sin, then What have I done this?, Heart and King's Cross.

The status of PSB in USA had been different.

[Disco.]

Well, that YouTube clip is all bit dramatic, isn't it??

Pet Shop Boys were never a big mainstream US pop force in the way Madonna, Prince or even Depeche Mode sometimes were. But they are a long-running, very successful US dance/electronic chart act, which is a different thing entirely from making out they were once as big as U2 or something - far more niche.

Basically, the video relentlessly mistakes Pet Shop Boys being different for an error. I mean, the claim that “Opportunities” made the US suspicious of them somewhat ignores the fact that it was a US Top 10 hit. If America was scandalised by the satire, it had a funny way of showing it.

That stuff about “Disco” being an act of aggression is nonsense. By the mid-to-late 80s dance music was hardly some forbidden radioactive substance. Also, Neil and Chris went on to become one of Billboard’s biggest-ever dance acts, with 11 No. 1s on the dance club chart on Billboard’s all-time rankings.

I could go on.....

The whole bloody thing treats integrity, irony, queer ambiguity, visual control, album experimentation and delayed touring as ten separate self-inflicted disasters, when they were just never willing to become a conventional pop act. Which, to be, is why we all love them anyway for heaven's sake.

And they have still sold millions of records the U.S, not too shabby.

[NotInvisible]

That stuff about “Disco” being an act of aggression is nonsense. By the mid-to-late 80s dance music was hardly some forbidden radioactive substance.

This one is especially funny, because Disco came out the same year as Bizarre Love Triangle. There was no stigma for this type of music at the time.

[MikeyC]

I mean, realistically the only thing that doomed them in the US was the implosion of synthpop as a genre here. The armchair quarterbacking doesn’t amount to much once you realize there was just no way in the world this kind of music was going to survive into theb’90s. You might as well ask how rock bands doomed themselves in the 2020s. It’s fashion, not video choices that would have sailed over the average person’s head.

Erasure had a Top 20 synthpop hit on the Billboard U.S. chart in 1994.

[NotInvisible]

Erasure had a Top 20 synthpop hit on the Billboard U.S. chart in 1994.

They sure did. And nothing else, because Always was lightning in a bottle. There's an exception to everything, and there's no point in pretending that synth pop was the dominant mode of US pop radio in the age of grunge.

[Morse]

I mean, realistically the only thing that doomed them in the US was the implosion of synthpop as a genre here. The armchair quarterbacking doesn’t amount to much once you realize there was just no way in the world this kind of music was going to survive into theb’90s. You might as well ask how rock bands doomed themselves in the 2020s. It’s fashion, not video choices that would have sailed over the average person’s head.

Erasure had a Top 20 synthpop hit on the Billboard U.S. chart in 1994.

"Erasure are TopMan to Pet Shop Boys' Armani."