If When Why What

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I am always glad when this thread gets revived, because the first post was a spontaneous outpouring of critical joy and a lot of fun to write (it shows, I hope). Jess asked me to do a version of it for a zine he was putting together and I spent an afternoon working on it but it didn't respond well to rewriting. Linked to here because I'm feeling quite pleased with myself today.

Comments

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

I knew what this was before clicking (icon helped though) - it's still a high point of ILX (and of course a rich ground for Canon suggestions).

[thomppw.livejournal.com]

i did too, and i'm a lurker, oh god

[moderntime.livejournal.com]

i'm usually a lurker on the ilx boards but i just have to pop in here and say this is easily one of my favourite pieces of music writing ever.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

Mine too.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

has this Jess zine materialised yet? would be funny if it was complete anti/opposite of ILM/his schtick on ILM.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Was this some kind of pop turning point for you, Tom?

The piece has inspired me to finally go back and listen to these songs, which I only ever did in a passing "new on top40 radio / what's in my gay friends' CD collection" kind of way. Somehow the camp yet chaste pop of Erasure was always more to my liking, whereas PSB always conjured club nights that where I would be either unwelcome or uncomfortable. ("He's not the greatest dancer," to paraphrase.)

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

It was a returning point (http://ilx.p3r.net/thread.php?msgid=1321015&showall=true)!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

No, it was just a spark of enthusiasm caused by putting Discovery on one morning when I was working at home.

The Pet Shop Boys were the band that ended my - very brief - moment of not liking pop, in my teens. But that was back in 1988 (and the moment had begun in 1987) so it wasn't a very big thing.