Pet Shop Boys' Chris: Why I Hate Huge Egos (And Love Being a Casual)

"I don't like egotistical people; I don't like huge egos out of control, all that being treated as someone special with your huge entourages being whisked off to VIP rooms type of thing. I find that attitude a real turn off. That's why I don't do much press, because I don't like talking about myself all the time."

Chatting down the line from his London studio Pet Shop Boy producer Chris Lowe, is surprisingly (and thankfully) extremely chatty despite his well-known dislike of publicity and being recognised. He's also remarkably down to Earth, particularly given that with his PSB partner Neil Tennant he belongs to Britain's most successful pop duo of all time. Not that he'd see it that way, in terms of fame, money or even whether he's a pop star, at least in the usual sense of the term.

"I've never sought fame or public recognition. I think one of the qualities many pop stars have, which is why they are what they are, is because they have huge egos, whereas I'm actually against the whole concept of ego," he explains. "Everything I do tends to be contradictory."

One thing he's less contradictory about his music, which remains an abiding passion some 20 years into his career.

'I've always loved going in the studio, having fun and seeing what comes out of it. We're always working though I would probably like to work less but Neil likes to be busy all the time, I'm a lazy git, and I'd be quite happy to disappear for two years to go trekking but our diaries are always pretty full," says Chris.

"I think that's a good thing really, because otherwise you just disappear. When you stop or go away it's so easy to lose touch with what's going on in England, even if you go away for a three week holiday you've lost the plot. I don't know how these superstar DJs manage to travel around the world and still keep in touch with what's happening. I think it's good to keep on top of it all."


Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): You recently released another PSBs Greatest Hits album as well as your current single Flamboyant, do you feel like you starting a new phase of the Pet Shop Boys-

Pet Shop Boys: "What's different about now is that we've really been inspired by the electroclash scene, it's rejuvenated our interest in clubbing again. House music lasted a very long time (laughing) and I was always a huge fan but I think we were ready for something new to come along. I can't deny the electroclash scene has been an influence on Flamboyant for example. The other factor is that now you can get all these virtual analogue keyboards that we used to use in the 80s. You can now get them as plug-ins so that's also given us a whole new impetus, we've been able to access all these great old sounds that we used to use and do more with them in the computer. Those two factors have come together for us to start producing more electronic sounding music again."

Skrufff: George Michael was talking recently of a dreadful creative block he had, saying he was worried he couldn't write anymore, do you ever go through that kind of emotion-

Pet Shop Boys: "He's never been very prolific, has he- I imagine that almost every song he's written is on an album, whereas with us you often get an album's worth of songs with each single. We've never had creative blocks, I've always loved going in the studio, having fun and seeing what comes out of it. No doubt that could happen at some point. All songwriters are supposed to have a ten year period of writing good stuff then after that it's all over, though we're 18 years in."

Skrufff: You've had number one hits throughout your career, what criteria do you judge success by these days, are you judging by chart positions-

Pet Shop Boys: "Charts are a different side of success. There are two elements, the success of the record creatively, ie whether the record has an emotional impact on the listener then there's the chart thing. Both Neil and I would still love to be at t Tags

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