What's he on about now?

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   Monday, May 29, 2006

   BEYOND BORDERS

It's always fun to check out the worldwide iTunes Music Store Top 10 chart and see what the rest of the world is listening to, and this week, they're listening to the Pet Shop Boys. I've already whittered on about how "Fundamental" is the best thing they've done in over a decade but it's nice to see the rest of the world agreeing with me. Everyone but us, that is.

While "Fundamental" tops the charts in most of Europe, it didn't even crack the top 10 in Canada or the US, both currently dominated by the Dixie Chicks and American Idol. My first thought was that this is simply a question of regional tastes -- North America is far more fond of country and rock'n'roll -- but the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album is a huge seller in virtually every country on Earth (Go, Chilies!).

I hate to say it but "A Life in Pop," a new Channel 4 documentary on the Pet Shop Boys' twenty-year career, makes a strong case that the band's massive success in North America dried up immediately after the 1988 video for "Domino Dancing." The video raised eyebrows for its lovingly-photographed shirtless Spanish boys. Two years later, Bruce Weber's video for "Being Boring" got banned by MTV for its rear view of a naked man climbing out of a pool. The "gay band" label began being tossed around and the Pet Shop Boys' subsequent world tour lost money in America. Coincidence?

On the verge of the US release of their big-in-Europe debut album, Scissor Sisters' lead singer Jake Shears admitted encountering the same pattern:

“I never made a conscious decision to be out or not. This is just who I am,” he says. “It is funny because people always ask me the gay question, but in Europe nobody cares. It is all about the music and performance. I hope that people will see us as a rock and roll band, not a queer band.”

He feels that his homosexuality might be an obstacle in the U.S. “I just hope that we’re embraced at home like we were in Europe,” he says. “Our music speaks to everybody. It could happen that people might end up not giving a shit.”

Wal-Mart, the largest music retailer in the U.S., does seem to care. The company decided to ban the Scissor Sisters album from its shelves when it was released late July. “I think it is a little bit scary and hypocritical,” Shears says. “You can buy violent games like Manhunt for your PlayStation, but can’t buy music at Wal-Mart with the word ‘shit’ in it.”

Interviewed in "A Life in Pop," Shears says, "In Europe, they love their gay pop stars," but The Killers' straight-and-married lead singer Brandon Flowers adds, "In America, they're just getting used to the word 'gay'..."

But I should take heart -- if we can't handle the politically-charged dark disco of "Fundamental," at least we've learned to stop worrying and love the terrifying Dixie Chicks!

Labels: Pet Shop Boys