Chris Heath

Last updated

Chris Heath is a British writer who was a regular contributor to the popular English music magazine Smash Hits in the eighties and early nineties.

In the late eighties, he travelled with Pet Shop Boys on their first ever world tour and the result was the book entitled Literally, released in 1990. In 1993, he published Pet Shop Boys Versus America which was written as he accompanied them on a US tour. He wrote the liner notes to the 2001 reissues of the band's first six albums, and assisted in the compilation of additional songs for inclusion. Alongside Pet Shop Boys, he contributed to the commentary track on the 2003 PopArt DVD. He writes and edits the Pet Shop Boys' fan club magazine, also called Literally, and conducts an interview for each of their tour programmes.

He has been a staff writer at Details , Rolling Stone , [1] and most recently, American GQ , [2] for which he has interviewed and written profiles of many celebrities.

He is also the author of the best-selling biography of Robbie Williams, Feel (2004), and its follow-up, Reveal (2017). [3]

Related Research Articles

The Beach Boys American rock band

The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their vocal harmonies, adolescent-oriented themes, and musical ingenuity, they are one of the most influential acts of the rock era. They drew on the music of older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create their unique sound, and under Brian's direction, often incorporated classical or jazz elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways.

Pet Shop Boys English synth-pop duo

Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo, formed in London in 1981 and consisting of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.

Neil Tennant English musician, singer, songwriter and journalist

Neil Francis Tennant is an English musician, singer, songwriter, music journalist and co-founder of the synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was also a journalist for Smash Hits, and was assistant editor for the magazine for a period in the mid-1980s.

Bruce Weber (photographer) American fashion photographer

Bruce Weber is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Pirelli, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revlon, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone magazines.

Chris Lowe British musician, singer, and member of Pet Shop Boys

Christopher Sean Lowe is an English musician, singer, songwriter and co-founder of the synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981.

<i>Very</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 1993 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Very is the fifth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 27 September 1993 by Parlophone, nearly three years after the duo's previous studio album, Behaviour, and following the compilation album Discography: The Complete Singles Collection. Very exhibits one of many turning points the Pet Shop Boys would make to their music, shifting from the subdued electronic pop of Behaviour to richly instrumented dance arrangements. The content and lyrics led to Very being called their "coming-out" album, since it was during this time that Neil Tennant had publicly discussed his long-rumoured homosexuality.

<i>Bilingual</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Bilingual is the sixth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 2 September 1996 by Parlophone. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, lower than their previous five studio albums which had all reached the top three. It yielded five singles which all reached the UK top 20—all but one of which charted inside the top 10.

<i>Nightlife</i> (Pet Shop Boys album) 1999 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Nightlife is the seventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 8 October 1999 by Parlophone. After the release and promotion of their previous album, Bilingual (1996), Pet Shop Boys started work with playwright Jonathan Harvey on the stage musical that eventually became Closer to Heaven. Pet Shop Boys soon had an album's worth of tracks and decided to release the album Nightlife as a concept album and in order to showcase some of the songs that would eventually make it into the musical.

<i>Actually</i> 1987 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Actually is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in the United States and Canada. According to Neil Tennant and music historian Wayne Studer, Actually loosely critiques Thatcherism, the political zeitgeist of the 1980s, and was recorded in anticipation of Margaret Thatcher's re-election.

<i>Introspective</i> 1988 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Introspective is the third studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 10 October 1988 by Parlophone and received generally positive reviews from critics. It is the duo's second-best-selling album after Very (1993), with over 4.5 million copies bought worldwide.

Xenomania is an English songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed by Higgins with his Creative Director Miranda Cooper and Business Director Sarah Stennett of First Access Entertainment, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Pet Shop Boys, The Saturdays and Sugababes. In particular, all but one of Girls Aloud's studio albums have been entirely written and produced by Xenomania. Sugababes' "Round Round" and Girls Aloud's "Sound of the Underground" have been credited with reshaping British pop music for the 2000s. Gabriella Cilmi's "Sweet About Me" and Girls Aloud's "The Promise" were named Best Single at the ARIA Music Awards of 2008 and the 2009 BRIT Awards, respectively.

Young Americans (song) Song by David Bowie

"Young Americans" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in 1975. It is included in the album of the same name. The song was a breakthrough in the United States, where the glam rock of Bowie's earlier career had limited popularity outside the major cities. The song reached No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his second biggest success on that chart until that point, meanwhile it would go on to reach number 18 in the UK Singles Chart.

Hallo Spaceboy Song by David Bowie

"Hallo Spaceboy" is a song by David Bowie from his 1995 album Outside, and the third and final single from the album. The track was re-recorded in 1996 and issued as a remix featuring Pet Shop Boys as guest artists. Bowie and Brian Eno co-wrote the original album version of the song.

Opportunities (Lets Make Lots of Money)

"Opportunities " is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their debut studio album, Please (1986). It was released as a single in 1985 and reissued in 1986, gaining greater popularity in both the United Kingdom and United States with its second release, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. After a Super Bowl ad in February 2021, featuring the song, it re-entered the charts claiming the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Songs No. 1 spot on February 27, 2021, among others.

Heart (Pet Shop Boys song) 1988 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Heart" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 21 March 1988. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in April 1988, becoming the duo's fourth and final chart-topper to date in the United Kingdom. The group had initially written the song for Madonna, though they never asked her to record it, instead keeping it for themselves.

Shes Madonna 2007 single by Robbie Williams

"She's Madonna" is a song recorded by British singer Robbie Williams with the duo Pet Shop Boys, for his seventh studio album Rudebox (2006). The track was released as its third and final international single on 5 March 2007 by Chrysalis Records. The subject matter of the song is a reference to the conversation Williams had with his ex-girlfriend Tania Strecker, over the reason her former boyfriend Guy Ritchie gave, for leaving her for American singer Madonna. Williams had played the recording to Madonna shortly after writing it, receiving a positive reaction.

Domino Dancing 1988 single by Pet Shop Boys

"Domino Dancing" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as the lead single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). It reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in Finland, Poland and Spain.

Chris Stapleton American country music singer-songwriter

Christopher Alvin Stapleton is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky, until moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2001 to pursue an engineering degree then one year later, a career in music writing songs. Subsequently, Stapleton signed a contract with Sea Gayle Music to write and publish his music.

Olly Alexander English entertainer

Oliver Alexander Thornton is a British musician, singer-songwriter, actor, and LGBTQ advocate. His music is released under the name Years & Years.

<i>Super</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Pet Shop Boys

Super is the thirteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 1 April 2016 on the band's own label, x2, through Kobalt Label Services. It is available on vinyl and compact disc along with a digital download. The album debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Lead single "The Pop Kids" reached number one on the UK Physical Singles Chart and narrowly missing out on the top 100 in the main chart.

References

  1. "Chris Heath". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  2. "Chris Heath". GQ . Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  3. James Flint (20 February 2005). "A writer's life: Chris Heath". The Telegraph . Retrieved 22 January 2016.