Not many musical acts have been as successful or as enduring as Pet Shop Boys. Not many have been as unconventional or as paradoxical, either. Today, they're simultaneously feted as pop godfathers and perpetual eccentrics, praised for both sophisticated lyrics and slamming basslines. Their songs are beloved by millions and recognised by many millions more.

But it wasn't always that way. Their non-conformism almost saw them become “one-and-a-half-hit wonders” – until a stunning run of chart-topping singles and a hit album, Actually, turned their fortunes around. For a few years in the late Eighties, almost everything they touched seemed to turn to pop gold. Singer Neil Tennant later memorably described this as their “imperial phase”.

But despite their apparent sang-froid, their imperial phase had many ingredients. This book reveals them, including their auteur-style control over their branding and presentation; the convergence of culture and commerce in the pop charts; the mainstreaming of gay culture; and ideas about authenticity and value in pop, dance and rock music – all told in candid first-person style by an admirer who's followed them since the beginning.