Chris Heath is a British writer and journalist. He was born in

Evesham Evesham () is a market town and Civil parishes in England, parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, England, Worceste ...

in the West Midlands and attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

. He studied social and political science at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Heath was a regular contributor to the popular English music magazine ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' in the 1980s and early 1990s and has subsequently reported on a wide variety of non-fiction topics for '' GQ'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', and '' Vanity Fair''; as well as writing a number of books on popular culture. He won the 2013 National Magazine Award for Reporting for his article about the 2011 Zanesville, Ohio animal escape in ''GQ''.

Work

In 1989, Heath travelled with

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

on their first world tour and the result was the book entitled ''Pet Shop Boys, 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 Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

to the reissues of the band's first eleven albums. 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 its follow-up, ''Annually'', and conducts interviews for their tour programmes. He is also the author of the best-selling biography of

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

, ''Feel'' (2004), and its follow-up, ''Reveal'' (2017). He has been a Contributing Editor at '' Details'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', and American '' GQ.'' In 2019 he co-wrote the lyrics for the musical ''The Boy in the Dress'', which was presented by the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

. He published an investigation of the

Ponary massacre The Ponary massacre (), or the Paneriai massacre (), was the mass murder of up to 100,000 people, mostly Jews, Poles, and Russians, by German '' SD'' and '' SS'' and the Lithuanian '' Ypatingasis būrys'' killing squads, during World War II a ...

in Lithuania during World War II and its aftermath, ''No Road Leading Back: An Improbable Escape from the Nazis and the Tangled Way We Tell the Story of the Holocaust'', in September 2024. His articles include: For GQ Magazine: * 18 Tigers, 17 Lions, 8 Bears, 3 Cougars, 2 Wolves, 1 Baboon, 1 Macaque, and 1 Man Dead in Ohio, February 2012; for which he won the 2013 National Magazine Award for Reporting * Graduation Day, February 2012; about the Japanese tsunami * The True Story of Gary Faulkner, the Man Who Hunted Osama bin Laden, September 2010 For The Atlantic: * A Lost Trove of Civil War Gold, an FBI Investigation, and Some Very Angry Treasure Hunters, June 2022 * The Truth Behind the Amazon Mystery Seeds, July 2021 For Esquire: * The Militiamen, the Governor, and the Kidnapping That Wasn't, October 2022

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Chris Year of birth missing (living people) Living people British music journalists Pet Shop Boys People educated at Rugby School