In 2004, the veteran Welsh rock band The Alarm pulled off an audacious hoax, releasing their single ’45 RPM’ under the alias of The Poppy Fields. The Poppy Fields were supposedly a new band of teenage rock stars in skinny jeans, as was the style at the time. As the song ascended the charts, Alarm mainman Mike Peters revealed the deception, kicking off a debate about ageism in the music industry.
It’s a fascinating story, so fascinating that Mick has dragged himself out of his sickbed to talk to Graham about Vinyl, the 2012 film loosely based on it. We discuss its many missed opportunities, its bizarre decision to make the Mike Peters analogue more or less totally unsympathetic, and the question of whether this con would work in 2012 – which is more of a cultural gap than the eight years it is on paper. We also discuss The Alarm’s long career, the rock movie baggage of star Phil Daniels, and the irony that – these days – a middle-aged heritage act is a better money-spinner than a sexy young rock band.
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Episode 114: The Alarm in Vinyl (2012)
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