INTERVIEW: Mike Peters May 6th, 1986, WBCN Boston, MA USA This interview in interesting because it really shows how some deejays, especially her in America, can just talk forever, and not let the interviewee (read: victim) get a few words in edge-wise. At least Ken Sheldon is intelligent, which is more than I can say for some of the other DJs you'll see in some of these interviews, but come on, why couldn't he have let Mike, at least answer his questions?! Note: From listening to all these interviews, the one thing that stands out to me is the idiotic names that American rock radio stations have for their particular radio shows. This one is no exception: "The Mighty Lunch Hour", I mean, come on, what is that? Note 2: Also, check out the references to "stereo" and CDs, wow, this stuff is dated. KS: = Interviewer/DJ named Ken Sheldon. *** (Note: ...) = Sometimes I can't help but add my own comments, they the *** asterisk warn you they are coming *** please ignore them if you don't want to hear my humble opinion ------------------------------------------------------------------------ KS: "The Alarm, hi Mike, how are you" Mike: "Hello, Hello" KS: "Welcome back to Boston. You've been a guest here many times, but you've never joined us for lunch..." Mike: (in the background, sounding tired) "Good to be here..." KS: "....so welcome to the Mighty Lunch Hour..." Mike: "Thanks a lot (small laugh)" KS: "...on BCN, we'll play your latest track from the Strength album, this is Absolute Reality on WBCN, The Alarm" (Play "Absolute Reality") KS: "On the Rock Of Boston, this is Ken Sheldon, the Mighty Lunch Hour, we are joined today by Mr. Mike Peters of The Alarm, welcome once again Mike..." Mike: "Hello" KS: "...to BCN, you have been a guest here many times, Boston seems to be you home away from Wales..." Mike: "It is definitely becoming that way at the moment...(laugh)" KS: "How come you got elected to be awake at the ungodly hour of 12:40 ..." Mike: "I'm the early bird, and were not called The Alarm for nothing..." KS: "I know, and you do look wide awake, ah, so many times, most of the heavy duty rock'n rollers that pass through town come in late in the afternoon before their sound check, or in the evening, late after their show, or right before the show, most people are too tired to be here at lunch time, but thank you for joining us here on WBCN. You are playing tonight, and tomorrow night at Boston's Orpheum Theatre, two sellouts?" Mike: "Both sold out..." KS: "Both soldouts, sorry folks if you didn't get yours, The Long Ryders are opening up for you, have you been on tour with them?" Mike: "Yeah, The Long Ryders are a band that we played with about 2 years ago for the very first time, and we kept in touch with them ever since, and it is great to have them on the tour, they are a great band..." *** (NOTE: Notice Ken Sheldon actually let Mike say more them 10 words, before he broke in, but don't fret, he'll make for it with his own excessive verbosity next) *** KS: "They are a fine band, and this is show a lot of people have been looking forward too, especially people who either missed one or the other of you the last time you played, but now you are in town together, both shows are sold out. I do want to talk about one of my favorite songs that you do of yours, and a song based on Stephen King novel, _The Stand_, how did that...you want to give us a little background, I hope Carter didn't ask you that a year ago, he probably did..." Mike: (laughs) KS: "...but that's ok, we'll ask it again so..." Mike: "That's ok, yeah...umm I just remember reading the book and it really hit me hard as a book... KS: "...it is powerful..." Mike: "...as a piece of literature, and ah, I was just writing a song one day in my room, and the book was lying in the corner, and it was like 'come on down and' and all of a sudden 'and the stand' yeah, and it just kind of came out..." KS: "These ah, a lot of your music reminds me of, not in a negative sense, but marching music, like rousing get up and march along with us kind of music..." Mike: "Yeah, that's what the book was all about, it was about a few people who stuck together through the hardest time imaginable..." KS: "That's right, the..." Mike: "And I think that's what I..." KS: "...heaviest harvest imaginable, the a, sort of the end of the world as good and evil all come together, do you fashion yourselves as ah, rock and roll rabble rousers, rabble leaders leading on the marching on to good and evil?" Mike: "Ah, No, I don't think so, ya know" KS: (laughs) Mike: (laughs) *** (Note: This next "question" is a so erratic, I don't even think Mike knew what to answer!) *** KS: "Not that heavy, well, can we dip into your music, while not necessarily directly political has such a political feel to it, being, ah, from Wales, I guess there's a connection there with the other ah, like Scotland, Ireland, lands that were independent at one time, that were suppressed by the British, even use, I have a friend whose a, whose distant ancient relatives go back to Wales, and when the British took over Wales they forced the Welsh people to march against Ireland, and her family became Irish but they have a Welsh surname, from many hundreds of years ago, how does that, I assume there is a kinship between you and the bands like U2 and other bands from umm, from the, the UK let's say" Mike: "Well, they are mostly referred to as coming from the Celtic fringe..." KS: "The Celtic fringe (laughs)..." Mike "(ignoring KS's comment and continuing) ...and ah..." KS: "(continuing over Mike again)... Well a Boston, Boston is the outermost fringe of the Celtic fringe... (laughs at his own lame joke)" Mike: "Right, exactly, I think well, I think if ah, we are the Welsh people we are usually referred to as the Irishmen who got left behind in the big swim..." KS: (laughs) Mike: "...And I think there are probably some Irishmen who probably swam a bit further than Ireland and ended up in Boston" KS: "(laughs) Probably, let's hear ah, The Stand now, on WBCN a tune that Mike wrote being influenced greatly by a fabulous book by Stephen King called _The Stand_ on WBCN Boston" (play "The Stand") KS: "The Stand on WBCN, that is The Alarm, Mike Peters of The Alarm visiting us today for a while on the Mighty Lunch Hour, we, ah you couldn't hear because you don't have headphones on Mike, but right at the end of that record, because it has been played so many hundreds and thousands of times here at BCN, it was scratched..." Mike: "Oh no..." KS: "...at the end, so what we are going to do is, the next Alarm song we play is going to be on crisp, clear, unscuffed, unscratched, unpopped, unsizzling compact disc. I've just been telling Mike that we just did a whole compact disc day here at BCN, and it is great to hear some of the old, terrific songs of, sounding fresh and clean again, and hearing things that you didn't hear before. Ok, Mike, right now we turn you into a DJ for minute here, do your thing" Mike: "Well, if you can't get into see The Alarm on May the 7th, you can stay at home and listen to Simple Minds recorded live in Amsterdam, you can hear it in stereo, on the rock of Boston, WBCN, this Wednesday night, May the 7th at 10:00 pm" KS: "Oh, wonderful, wonderful, everybody is such a sucker for a Welsh accent..." Mike: "Do I get a job?" KS: "I think you've got a job..." (commercial) KS: "Mike Peters of The Alarm in studio with me. People are calling up, wanting to talk to you, saying... we had people calling this morning saying, you are an attractive young lad Mike and people say 'Hi I'm from a newspaper and from the Quimsey rwrwrw ...and I have to know where The Alarm is staying, what hotel cause I have to do a story on them...' uh ha, (laughs). Mike: (laughs) KS: "We were going to play the compact disc, were gonna save the compact disc version of 68 Guns, because your friend here from IRS Records, your record company, reminded us that there is a new record, you have a new live track out, recorded right here in Boston, of "Howling Wind", that you did, was this last year?" Mike: "It was just in November..." KS: "Was it just the last time you were here, just November, my goodness, well this is a very interesting album, wonderful, nice of you, and everyone else involved to give up your royalties for cancer research, this is the one called "Live For Life", you want to tell us what you know about it, there has actually been limited information about it ya know..." Mike: "That's right, it was put together by Miles Copeland for the AMC Cancer Research Center in Denver, and all the royalties go to help them find a cure for the cancers, and umm, there's various people on the record like Sting and Bob Marley, I think..." KS: "Jeff Beck, The Bangles, Go Go's..." Mike: "Everybody's on it (laughs)" KS: "...Squeeze, every...a lot of it was done right here in Boston too, there is a live Squeeze track from the Orpheum, and let's see ah, there was another live one from Boston, what was it, was it R.E.M, no, ah, yours, ah, General Public, General Public rec..." Mike: "That's right..." KS: "General Public recorded live at The Channel, so a very nice..." Mike: "...All featuring the famous 'Boston Roar' KS: "That's right, and let's here it now, let's here you at the Oepheum Theatre, much like, well, are you going to do this one tonight, are you going to give us a little preview?" Mike: "We'll probably slip this one in the set..." KS: "Okay, this is from the new 'Live For Life' album, which features many different artists, all doing tracks that have not been released before, live tracks, interesting new tracks, let's hear The Alarm now, live at the Orpheum Theatre" (Play "Howling Wind") KS: "WBCN Boston, that is The Alarm, and the new live version of Howling Wind, on 104 WBCN in Boston, that on appears on the 'Live For Life' album, an album whose entire proceeds evidently go to, I assume sales as well as royalties will be going to, for cancer research, and from The Alarm, Mike Peters joining us for the Might Lunch Hour on WBCN Boston, welcome again" Mike: "Thanks" KS: "Do you guys like touring this much?" Mike: "Yeah, we do actually..." KS: "Don't you miss your old sofa at home, the old barkalounger, and your sitting at home, and whatever you do at home (laughs)?" Mike: "Now and again we miss that, yeah,but, ah, you know were fortunate to be in a band, touring around the world, we've got a great following" KS: "This is true, I was telling you how when a band comes to town, the interest picks up, and we see more requests here at BCN, and more people calling up and asking about it, and it kind of subsides after the band has gone, but it just maintains all the way through with your band, The Alarm" Mike: "That's probably..." KS: "(cutting Mike off) So, tonight and tomorrow night, 2 sold out shows Boston's Orpheum Theatre, next stop for those people who ah, couldn't get tickets, or forgot to get out in time, do you remember?" Mike: "Well the next show will be in New York on Friday night" KS: "OK, where are you playing there, do you play like...?" Mike: "Were playing the Beacon Theatre..." KS: "The Beacon Theatre, a great place" Mike: "...and then The Tower Theatre in Philly, Philadelphia" KS: "Good, you've got a nice tour lined up" Mike: "Yeah, it's gonna be great" KS: "So, Alarm fans that didn't get tickets can just start slipping down the East Coast here, following them around. Thank you for being here Mike Peters of The Alarm" Mike: "Thank You" ------- Transcribed by Steve Fulton , April 18th, 1995