Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Arts myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.When the British psych-rock band The Zombies released “She’s Not There” in 1964, it was a top-40 hit in the UK and peaked at number two on America’s Billboard Hot 100. Arriving during the so-called “British invasion”, when UK bands dominated the US airwaves, The Zombies seemed destined for the big time. But their next two singles, “Leave Me Be” and “Tell Her No”, bombed back home. Over the next three years, the band plugged away but demand for gigs dwindled and they struggled to make ends meet. To add insult to injury, the designers of their third album misspelled the title, meaning copies were pressed with the name Odessey [sic] and Oracle. Finally, in December 1967, they called it a day.What they didn’t know was that, after their split, another of their songs, “Time of the Season”, was released in the US, where it took off. Suddenly, audiences were clamouring to see them live. And so, to fill the vacuum, two separate bands stepped in, pulling the wool over fans’ eyes by touring as “The Zombies”. Suffice to say, the early notices were poor, even though one of those imposter groups featured members of future hitmakers ZZ Top.This story of an epic music-industry scam should be ideal podcast fodder, but the makers of The True Story of The Fake Zombies have bungled it. The series is the expansion of an article on BuzzFeed, written in 2016 by the journalist Daniel Ralston (who also fronts the podcast). It is a terrific read and, in hindsight, an article was all that was required. The first instalment of the podcast starts well enough, containing a potted history of the real Zombies and featuring the voice of Colin Blunstone, the band’s singer, who recalls reading a Rolling Stone article informing readers he had died. But in the ensuing episodes Ralston loses his way, embarking on pointless pilgrimages and chasing down bit-players, to no discernible end.He goes to Bay City in Michigan, home of promoters Jim Atherton and Bill Kehoe, who masterminded the fake Zombies; there he visits a local museum and disappears down a rabbit hole learning about the town’s saloons in the 19th century. Too much time is also spent trying and failing to chase down the singer of the band Question Mark and the Mysterians, who opened for the first fake Zombies on tour. In the third episode, Ralston inexplicably visits Atherton’s former prom date; after much build-up, she reveals that she knew nothing of his Zombies-related activities. It’s all very tenuous.There are four episodes of The True Story of The Fake Zombies currently available, three of which are mostly padding; there are, astonishingly, four more to come. You’d think a podcast about a rock ‘n’ roll swindle taking in fake pop stars, shady promoters and disgruntled fans couldn’t fail. In the event, it’s a bit of a drag. omny.fm
