Getting arrested is almost a cliché in rock star history. Usually, however, the causes are linked to excesses, drugs, fights or trouble with the law. Much more unusual is the affair involving Alex Kapranos, frontman of Franz Ferdinand, stopped in 2005 at Moscow airport and arrested mid-tour.
The episode dates back to the end of May 2005, when the Scottish band was engaged in two concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow during the tour of their successful debut album “Franz Ferdinand”. In those months the group was at the height of its international rise and was already performing live some of the new songs destined to be included in the second album, “You Could Have It So Much Better”. Once the shows in Russia were over, the musicians would have to reach New York to complete the mixing.
The trip, however, came to an abrupt end at Domodedovo airport. As he prepared to board the flight to the United States, Kapranos was stopped by Russian authorities and declared a “high security risk” person. Uniformed soldiers surrounded him, preventing him from boarding the plane. “There were guys in uniform walking around me. Then I knew it was something serious,” he later told the Times.
At the basis of the arrest there was a sensational mistake of identity. In fact, the name Alex Huntley appeared on the singer's passport and not Alex Kapranos. Huntley is the mother's maiden name, chosen by the father, of Greek origins, to prevent the son from suffering discrimination linked to a foreign surname. That name, however, was already known to Russian security services. Alex Huntley was in fact one of the pseudonyms used by Richard Tomlinson, a former agent of MI6, the British foreign secret service. During some missions in Russia, Tomlinson had traveled with that identity. After being fired in 1995, the former 007 became a highly controversial figure for attempting to publish a book about his activities in the secret services, an affair which also cost him a period of prison. When Russian agents read the name in the Franz Ferdinand singer's passport, the system immediately triggered the alarm. Kapranos was interrogated and held for over an hour while the necessary checks were carried out.
In the end it was enough to compare the personal data and physical appearance of the two men to clarify the misunderstanding: Tomlinson was thirteen years older and had no real resemblance to the Scottish musician. Once the mistaken identity was confirmed, the Russian authorities authorized Kapranos to resume his journey.
The episode ended without further consequences and Franz Ferdinand was able to reach New York to complete “You Could Have It So Much Better”, the album that a few months later would definitively consecrate the band thanks to songs such as “Do You Want To”, “Walk Away” and “The Fallen”. However, one of the most surreal stories ever experienced by a rock band on tour remained: that of an indie singer stopped not for rock star excesses, but because his name coincided with that of an MI6 spy.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
