The Police drummer @StewartCopelandOfficial talks to Gold's James Bassam about his new album, working with old sparring partner Sting, and his love of Ringo Starr. #ThePolice #StewartCopeland #Sting #1980s #1980smusic #interview
I met Stewart years ago, and didn't know who he was. I went on and on about myself, as a composer. He listened to my work, talked about my ideas. And never once said 'Do you know who I am?' Later, when I learned who he was, I was shocked at his humility and patience with an arrogant young guy like myself.
The thing I love most about Stewart is just how *REAL* and unpretentious he is. In that way, he was always the perfect foil to Sting’s loftiness. I mean let’s face it… Sting could get a bit ostentatious at times, but then there’s Stewart, bringing it all back down to earth and keeping things grounded. He looks great for a 71 year old, and he’s still sharp as a tack and can still pound those skins like few others can. One of the top drummers of all time. Just a wonderful, talented, interesting and intelligent person. May he live to 100 or more.
Fair points… & I’m not the BIGGEST Sting fan, but he DID write the stuff 🤷🏻♂️ Anyone can practice X amount of hours per day & play… the real artistry is in its creation imho -☝️😆🤣
@@andrewmair7371each of them were very good at improvising and using their different tastes/experiences in music to combine and produce their sound. Sting was certainly the stand out songwriter however it was the combination of him with Stewart and Andy that made The Police what they were.
The Police would never had had their success without Andy and Stewart. They were invaluable to the Police's jazz/reggae/ska/rock sound that Sting has never IMO risen above as a solo artist. Stewart is such a great musician/composer/arranger/producer.
*would have never had Without Sting's songs nobody now would know who Copeland and Summers are. Songwriting is everything. Forget about a single musician's virtuosity (which most people don't even appreciate). Nobody cares about the sophisticated Dm9 in Walking on the moon. People love it because it's a damn good song, and it's Sting's, like all the other ones.@@edp3202
Absolutely. A living legend. I remember watching The Police Around The World many years ago where Stewart says “I’m an arrogant twat!” I think it was at the Zenyatta photo shoot.
He was good friends with Neil Peart of Rush. Listening to him, I'm not surprised. Like Neil, a very bright and engaging guy with a great speaking voice.
I’m also a bassist who was heavily influenced by Stewart. Bass players should be paying attention to the drums. We’re one half of the rhythm section after all.
Just watched Rick Beato's interview with Andy Summers. Phenomenal musician. Both Andy and Stewart redefined how rock was played in the 70's. Both had the freshest idea of how to play their instruments differently than any other at the time. Stewart's high hat works were phenomenal and Andy never played bar chords. Sting was amazing at playing syncopated bass lines while singing totally different melody. One of the best bands of all time.
Summers is one of my favourite guitarists, but as a guitarists myself I do have to say that he actually did play bar chords 😀. Not many but the chorus of Message in a Bottle comes to mind
@@rowanbirch5391You’re absolutely right. Stewart Copeland is intelligent, funny and a great drummer. But he sure as hell isn’t humble. Sometimes it seems people just repeat the same attributes over and over - let’s go, I heard them before and some may even fit ..
Copeland's comment about Sting and the shaft of golden light is 100% spot on! I saw someone crossing the street once, someone glowing.... . "Who IS that?" I asked myself - "Look, it's Sting!" someone near me commented, and I thought... "Oh, no wonder!" Charisma! Light! Never saw anything like that again!
I'm glad Stewart gave Andy the recognition he deserves. He is sometimes a bit overlooked between the brilliance of the drummer and the "bass playing element", but he was incredibly important to what "The Police" were. What a miracle trio they were.
Yes. Summers always struck me as the most interesting and grounded of the three. I'm sure he can be as egotistical and arsey as anyone else when he feels like it but he never seemed to chase the limelight like Sting and Copeland did. He also (imo) wrote the best of the three memoirs (One Train Later) which is a really engaging read. Great musician too.
That's weird. I've never overlooked Andy Summers. Back in 1982 or something, when I was totally into the Police, I knew that Andy was a really important element, and the most established, wanted musician when the Police started.
Andy’s guitar part is the foundation for “Every Breath”, which is their most famous song. Sting’s lyrics were great and Stewart brilliant as always, but Andy always underrated, and this is just one example.
@@DJCoachCookie68 What accent would you like him to speak, then ?! His mother is from Edinburgh, His father from Atlanta, but he grew up in the Middle East (As his old man was CIA) .
I remember hearing Regatta de Blanc for the first time being blown away by that drumming part, the energy, the precision, the inventiveness. Stewart is a legend and a blessing.
For me, the drums have always been the standout feature in The Police’s overall sound. That’s what really drew me in to their music in the beginning, and it’s still the part that moves me most. No disrespect to Andy and Sting’s abilities. I just think Stewart is the real star of the show.
@@Shikta-poobah67Andy's guitar is also unique. Very minimalist and angular approach. Even Sting's bass is great combined with all the other instruments.
Not many musicians have such an identity in their style that they stand out and influence others and are instantly recognisable. Stuart is one of those generational gems.
Yep. Exactly. When I first got into the Police, it was the drums that immediately got my attention. It still is, well after 40 years later. Stewart has always been the star of the show for me, no matter how much Sting has been in the headlines. I mean they were all great, Andy too… but the drumming is what put them over the top for me. Killer stuff.
Copeland was such a huge hero during that New Wave explosion of the late 70's and early 80's. Most New Wave acts barely knew their instruments, and here comes a drummer with serious chops who is a drumming sponge , and learning everything he can about music from around the world. I first saw Copeland play at Police Picnic 1982 in Toronto. It was an incredible experience for a 14 year old me.
“Most New Wave acts barely knew their instruments..” I think you confusing New Wave with Punk.. In any event, I wouldn’t say “most”, it seems pretty anecdotal that so many of these bands met in art school and weren’t quite as inept as you make them out to be.
@@immortal2u Well to be fair, there were also plenty of competent and talented musicians in punk as well as in new wave, as much as revisionists like Malcolm McLaren would have us believe otherwise, so… I dunno. Old myths and old stereotypes die hard, I suppose.
Crazy too when you remember that Andy Summers was older than George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, basically every legendary sixties guitarist. And he shows up pushing the envelope.
He’s also very self-deprecating. A trait that is sorely lacking with a lot of big time hyper-talented musicians. A lot of these guys get so accustomed to sycophants constantly stroking their egos and telling them how god-like they are, 24-7, that they can’t help but have overinflated opinions of themselves. It’s literally a struggle for them to stay grounded and humble, but Stew does it effortlessly. One of the many reasons he’s one of my heroes.
*Yeah, he looks as if he is perhaps in his mid 50s, at most. Hard to believe he is actually 70 years old!* *He definitely looks and sounds **_WAY_** healthier than most folks entering their 7th decade of life. I bet he lives to (at least)100. And one last request: Stewart, please come to Atlanta sometime soon! You should allow Atlanta resident (and popular music-focused RU-vid creator) Rick Beato... to interview you.* *_Well, just grateful to have seen this interview... and thanks very much to those of you who have read thus far. : )_*
What a legend. Had no idea he started the Police. From soundtracks to writing to his incredible precision and unique cymbal work, by far one of the most influential musicians still alive
Cymbal work for sure, love that last verse ( 'Woke up this morning, don't believe what I saw" ,etc ) in 'Message In a bottle', his cymbal work was great there 🤘
Cool comment, and I'd like to learn more, please. Non-drummer here, just a scrappy guitar player. Would it be posible to put into words what makes his cymbal work unique? And/or great? With the purpose of teaching me how to listen to drumming better. Thanks! And P.S. Anything more you or others would like to add about Stewart Copeland's drumming and how it fits into The Police's music would be most welcome. Cheers.
@@yepyep9113 "Unique cymbal work" I think translates to non-western rhythms, accents, and amazing hi-hat work. Stewart is a left handed drummer playing on a right handed kit, grew up among the mid eastern music of Egypt and Lebanon, his Dad made him learn correct rudiments and wanted him to be a jazz musician while his mom was listening to Stravinsky and Ravel. The Baladi rhythm is similar to Reggae and the music of the West Indies which is a clear influence. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nBLyQXIPyxg.html&ab_channel=Drumeo
The Police was Copeland band. Sting was the Singer and composer, so it was his band. And Andy was the best musician and it was because of him that they took off. Só it was his band. All 3 of them saw the Police as their band. That's why they fight all the time. Very funny band. They get along just fine, it's clear they like each other, but they just keep fighting all the time, because they all think it's their band. And they all right. And to be true, i do believe that's what make them amazing. The fighting was what make them good. If they get along on the band, as they get along outside of her, the band just wasn't that good. It was the fighting and that mentality of "fuck you all, i'm better than you all" that make them great
totally agree that they should have recorded more albums - even Andy Summers says the same. It was all down to Stingo I think. But hey we should be glad we got what we got.
Someone who knows their place in the universe. Humility is a quality we all could use more of. Happy he mentioned Mitch Mitchell! Both he and Noel Redding helped define Hendrix's sound.
I was not a big Police fan back when they were active. But now I love the band. I guess my ears matured and appreciate how amazingly talented they are.
You were always Amazing on stage , I went to 3 Police concerts in Seattle and Tacoma wash in the 1980 s . I had all your albums at a time when I jumped rope for my workout . I thank you for helping me go the distance daily in my workouts to your music . Awesome Drummer 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🫶🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👌🏼✌🏼 So glad you all had immense egos that pushed all of you to do what you did and do !
What a nice guy Stewart Copeland is and he has a great respect for other very talented musicians without perhaps appreciating that people respect him and his drumming in the same way that he respects Ringo Starr.
What a different time period that was. Flying by the seat of our pants while listening to amazing bands like The Police. There was so much phenomenal talent in the music industry back then you just believed thats the way it is. Wasnt until the mid 90s when I realized those 30 years between 1960 and 1990 were not normal. They were pretty epic as far as music was concerned. This was just ONE band of many truly amazing bands we took for granted back then. God bless them. What talent and showmanship. Incredible.
The Police, XTC, New Order, The Smiths, The Cure, Talk Talk, Talking Heads- the whole punk movement, New Wave, Indie.... just a brilliant time. Now there’s Ed Sheeran and yeah, Lizzo 😢
@@29memyselfandi Phenomenal list thank you! for sharing it. All epic artists. Groundbreaking. And the tip of the iceberg. Truly Amazing time period for music.
All of you in this comment thread do know that there's more than top-40 and 'popular' music? I know someone that saw U2, Echo &The Bunnymen, Joy Divison and more bands of that caliber when they were underground, still performing in front of 150 people, sometimes less. What i'm trying to say is that there's more amazing music out there than you all know, all you have to do to discover it is go see shows, visit record shops, read blogs and magazines, and talk to people. I could probably list more than 300 bands and artists that i've seen, heard and adored since i fell in love with music but that wouldnt prove my point. There's no lack of talent of musicianship, anyone who complains about not having good music served up to them is simply lazy and has gotten old and complacent. Go out there and explore the sounds while you still can
@@versnellingspookie I go to see smaller bands all the time. The point we are making is that there was a time when brilliant music flooded the airwaves and topped the charts. Doesn’t happen anymore. Of course there are still a multitude of great original acts- they’re just never on the radio. That’s what we’re talking about.
Sting's ego vs this guy's self confidence......let battle commence. The resulting music was fantastic as was their guitarist Andy Summers. What a group !
Mr. Copeland is so passionate about music and is an incredible musician and producer. I did not know he played so many instruments and sang too. I still have a Curved Air record. I'm 71 and I am a huge Police fan. Thank you and Stewart Copeland for this great interview.
Every time I hear Stewart Copeland speak I have this impression that his personality is the least removed from that kid in the Police. He still has that enthusiastic, nervous energy.
The Police thru my headphones got me through uni. All three members " were part of the rhythm section ". The guitarist played percussive splashes of colour, the drummer meddled your mind using polyrhythms, and the bass player provided space between the riffs, with gravel and lilt in his voice. It was Magic.
Copeland is simply masterclass. There are many great musicians in bands, orchestras, etc, but few that are so good you notice their talent immediately.
Awesome interview, though as others have mentioned, didn't need the clickbait title which was intentionally inaccurate. God, Stewart is such a cool character, and sounds so incredibly happy. Really pleased for him.
I know people have their favorites, but I say without fear or hesitation that Sting and Stewart were the best rhythm section rock music has ever had.....and Andy Summers happens to be one of the most underrated and underappreciated guitarists ever.
He said Sting wasn't arrogant at all and the title says "Sting was arrogant from birth", do you really need that clickbait lie? edit: Thanks for updating the title. Copeland's name is clickbait enough for many of us. Him talking about the Police early days is also good enough. Don't really need anything else...
I doubt it. The energy, enthusiasm and the music scene that was there that drove them to success is long gone. Anything they do now would be of course be musically good but wouldn't have the magic combination of styles The Police had in their heyday. Synchronicity was perhaps the best time for them to bow out and keep their legacy intact.
@@groovytrev Since it will never happen we'll never know. Of course, if they released a new album it wouldn't be as commercially successful as the old stuff. But that doesn't mean they couldn't take us on a new musical ride that would still be great. Sting and Copeland still have lots of energy. I don't know about Andy.
The last tour was a lot of strain and wear on Andy Summers, I read in an article at the time.... I can't see him doing that at his age, he had visible trouble at the live concert in our city at the time. Doesn't stop me from wishing they would though. Copeland has been my favourite drummer for decades. "Delicious Clockwork" is the term I'd use to describe his playing. I've always been drawn to his quirky style. A wonderful mind and man.
I love the parallels between stories here. Mitch Mitchell, underrated because of Hendrix. Andy Summers, arguably underrated because he was in a band with two strong personalities like Copeland and Sting. It's amazing hearing about how badly they wanted Summers to join, but thought he was unattainable. It's also a testament to the genius of Andy to recognize the potential of the group.
They just can't. Stewart and Sting get along and buddy buddy, off-band. But they just can't stand each other whenever they are in the band. Then there's Andy, who simply fed up and retired at this point with his age.
I had the pleasure to hear and see them all together at their reunion tour a few years ago. I was blown away by the fact how only 3 people on stage were able to produce such music and sound.
Thank you Stewart for the shout out to Mitch Mitchell. As a small kid in 1970, listening to my parents' Jimi Hendrix record - I remember being blown away by the drumming on "Fire". The guy was obviously phenomenal and a clear cut above most of the drummers I was hearing on other rock records. He does usually get overlooked in discussions of rock drummers though.
I always felt Sting shouldve shared writing credits with the other members for being co- inventors of Police unique signature sound that was applied to virtually every great song
That is the case for so many bands and musicians, particularly intros that turned mediocre songs into hits, noteably ‘take a walk on the wild side with the incredible acoustic bass dubbed with the electric bass ascending and descending of Herbie Flowers who earned the princely sum of £25 session fee for inventing the real hook of the song. Sheer genius. There are endless stories like this. That is the music business all over, greed, ego, and arrogance. To be fair it is often management that are to blame. Then there is the ludicrous copyrighting of a two note riff. Well done Sheeran for standing up to that nonsense. Although it is amazing how everything he sings sounds like something else, but he makes it his.
If I'm not mistaken I believe that they realized this and their manager etc decided to have Sting get a 2/3 share of his song and Stewart and Andy would split a 1/3 share. It was an obvious acknowledgement of the contribution that the master musicians Andy Summers Stewart Copeland made to each Police song
I’m a 31 year old father of two and hard-working barber running a business but on the side I’m also a musician and spend any free time I get writing and producing new music. The Police are and have always been my biggest influence be it the guitar work, the drums I play or the vocal Melodies I sing and this all started 24 years ago when my parents bought me a JVC Cassette Walkman for my 7th birthday. I was so thrilled with this present and I remember begging my dad to take me to an old wholesale place called Makro. They sold absolutely everything there and the aisle I would always go to first was the records section. A 7-year-old boy that knew more artists than my 30 year old aunties and uncles. I was obsessed. Me and my dad went off to Makro that day and my first purchase with my birthday money was Regatta De Blanc, along with a set of AKG over-ear headphones as the ones that came with the Walkman were pretty pants. That was very apparent to me from the first line of the Robert Cray tape that I quickly found to try out my new favourite present of all time! Thank you Stewart for your incredible music and the journey you went on to allow us to consume such brilliant talent!
Sting may have been the golden shaft of light, but "The Police" was the "Shining Star"! Sting solo career could never eclipse "The Police". Stewart & Andy with Sting is what made them the greatest band of all time! Their skills and talent even surpassed the Beatles. Even to this day we are more likely to hear a Police song on the radio than a Beatle song. The Beatles were great in their time and generation. The Police music is timeless.
It's funny how a someone like Stewart Copeland considers himself "little old me" - when in reality he's a member of one of the largest most iconic bands from his era.
I just saw Sting in concert, now watching Mr. Copeland in this video. These guys look and sound incredible for being in their 70s. These types of musicians are so fun to get to know in these interviews.
I’ve always loved his drumming but the fact he mentions RATM, RHCP, Primus, FF, Fish as his people: He has my vote for life. I grew up on all these bands and more. Amazing.
That's the one that always come to mind for me, too. Love the way the drums and guitar play off each other. And in 3/4 waltz time - genius. Stewart and Mitch are in my top 5 drummers of all time.
Stewart's drumming is up there with the greatest is modern music, and let's not forget his superb work with "The Equalizer" as composer of the music for that series.
To this day I know where I was when I first heard "Message in a bottle"...this music will always be in my heart. Thank You Sting, Stewart, Andy, you made my days
it’s both surprising and fucking awesome that most of my favorite bands credit the police for inspiration and my favorite drummer is a huge fan and friend of my favorite bands
The Police created a whole new genre of music. The arpeggiating, staccato guitars were completely new at the time. Maybe the odd song had bits like that, but they took it to the next level and made a complete sound of it. They're underrated cos they made pop songs, but there was nothing like them. They were a shining beam of light in some dark times.
@@guzgrant thats like comparing Funk and disco there similar but not the same its about the tempo ska is faster bpm than reggae same with disco is faster than funk
@@illostr8 Not really With respect it is you that is being reductive. Your comment reads as if dismissing his ability ,the Police unique sound as nothing more than two tone or ska and I beg to differ .
I've never heard anyone call St John's Wood 'The Wood'. It's one of the most exclusive and expensive parts of London and he makes it sound like East Compton.
There's attitude based on vaporware and then there's attitude based on talent and then there's attitude based on the intense (almost maniacal) need to bring something sublime into reality that you can barely hear inside your head. Now, imagine the killing field that is multiplying that last one by three and having them stay together. It is fantastic to see Stewart still enjoying the sounds that he can make. Thank you as one of the legendary prog-rock gods of my 20's.
Copeland’s self-effacement is an inspiration to generations of musicians up and down the alley - what a friggin’ amazing musician and a super cool guy!!!
