Customer Reviews

Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo, and Pygmies

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Stewart Copeland's first foray into publishing, "Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo, and Pygmies," is in itself wonderful and strange. In addition to his storied career as drummer for 1980s juggernaut The Police, Copeland has a slew of other abilities: film composer, videographer, musical-instrument-inventor. Luckily for the reader one of Copeland's additional talents is a flair for hilarious, insightful prose. It seems unlikely that a person known for generating a theatrical hail of thunder on stage would generate this, one of the rarest of items in the rock world: a memoir nearly devoid of pretense or self-deception. Yet the book is 300+ pages of exuberant recollection, without the abundance of twisted rationalization so common in the rock genre.

Copeland on music, pg. 18: "I am nothing, no one. Just the beating heart of a larger body, enveloped by the soul of the faithful. A synapse closes in the mind of the enraptured protoshaman. Next morning, when my head clears, it seems obvious that music isn't just a tool or weapon, it's what my life is for. It's powerful juju, and I want to own it as much as it owns me."

Some of the tales here will be familiar to readers of Copeland's official website, on which he's maintained a trove of first person essays for the past couple of years, the felicitously-titled "Dinner Tales." However, only a couple of the chapters are pulled word-for-word from the website - and, as a plus for Copeland-philes of recent vintage, there's an entire new chapter concerning a green-flag project conducted during the 2007-2008 Police tour by the denizens of the website itself.

In addition to entertaining bons mots on subjects as diverse as Gene Simmons' organization of the kids' school choir and the hoi polloi of the Brazzaville, Congo immigration authority, Copeland pulls no punches when it comes to ladling out an occasional deserved black eye: the founders of Cleveland's Rock Hall of Fame are described as "fat cats" trying to convince musicians of their importance in order to gain access. It's actually quite a refreshing side of Copeland's personality; most big-time rock musicians are too cowed by what one might assume is fear of lawsuits to dish anything containing much substance.

Of course, many will review this book looking for juicy details on Copeland's reputed stormy relationship with former bandmate Sting. Unfortunately for those readers, there's nothing new here on the subject, other than a few generalities. One common complaint about this book will inevitably be its lack of inside detail on the years of meteoric rise to fame by The Police. According to Giovanni Pollastri, Copeland's sometime promoter and manager of his official website, Copeland simply believes he's already revealed most interesting tidbits on the subject of his seminal band. There's plenty more to the man and the music, so why not provide details of lesser-known aspects of his life and career?

The downside of Copeland's book is an assumption of familiarity with his works which may be unavailable to the casual reader who knows Copeland only as "that guy who played for Sting." However, its strength is a quality found in abundance in Copeland himself: a genuine, gee-whiz enthusiasm that leads him, by his own admission, to say yes to virtually any adventure on offer. The reader is treated to a discussion of the ins and outs of Copeland's conversations with Les Claypool and Trey Anastasio, who played with him in Oysterhead - one of the best jam bands of the early half of the 21st century, and the early stages of preparations for the Police reunion tour of 2007-2008. Copeland is given the keys to the city of Melpignano, Italy after befriending members of the local musician's community and we're there to witness. Copeland seems genuinely to want to convey to the reader his own sense of wonder at the world and its experiences, as that expressed by fellow Anglophile JRR Tolkien: "You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

There's also an insider's guide to day to day life as part of a famous rock and roll outfit, which Copeland has served up before in his feature film, "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out." There's really nothing new here on that subject. However, Copeland's willingness to divest the rock-star mystique of some of its inscrutability is also something quite different than one might expect from an artist who could be expected to continue to benefit from its prestige.

Pg. 54: "[There are] folks who are so bewitched that they think they are in the presence of an apparition. Two of them will stand in front of me and talk about me as if I'm a painting on a museum wall..."Tell him he's tall!"...As I was starting to experience this I was pretty sure it wasn't normal, but for the moment it was the role I had chosen. It didn't occur to me until years later that I'm just some guy."

Readers looking for day to day minutia on The Police might wish to purchase Andy Summers' excellent memoir "One Train Later" or, for less detail but valuable insights, "Broken Music" by Sting. The spiritual companion to "Strange Things," however, is neither of these two books but the narrative "Wild Thing," produced by drummer Copeland's older brother Ian in the mid-1990s. Not only does that book provide detailed information on early decisions regarding management of The Police, but many other bands signed to agencies helmed by Ian himself and older brother Miles Copeland, founder of legendary label IRS Records. It's also a delight to read, and reveals Ian Copeland's effusive personality - which regrettably was extinguished when the elder Copeland died of cancer in 2006.

This book will appeal most readily to those who already possess at least a passing familiarity of Copeland's work since leaving The Police. Even if Copeland were only "some guy," as he dismissively refers to himself, his reflections would be terrifically entertaining reading. Copeland is possessed of an intellect that makes quick work of a wide range of subjects, and his talent for turns of phrase is likely unparalleled by any autobiography by a musician of similar stature - with the possible exception of Ray Davies' excellent and shaded self-portrayal "X-Ray."

In short, "Strange Things Happen" is a must-buy for anyone with even a passing interest in Copeland's life and recent career. I'll give it five stars, even though Copeland will almost surely produce a work of similar quality sometime down the road - he's that prolific. ;)

I feel a little bit like pulling a Jedi Mind Trick here to start off this review. Or that perhaps Stewart Copeland has pulled one over on all of us readers, or that he should do before the angry shouts and rampant confusion surely begins.

Police fans looking for, at long last, Stewart's definitive statement on The Police?

*handwave*

"This is not the book you are looking for."

As far as I see it, Stewart made his definitive statement on the early Police years with Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out. If you're expecting much more here, you'll be disappointed, although there are a few brilliant gems of observation that slip through the cracks when and where you least expect it.

Diehard Stewart fans--the self-proclaimed Nutters and Snarks--looking for deep personal insight and a detailed history of Stewart's life and all his various projects?

*handwave*

"This is not the book you are looking for."

Stewart Copeland is not here to divulge all his secrets, nor dish the dirt on his past relationships, musical or personal. If you're looking for either type of information, you'll be highly disappointed (go read band mate Andy Summers' book "One Train Later" instead). What Stewart is here to do is share some stories with us, and most of these stories are quite lighthearted and fun in their nature and tone. They're the kind of stories you'd share at a dinner party to good friends, people who will get all the in-jokes and references you'll be making. It's no wonder that when Stewart first shared some of these stories on his website, it was in a section of the site entitled "Stewart's Dinner Tales".

But if you're looking for a traditional autobiography? Seriously, listen carefully to me, right now:

"This is not the book you are looking for."

* * *

Structurally? Strange Things Happen is kind of a massive hot mess. It's divided into four sections: Stewart's early life (where he sticks The Police); immediately after The Police; the years 2000 - (roughly) 2007; and lastly the reunion tour. I found myself oddly reminded of a Kurt Vonnegut novel as I read through it all, with the various chapters jumping here and there through time--some very short, some longer; the narration from Everyone Stares stuck in-between the prose as a substitute for a developed chapter on the Police's early years.

However this jumpy shatter-shot structure seemed to emphasize the surreal nature of some of these events and adventures Stewart describes in his tall (drummer) tales. How does one go from being at the top of the world with The Police to seeking out pygmy tribes in Africa? Playing polo matches against Prince Charles? Becoming a reality show "celebrity"/villian? It's a wild life story that probably could have filled several volumes if described in detail, but that's not the intent here. We get the highlight reel instead--and with Stewart's clever prose and eye for pertinent, well-chosen detail, a great deal is often revealed in just a few words or sentences.

Some Police fans seem put off by the fact that The Police (v 1.0) is dismissed so quickly in the book. I think the important points Stewart wants to share about that time were, again, already made in his movie and then emphasized in the brief chapter that follows here, "Police Rule". He doesn't talk about the band, his bandmates, the creative (and other) tension between them. He talks about the disorientation of being The Rock Star, an idolized one, and the effect it has on one's mental well-being:

"It was getting claustrophobic. Privacy deprivation is something like sleep deprivation. The love that surrounds you becomes vexatious.

"I often wished that I could merely turn my collar up and shun the light."

But Police fans really should relax and take a deep breath, as they get more than enough about the band in the last section of the book. Again mostly snippets from here and there as the reunion tour rumbled along, it is an enjoyable look into the machinery of the band: rehearsing and road rituals, major tensions and how and where they were resolved; what brought out the best and worst in each of them as musicians (and individuals) and why it was painfully, clearly obvious that there could never be a "new" Police album after all of this was over. As far as individual incidents go, I especially enjoyed the chapter "Raging Kumbaya", Stewart's story of hanging out with Rage Against the Machine as well as the section in the "Toast in the Machine" chapter on what happened when Sting and Les Claypool crossed paths.

* * *

The book's Afterward, entitled simply "The Green Flag", apparently seems troubling to some members of Stewart's fandom and is getting very mixed reactions so far. I personally find it a very suitable ending in its ambiguity and the quandary presented. The afterword is placed side-by-side in the book by a full-page picture of Stewart with his wife and family, with the caption "This is who I really am". The message is not very subtle, I don't think: "I am not a superhero (Halloween costumes excluded.) I'm just a regular family guy who has had some strange things happen to me."

The story of The Flag has been told well by others elsewhere, and will continue to be told by the fans who participated in its travels for years to come. (Goodness knows, whenever I can finally find the time to edit together my book of fans' recollections from the tour, that story will be told many times over!) But fandom is a funny thing. I spend a lot of time thinking about and writing about fandom, having been involved in various ones for most of my life. Fandoms very much are communities which develop their own rules and rituals, symbolism and language, as Stewart hints at here in the Afterward. And they can develop an almost religious fervor about them. Fans converge at conventions and at concerts, often donning ritual gear and costumes to identify themselves in a crowd and feel united. Fandom can by joyous; sharing in a common love for a band, artist, film or tv show can be great fun. Yet it can also turn ugly very quickly and harmful quite easily, both for the members of that fandom and for those at the center of all that attention. Everyone Stares certainly gave many of us a first-hand view of what it could be like to be in the middle of that kind of fannish mania and attention, and one gets the sense that Stewart is rather cautious about anything that could encourage or set off that crazed adulation again.

Which is not to say I necessarily believe that Stewart "reads" the Flag as such. But I do get the feeling that there's a sense of caution in embracing it too closely lest it get out of control--for those waving the Flag as much as for him. Throughout the book, we've read his stories of what it's like to try to find a normal life in the aftermath of being The Rock Star one time around. And as much as he may have enjoyed the ride this second time during the reunion tour, there's an understanding of where taking it too far can lead.

"The folks at the concerts aren't bowing down so much as rising up in exultation, but I'm just saying that I have an idea of what it feels like to be a golden calf."

It's cautionary in tone as much as it is a loving (well, I think so, anyway) acknowledgment of this "nutty" fandom that Stewart has, which he's long been more than generous with supporting and encouraging for these many years.

In the end, this is a book I'm very happy to be able to add to my collection of materials related to The Police and the members of the band. At times it's frustrating, at times it's hysterical, and some times it's utterly brilliant. It's another piece to the puzzle that is/was The Police that probably has no solution nor answer, but a piece I'll enjoy going through again from time to time for a good chuckle and to mull over in my mind--like any good dinner tale that deserves retelling amidst the best company.

In STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN, Stewart Copeland summed up his original experience as drummer for one of the greatest bands of all time as follows:

"The Police took up only eight of my fifty-seven years, and those years went by fast. They were big years, and they left a mark, but the really important things happened outside of band life."

That, incidentally, is about as much time as he devotes in his book to the time in which he contributed to making some of the best music ever recorded. People expecting a tell-all book about his time with The Police during their original incarnation are therefore warned that this is not a memior about his time with that band, but the story of Copeland's life with "those eight big years" almost completely omitted.

It is, I have to say, an interesting life. A truncated list of the experiences recounted in this book include growing up in Lebanon as the son of a CIA agent, palling around with the son of notorious British traitor Kim Philby, learning how to play the drums, early life as an amp-hustling roadie, shooting a movie in the Congo, playing polo against the Prince of Wales (you know, Charles), playing gigs with Oysterhead, Phish, the Foo Fighters and Incubus, making soundtracks for films (like "The Outsiders") and television shows (like "The Equalizer"), making solo music with Klark Kent, touring with Curved Air, performing La Notte della Taranta (a dance festival) all over Italy, writing and conducting opera, and making EVERYONE STARES, an award-winning docimentary about his days in the Police, which he shot on 8mm during the lifetime of the band, and later edited into a documentary. In the average month, Mr. Copeland seems to experience more "strange things" than most people would in a 100-year lifetime.

A lot of the chapters are entertaining, and Copeland's writing style, while occasionally a bit "out there", is for the most part enjoyable. He has a restless, brilliant mind and virtually no pretension; his wit is skewering but self-depreciating, and he's been around long enough to understand that fame is a double-edged sword at best. His insights into the musical process, the mind-sets of musicians and music-makers, is absolutely fascinating, as are his observations on the technical aspects of recording and touring. He's been rocking for forty-odd years, and he knows the business like the back of his hand.

The biggest sin the book makes, aside from excluding 99% of his original Police experiences, is its structure, which leaps around timewise, and which mixes up extremely interesting stories with some which are kind of boring. His experimental writing style, often catchy and hip, is occasionally turgid and confusing. And he commits the very disheartening sin that in discussing other people's music, he is generally too politically correct: there are times I felt he must have wanted to ridicule certain singers or bands, but was holding back out of politeness.

Lest the Police fans feel cheated, the last fifth of the book (or so) is devoted to their reunion tour, which went from 2007 - 2008 and grossed almost three hundred million dollars. This is, by far, the most fascinating and rewarding part of the book, as Copeland discusses the dynamics of the band, the mechanics of touring, and the tensions which frequently exploded between himself, Sting and Andy Summers, who hadn't worked together in 20 years, and who hadn't parted on the best of terms. He also explains why The Police did not, and will not (though "never say never" comes to mind) record any new music for their tour.

I found this book in the bargain bin at B & N, and for the price of a latte I consider it to be a good buy. Not literary greatness by any means, but a mostly enjoyable look at what it means to be a rock star in your late 50s, to whom strange things just keep happening.

So, we finally hear from the third member of The Police. Sting gave us Broken Music and Andy gave us One Train Later. Now, Stewart gives us Strange Things Happen. None of the three is really satisfying but, unfortunately, Stewart's is the worst of the three.

Granted, there's some good stuff here. Some of his childhood stories as the son of a spy are fun and, since The Police, Copeland has been quite successful scoring movies & TV. He has some really fascinating detail on how this is done. But I found a lot of his stories about polo and world music to be boring at best.

Most irritating was his constant passive/aggressive insults to Sting. (p. 68: "The lions back off with an expression on their faces that remind me of a certain singer that I know...," p. 110: "At least it's better than shooting band videos in which I'm not the singer," p. 131: " `It'll be fun,' he [Sting] lies seductively," etc., etc,...) I'm sure Sting can be an egotistical jerk and I would have been fine with the insults if Copeland would have told us anything substantive about their relationship. But, like Sting in his autobiography, he says essentially nothing about his years with The Police.

I'm not really the type of person who is a virulent "fan" of anything, but I have great nostalgia for this band of my youth. I've been told that my interest in the workings of this band is really none of my business but that is disingenuous. Who would buy this autobiography for any other reason than wanting to know something about The Police? The fact that both Sting and, now, Stewart have denied their fans is ridiculous. Still, I keep getting sucked into these books because I live in hope of understanding something about how that great music was made. Maybe, someday, they'll be willing to tell us a bit about it.

As a member of Stewart Copeland's online community, I am familiar with most of the text from this book. More than a few passages originated as posts from The Man himself. Still, there was enough unheard info here, at least to me, to warrant adding this to my library. Actually, I'm such a fan of The Police that it would have been added to my library either way! The posts from the road during that band's historic reunion tour are entertaining. Stewart's film making adventures in the far corners of the earth are hilarious. Most insightful to me were the chapters in which Stewart tries to explain his role in the band and his goal to please Sting, and how frustrated he felt when he could not do that. How many years Stewart must have waited to say those things. Having met the man in person, I can say that his charm translates to page very well. I was a bit surprised that Stewart largely ignored the death of his brother Ian, but I suppose the pain of that loss is still too fresh in the Copeland family. I finished this book in about two days. I tore through it. A great read!

Copeland writes about a wide variety of topics, and what you probably want to know up front is that this book is NOT about what it was like to be in the Police. The last part of the book covers the Police reunion tour, but he never talks about their initial formation, rise to fame, or what it was like to be in the band while it was famous, or how it came to fall apart. Instead, (and be forewarned that the whole book is completely out of chronological order) he talks about everything else EXCEPT how he met Sting and Andy Summers, how the band was formed, how they wrote their songs, or how they got famous. He describes playing polo, shooting movies with pygmies, and making music with everyone else except who you really want to read about. He's obviously a smart and talented guy, but he never gave me what I wanted to read about. Maybe these other books on Amazon cover that. I don't know because I haven't checked them out yet.

Wow, what a book. With each new bio or auto-bio that I grab from my rock and roll heroes, I find new and fascinating things. Not just in the content of course, but in the way these things are being written. There appears to be grey-matter behind some of these rock guys! My last book was Bill Bruford's autobiography. It is an extremely well-written, intellectual book that takes a little time to savor. Very British, very literate. Stewart throws another style at us. Equally intelligent and interesting but also hi-energy, and, like the man, full of humor and a cool source of all things Police, if that's what your after. Laid out not too chronologically, the author gives us lotsa background on his solo meanderings as well as the more famed stuff. I was surprised to read that he's not just a drummer (though that's aplenty in my book) but plays guitar, keys, etc. All around musicman. And film score producer as frosting. Grab this book and enjoy it. Its worth every penny if simply just to enjoy his quips about his love/hate thang with "Stingo". This is one cool cat.

I Purchased this book recently and it was read within 3 days!
I am a huge Sting/Police fan and always found Stewart a bit standoffish ? aloof ?and at times a bit arrogant..surprise surprise!!I really enjoyed the book.. He and "Stingo", have a love/ hate relationship as Sting is always trying to control the machine in which they call the police.

It is an insite to a deeper thinking talented man that has written the book,its not your typical autobiography with possible conversations of times past and events.
I think thats what gives the book its charm.. I have a deep respect now for this man, and his work. he really has carved a career that far outstretches the police. and he still is a BRILLIANT DRUMMER from one of the hottest bands ever to have inhabited the earth..
thanks Mr Copeland..

Stewart Copeland is a rare breed of animal indeed, as is the rest of his herd: his father was a covert operative of the CIA stationed out of Lebanon during the 50's and 60's, propping up US -'friendly' dictators and securing oil deals to keep our gluttonous fuel-guzzling philandering pacified for decades; his eldest brother Miles was an impresario mover and shaker, who managed bands, cut deals, kept artistic egos of some of the largest proportions in check, fabricated stories, cajoled and threatened folks to get his bands booked and kept in front of the press, started record labels (I.R.S.) and was an executive producer of films. He was manager of the Police throughout their lifespan, and afterwards managed Sting's career (instead of Stewart's) during the 80's and 90's until some 'irregular' bookkeeping caused him to resign (the outcome of which I'm unfamiliar with, so don't misconstrue this allegation, but it did end a three decade relationship). Another brother, Ian, was a high caliber talent agent and tour promoter who started Frontier Booking Inc. (FBI), one of the nation's largest in its day, until he succumbed to melanoma in 2006. And these are just the males; his mother and sister have equally impressive credentials. So we have the CIA, FBI, IRS and The Police all snuggled together in one insanely ego-driven family. Not a coincidence, I assure you.

Stewart's life would indeed be colorful and memorable even if he wasn't the founder and rhythmic foundation of the most powerful and successful musical act of the post-punk New Wave movement; after all, every drummer on earth wanted to play like him, his style was so uniquely aggressive, compelling and off-the-chain that he stood alone in a room of the world's most notable percussionists. He even travelled to distant lands and the remote reaches of Africa in search of sacred rhythms as an ethnomusicologist, music-mathmatist and pseudo-superhero known as The Rhythmatist. Later, he became the first drummer to earn widespread acclaim as a movie, opera and TV soundtrack composer. He fused world beat ideas and incorporated them into bands like Orchestralli and Gizmo in the first half of the millennium, and toured as the lynchpin member of 'The World's Greatest Percussionists' back in the mid-90's. And let's not omit his being the elder statesman in another power trio, Oysterhead, with Les Claypool (Primus, Frog Brigade, etc.) and Trey Anastasio (Phish). Yes sir, he's been a busy man. And then there was this time spent with Sting and Andy Summers...

Well, reading his autobiography, The Police were a mere footnote in his career, and not the most important part of his life, and the single thing Time will undoubtedly remember him for, deserved or not. Unfortunately, the turbulent and tumultuous time spent climbing the ladder and snatching the throne to become the 80's answer to the Beatles, bar none, as founder/member of the Police has been relegated to about ten pages of his autobiography... WTF?

The first 2/3'rds of the book are mildly interesting at best. And a good amount of it was lifted from his Italian website postings and not necessarily written for the sake of this book, but utilized as inclusion therein. He briefly touches on his stint with Curved Air (great band), as the mysterious alter-ego Klark Kent, the other alter-ego the Rhythmatist, another alter-ego as soundtrack composer (thankfully, he's aware of his own identity crisis), and some of the lesser known and should-have-been-left-that-way minor appearances he did when he wasn't riding horseback and taking showers (he loves showers - isn't this juicy tidbit the enrichment you were seeking when you purchased this book?)

Please don't get me wrong - I'm a huge fan of the drummer, composer, rock icon, egotist and founder of the Police, in spite of my sarcasms - but I'm pissed that the only important power trio of the 1980's who also provided the soundtrack to an entire generation didn't get much more page space when you're writing a tome regarding the summation of your life's work. And I think most will agree with me here. Thankfully, having followed, seen and read the journey, adventures and legends of the Police and our intrepid hero since 1979, I'm well acquainted with most all of it, else I'd be screaming bloody murder after this purchase...but I wanted some new insight from the man himself. And that's where this book's lacking.

We're 225 pages into the book before we're woken up with the reunion stories, and that's when the reading gets really rewarding - the carnivore in me is finally satiated (and I don't eat red meat). The 'disaster' gig, the behemoth that is the touring army, the resurfacing of old battles between Stewart and Sting regarding Stewart's timing onstage, Stew's big mouth and the press in South America, his bashing his band on his website (just a poor choice of words, he states) - these are the stories we came to read about, and they are rich, buoyant and well-told. The chapter concerning Sting's birthday in Italy, the tuba-gift, the on-stage battle and ensuing madness is a gem, if not outright hysterical. I had to read that one several times... And the narrative of the final legs of one of the most financially-successful tours winding down is another treat to read.

So, while I wasn't enthralled with this work and its contents for the reasons already stated, the final third of the book redeemed itself so I could walk away with a salvaged smile on my face and some fond memories from one of rock's most significant drummers, one of music's most important bands and some of its most-enduring, time-honored songs. 'Strange Things Happen', indeed.

As a drummer and avid reader I was very let down by this book, the same as Victor Wooten's "The Music Lesson" . Someone else here noted that he needed a better editor. I'll say any editior would have been useful. maybe in his head he thought it would be unique to bop around from the present day to the early 80's just as you would with your thoughts but it does not flow well on paper. he has extended chapters about lugging around luggage while filming pygmies and it just never really captures any interest at least for me. He never reveals how he truly developed his unique signature style of playing rock music, how he found drum kits to play on from constantly moving around w/ his government working father, lots of unanswered questions like that which really need entire chapters of their own. Basically no musical backdrop of how the Police came up with such original sounding music and what went on album by album. To me, this read as if he was keeping a rough diary of his travels and personal experiences and his friends read it and said "you gotta publish this"!
Definitely flip through it before you buy. It might not be the drumming legend bio you were hoping for.