When I started to seriously get into music as a teenager, the Police was one of my favorite bands so by default, Stewart Copeland was automatically my favorite drummer and usually the guy I’d vote for in polls. My interest in the Police faded quickly after Synchronicity got played to death; how it lacked the excitement of Ghost in the Machine; but I always kept tabs on Copeland because he was the most interesting of the trio. He went on to do movies and television themes such as The Equalizer on CBS and duets with Adam Ant (Out of Bounds) and Stan Ridgway (Rumblefish). I was a tad miffed over him being dumped from Babylon 5, but I got over it. One day I hope he puts out a re-issue of his other work he did as Klark Kent since it goes for a fortune on eBay and I only have one song from the Rhino New Wave compilation.
Outside of music, he is a rather interesting person too. His father was Miles Copeland, Jr., a CIA agent of a questionable reputation and maker of unconfirmable assertions: he helped overthrow the pre-Shah government of Iran with Kermit Roosevelt, Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of the UK through covert aid and the Iranian government wouldn’t release the embassy hostages until the end of the 1980 election. The upside to his father’s notoriety gave Stewart fluency in Arabic and much of that region’s influence can be heard in his drumming. Thankfully he also didn’t share his father’s politics or “storytelling.” Then comes his older brother, Miles Copeland III who is seen as a villain by many in the music business: Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford of Squeeze and Stan Ridgway of Wall of Voodoo to name a couple accusers. Oddly, the Police were never on the record label Miles started, IRS (International Record Syndicate) which is more famous as REM’s launching point.
Currently, Stewart is busy touring in the Police reunion with Sting and Andy Summer. I hate to dismiss it so readily and quickly but if they’re not doing any new material, I think I’ll just willfully ignore this and remember the band I “discovered” in eighth grade. However, I am going to press forward on looking up his more recent work.
I’ve always loved his Rumblefish soundtrack. Have you heard it?