Stewart Copeland Reveals Police Was Always Arrogant
Album cover for Outlandos D'Amour - La Lechita Bailarina / Youtube
Stewart Copeland, drummer of the iconic band The Police, has acknowledged the long-standing accusation of arrogance surrounding the group during their peak of fame and beyond.
In a recent appearance on The Bob Lefsetz Podcast
Copeland openly addressed the criticism, stating,
“We were convinced, absolutely certain in fact, that we would dominate and rule the world. And we had that same arrogance from the moment, the day Sting and I met.”
The genesis of The Police can be traced back to Copeland, who initiated the formation of the band by recruiting Sting to join his budding musical venture. From the outset, both musicians exuded confidence, with Copeland reminiscing about the electrifying first jam session that fueled their bold attitude.
“That night I took him down to the Roxy Club, which was the opening of the first proper punk club in London, and we saw Generation X, which was Billy Idol and his band,” Copeland recalled. “And we’re there looking to our left and to our right thinking, ‘Ok, these are the minnows us sharks will devour. We’re gonna eat everybody’s lunch.’ And we’re still high off [the jam session] because we knew, just the two of us playing together, we’ve got something rare here. This is really cool. We knew that. Well, we were arrogant.”
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The original Police lineup included Henry Padovani
However, he was later replaced by guitarist Andy Summers, a move that significantly influenced the band’s dynamic.
“He pulls me into a cab and says, ‘Hey, look you and that bass player. I think you got something,” Copeland recounted his conversation with Summers, “but you need me in the band. And I accept.”
According to Copeland, Summers brought “harmonic sophistication” to The Police, particularly impacting Sting’s musical development.
“As soon as we had Andy in the band with his harmonic sophistication, now Sting’s ears prick up,” Copeland noted. “Now he had an actual musician … With Andy, his mind just started exploding with music. And that’s when he came out with those songs that you have heard of, and one by one they replaced our dumb, fake punk songs.”
Copeland’s candid admission provides insights into the band’s early mindset and the evolution of their musicality, shedding light on the dynamics that shaped The Police’s distinctive sound.
