Oct 04, 2008
The Landscape of My Dreams - How do you ask a friend to paint that? When you're Sting, you know exactly what to do and where to turn to: to the accomplished Stephen Hannock. Stephen Hannock is standing in a spacious studio in North Adams, Massachusetts, in front of an elaborate and exact charcoal drawing. The dimensions of the drawing are 8 feet by 12 feet (2.4 metres by 3.6 metres), and the drawing coming to life depicts the city of Newcastle, England. There distinctively bisecting the city is the River Tyne. There distinctively is the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, and there equally distinctively is Sir Norman Foster's recently constructed The Sage Gateshead concert and exhibition hall, the symbol of the ongoing renaissance of this capital of the northeast of England...
Sep 18, 2008
Just as well that first impressions don't always last. Otherwise, the paths of two musicians from extreme ends of the spectrum would never have crossed and a rather fascinating project blending the old with the new would never have shot to No.1 on classical music charts worldwide. Those two musicians are lutenist virtuoso Edin Karamazov and rock legend Sting. The two first met, briefly, about 15 years ago. Karamazov was playing with his trio as part of a sophisticated circus act, and Sting attended one of the performances with his wife, Trudie Styler...
Aug 03, 2008
Ahead of an Australian tour focused on 16th-century music for the lute, Sting tells Iain Shedden in an exclusive interview that John Dowland's influence can be traced all the way to the Beatles. Sting's not one for resting on his laurels when there's music to be made or discovered, but he's looking forward to a break when the marathon reunion world tour of his band, the Police, draws to a close at New York's Madison Square Garden on Thursday...
Aug 03, 2008
Lure of the lute revives Sting's career: It's 1992, and Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, are attending a performance in Hamburg by Germany's Circus Roncalli. Sandwiched between the trapeze act and the gyrations of a Mongolian contortionist, the former Police frontman listens in awe as the Circus's resident musical trio, consisting of two guitarists and a percussionist, give unique interpretations of Vivaldi, Khachaturian and Mozart's Rondo alla Turca. Thinking that he's doing them a favour, the delighted Sting sends word backstage that he would like to engage the group to perform for him at an upcoming birthday party in England...
Jun 27, 2008
Sting: surviving the fallouts: As he contemplates the end of the era of big tours, Sting tells Neil McCormick how he has coped with a year of life on the road. On Sunday night in Hyde Park, London, The Police will play for British audiences for the very last time. "This is the last Police tour, there won't be another one," according to Sting. "It's the end of an era." The leader of the reunited three piece Eighties supergroup is evidently cheerful at the prospect. "I'm glad I did it, and I will be glad when we finally finish. Everything in life ends. I'm not particularly sentimental. Things should end so that something new can be created..."
Jun 23, 2008
The musician Gordon Sumner has been very kind to newspaper headline writers, the name he chose instead of Gordon - Sting - allows numerous puns while the name of his band - The Police - makes possible even more. Since the '80's fans have been able to joke about having a police record and journalists about having a police interview. John Wilson got one this week...
Feb 22, 2008
Sting is one of those rare souls who seems master of his own destiny. He confirms that The Police concert at Hard Rock Calling in London's Hyde Park on June 29 will be the last chance to see the band on British soil... ever. Speaking from Tokyo on the Japanese leg of the band's world tour, he's in fine form - honest, down-to-earth, witty and not afraid to have a laugh at himself. He also reveals the decisive streak that marks out his actions...
Nov 04, 2007
Actually Roxanne, I like the red light: Sting is a rock icon who wants to save the rainforest. But how does he square his green credentials with his seven homes? Taking a break at the one in Malibu during his world tour with the reformed Police he talks about lyrics, politics and the cook who took him to court. You can take the man out of Newcastle but you can't, in this case, take Newcastle out of the man. Gordon Sumner - nicknamed Sting by his Geordie mates because of his adolescent fondness for yellow and black stripy jumpers - is resting up in his Malibu oceanfront house. In a few days he will fly to New York where his recently reunited band, the Police, will soon start the second leg of their box-office-busting American tour...
Sting is pining for the grey skies of Blighty - "Whenever I'm away from home for any length of time I really miss the rain." Cool customer that he is, he's been none too impressed either with the panicked reaction of Alist neighbours such as Tom Cruise and Pamela Anderson to the Californian bush fires. "A few cars caught fire on the Pacific highway after the wind brought down some power lines. But the main danger to people around here was that they were running out of champagne.
Oct 30, 2007
Did you ever wonder who Roxanne was in that song by the Police, or what really inspired the megahit "Every Breath You Take"? Well, now rock legend Sting explains it all in his new book called "Lyrics by Sting..."
Aug 04, 2007
it's gotta be a tough gig: You're mixing for one of the most recognizable names in rock history who have not toured together - or produced music together - in almost 23 years. Fans pour into the packed stadiums, shelling out top money per seat (the band is donating a portion of the proceeds to WaterAid, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving sanitation and safe-water access in poor countries), just to get a glimpse of vocalist/bassist Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers perform such classic Police hits as 'Message in a Bottle', 'Driven to Tears', 'Murder By Numbers' and so many more from their currently million-selling catalog. Sting told Rolling Stone in an interview during tour rehearsals in Vancouver that he committed to a world tour "to go back, retrace those steps and make the band better. I have played these songs for years. I know things about the music I didn't know then or couldn't express. I'm a better bandleader now than I was then..."
