The Police's Andy Summers Has "Avoided" Music by Sting, Stewart Copeland

The Police was not only one of the biggest bands of the '80s but also one of the decade's most internally contentious.

Constant friction between bassist/frontman Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland often left guitarist Andy Summers searching for an outlet. While the band was at its peak, Summers in his free time dove headlong into photography.

As he recently told Q104.3 New York's Out of the Box with Jonathan Clarke, Summers enjoyed being behind the camera because when he was working no one was arguing with him.

Now, 10 years removed from the band's last reunion, Summers leaves little doubt as to the icy status of his friendship with his former bandmates, saying he hasn't paid attention to their recent projects.

"I've avoided it, actually," Summers said when asked about Copeland's recent band, Gizmodrome. 

When asked about Sting's latest collaboration with Shaggy, Summers simply whistled until he was posed the next question.

Regardless of whatever lingering feuds Summers has with his old bandmates, he remains positive about the work they did together. The Police was a "totally unique" band, he said, admitting that the trio's personal differences probably helped set it apart.

"Nothing sounded like it; it's never been imitated," Summers said, describing the reaction to his South American-based Call The Police tribute band. "This is 40 years later, these songs are still absolutely killing it. I mean, I'm not playing to old people; they're kids. So I do feel sort of legacy pride finally, whereas, I think, in the past I would have been very much in denial of it."

You can get Summers' photography here. Look for his tour dates here.  

Photo: Getty Images