Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
I'm Jeff Stevens.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for checking out my eighty show podcast talking with
the legend the drummer for the Police, Stuart Copeland.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Hey Jeff, Stuart. Nice to meet you over the phone.
How's it going, man?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Pretty good. I'm here in California where the sun is shining.
But then again, it's always shining here in California. That's
what we pay our taxes for.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
That's right, And and those those are some pretty good
taxes too, right. Oh yeah, absolutely Well. First of all,
it is a thrill to talk to you. I've never
had a chance to speak with you over all these years,
so excited to talk about all your projects. But I
got to give a shout out to one of my
good friends who's a serious drummer who's so jealous of
me right now. His name's Kobe, and he's he's unbelievably
(00:43):
jealous that I'm talking to you.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
So, hey, Kobe, what's up?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
That will make his day? Absolutely so, Stuart, This is
really cool because I love that some some other artists
are starting to do this too. But you've got to
I mean, you've got so much to talk about. It's
the Have I said too much? The Police Hollywood and
other adventures evening of conversation with you, and it's obviously
going all around the country. So tell me where where
(01:09):
this came from, and when you started doing this, and
how is a typical evening rolling out with this.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Well, I was an incoming call from a wild eyed
promoter in England and he said, how about you come
and you just play small theaters and talk. You don't
have to carry any drums around, you don't have to
play the gigantorium with a huge crew and stuff, just
you on your own. Just come, sit in a comfortable
chair and tell you stories. And I thought, come on,
(01:34):
I don't care. But then I got into it, and man,
most of the shows sold out for one thing, but
the rooms in these small towns. If we didn't do
you know, I didn't do Manchester or London or anything.
I did kind of these small theaters where folks don't
have to drive downtown they can you know. It's kind
of local and there's a very different atmosphere in the room.
(01:57):
With that, it's much more intimate. We're having a conversation
and I can tell my wild adventures. And I guess
the reason why some people are doing this is because
guess what rock and roll ride is a heck of
an adventure and all the kinds of strange things pop
out of the woodwork, and there is Yes, there's too
(02:18):
much to say about all that.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Well, chatting here with Stuart Copeland, this is going to
be an awesome tour. I mean, I think, of course
we love your music, I mean your solo music, obviously
all your great works with the Police, but the thought
of getting to hear at least for me personally and
obviously thousands of other tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands
of other people that want to see this tour, we
love to hear the stuff that went on.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Now, my question.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Is is do you always go into each night with like, Okay,
I'm gonna make sure to tell you know these like
these bedrock stories, but then something hits you out of nowhere?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Is it fairly kind of planned out? Do you have
essentially a set list?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I sort of have a set list, yeah, because it's
the they're like songs, do you mean stink? That story
is a great story with many different corners and angles
and turns and last, by the way, right, and so yeah,
that's that's on the list, but I've actually got too
much material, so I actually have to, like, let's cut
this story. Let's cut my whole adventures in polo playing
(03:22):
with Prince Charles. Let's drop that tonight and instead, do
you know my stint on the BBC as a judge
on one of their live talent shows, you know, which
is another while and I'll cut stories, but something else
just pops back in its place. There's a lot of
stuff to get through. And you know, the end part
(03:43):
of the show is questions from the audience they put
into a drum and I'll pull them out and answer them.
And another part is the quick fire, where I'm only
allowed to answer uh, you know, with one sentence because
without that limitation, these some of these stories are are
a big epic adventure.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Right, Oh yeah, I'm sure you'd end up with a
six hour show every night and you wouldn't be able
to speak the next day if you if you were
getting into everything like that.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
It's supposed to be two forty five minute sets. But
if I can get off stage in under an hour,
that's a miracle, shirt right right. I never expected to
get encores for when I'm not playing music, when I'm
just talking, you know, more more more, okay, right, you
(04:29):
know Man's going to come out and play another song.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
You know that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
That's a weird thing to get when you're just talking. Yeah,
I bet, I guess it's not too long.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Well no, I mean if you're that's what you want, right,
Just like a good concert, you want to leave them
wanting more where they they don't want you to leave
the stage. I mean obviously that's happening with this tour
as well. Oh yeah, well I.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Think I don't have to sang anything. Nobody gets the headache.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It's too loud.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Uh, Stuart, you have such a unique playing style that
i'm the amount of people that have have copied or
attempted to copy you in the last four decades. Who
were you listening to that that you created your style from.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Oh that's an easy one one sence Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Yeah,
Buddy Rich, that's it. In later years I discovered John
Bonham and Charlie Watts and Ringo Star primarily Man, I'm
a huge I wasn't way back, but now that on
Instagram you can you can get these clips which are
just the drums solowed out yes, ma'am, that Ringo who knew.
(05:33):
You know, when I was a kid, I was all
into flash metronics. You know. That's why I like Mitch
Mitchell because he was playing every drum every which way.
But man, listening to those Ringo star Grus solowed out,
that's why the Beatles were so huge. I mean, you
can build a cathedral on top of that groove.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Nice and completely underestimated, right. I think I think it's
cool that he probably gets a lot more credit now, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Well that's that's interesting to know because you have such
a unique style, so you're you know, you were taking
all those things that you were listening to, uh, you
know in the seventies and and and made it your
own style. And I mean, I I just remember, you know,
(06:11):
wearing the vinyl for Synchronicity down and Ghost in the
Machine and I mean, you know, all of those in
the especially in the early to mid eighties, uh and
and just wearing them down and thinking, I'm I'm the
world's best air drummer. By the way, but if you
put me in front of an actual set, I'm gonna probably.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
You probably big Neil Peart.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Fan, Yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
You go to a Rush concert and everybody was doing
their air drumming every one of his drum fields. I
asked him, I dude, I want that. How do you
get that? I want that? And he said, well, you
got to play them the same every night. Oh okay,
that ain't gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
But it is.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Inspiring to see, you know, at a Rush cars to
see he'd go to his big famous drum field and
you'd see all these arms upraised playing playing the film
with him. That is kind of almost almost almost worth
playing it the same every night to get that.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Well, yes, right, because it is. Yeah, it's that way.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
It's predictable everything discipline for that.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Well you did some you have done just some amazing stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I also want to mention, I know time is flying
here that the Rithmatist is back out your your project
from nineteen eighty five for Record Day.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Oh yes, the al Agrythmatist. Now, the film was probably
the dumbest film ever made, with some really cool shots
and me racing with the giraffes across you know, on
a horse, racing the giraffes across the serengetti and playing
in the drums and a chicken wire cage surrounded by
starving lions, and the cage was sustumed with meat just
(07:44):
to get their attention right, and other adventures. But it
was a fundamentally dumb movie. But the music I'm very
proud of and it still lives on decades after it
was made.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well, the digital release coming out for Records or Day
and the translucent blue vinyl, which I love that so
many artists are doing the colored vinyl. Now that was
pretty rare back then, you know, to I remember in
the eighties only having a few, you know, colored vinyls,
But now it seems like a lot of people are
doing that, especially Yeah, exactly, and now kind of some
of the reissues and re releases and remasters, I feel
(08:20):
like they're doing that.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
So that's that's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Will there be a time where, you know, maybe beyond
this tour, where you are playing again, where we can
come watch you as a solo artist or with other people.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Well, this weekend I'm playing in Louisville, probably not that
close to you, but I'm playing with the Louisville Philharmonic
Orchestra where I'm playing my Police Deranged for Orchestra where
there's a big bad orchestra on the stage. I'm banging
on my drums. I got three soul sisters on the
mic singing these songs, and that's a fun show. I
(08:53):
was just up in San Francisco played that and it's
I've been doing this for a number of years now
and it's kind of growing and growing and growing. It
started out just after the epidemic, where I'm playing in
these fancy halls to like a third of a house,
but now we're selling out everywhere. Nice and it's a
big fun because you can't beat songs that people know.
(09:15):
And then I put my slick orchestral arrangements on there
and I bang up some stuff and it's a fun show.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Oh I love that all right.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Well I got to see that one too, So we're
looking forward to seeing you on the Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Absolutely, it's about three and a half hours. It's not
too bad.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Hey, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I will absolutely travel for music that I love, that's
for sure, and you've got so much of it and
we're looking forward to have I said too much evening
with you in July again here in a couple of
times in Ohio, Stuart. Great talking to you, man. I
can't wait to see you around here sometime soon.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Okay, all right, see you there.
I'm Jeff Stevens.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for checking out my eighty show podcast talking with
the legend the drummer for the Police, Stuart Copeland.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Hey Jeff, Stuart. Nice to meet you over the phone.
How's it going, man?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Pretty good. I'm here in California where the sun is shining.
But then again, it's always shining here in California. That's
what we pay our taxes for.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
That's right, And and those those are some pretty good
taxes too, right. Oh yeah, absolutely Well. First of all,
it is a thrill to talk to you. I've never
had a chance to speak with you over all these years,
so excited to talk about all your projects. But I
got to give a shout out to one of my
good friends who's a serious drummer who's so jealous of
me right now. His name's Kobe, and he's he's unbelievably
(00:43):
jealous that I'm talking to you.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
So, hey, Kobe, what's up?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
That will make his day? Absolutely so, Stuart, This is
really cool because I love that some some other artists
are starting to do this too. But you've got to
I mean, you've got so much to talk about. It's
the Have I said too much? The Police Hollywood and
other adventures evening of conversation with you, and it's obviously
going all around the country. So tell me where where
(01:09):
this came from, and when you started doing this, and
how is a typical evening rolling out with this.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Well, I was an incoming call from a wild eyed
promoter in England and he said, how about you come
and you just play small theaters and talk. You don't
have to carry any drums around, you don't have to
play the gigantorium with a huge crew and stuff, just
you on your own. Just come, sit in a comfortable
chair and tell you stories. And I thought, come on,
(01:34):
I don't care. But then I got into it, and man,
most of the shows sold out for one thing, but
the rooms in these small towns. If we didn't do
you know, I didn't do Manchester or London or anything.
I did kind of these small theaters where folks don't
have to drive downtown they can you know. It's kind
of local and there's a very different atmosphere in the room.
(01:57):
With that, it's much more intimate. We're having a conversation
and I can tell my wild adventures. And I guess
the reason why some people are doing this is because
guess what rock and roll ride is a heck of
an adventure and all the kinds of strange things pop
out of the woodwork, and there is Yes, there's too
(02:18):
much to say about all that.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Well, chatting here with Stuart Copeland, this is going to
be an awesome tour. I mean, I think, of course
we love your music, I mean your solo music, obviously
all your great works with the Police, but the thought
of getting to hear at least for me personally and
obviously thousands of other tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands
of other people that want to see this tour, we
love to hear the stuff that went on.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Now, my question.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Is is do you always go into each night with like, Okay,
I'm gonna make sure to tell you know these like
these bedrock stories, but then something hits you out of nowhere?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Is it fairly kind of planned out? Do you have
essentially a set list?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I sort of have a set list, yeah, because it's
the they're like songs, do you mean stink? That story
is a great story with many different corners and angles
and turns and last, by the way, right, and so yeah,
that's that's on the list, but I've actually got too
much material, so I actually have to, like, let's cut
this story. Let's cut my whole adventures in polo playing
(03:22):
with Prince Charles. Let's drop that tonight and instead, do
you know my stint on the BBC as a judge
on one of their live talent shows, you know, which
is another while and I'll cut stories, but something else
just pops back in its place. There's a lot of
stuff to get through. And you know, the end part
(03:43):
of the show is questions from the audience they put
into a drum and I'll pull them out and answer them.
And another part is the quick fire, where I'm only
allowed to answer uh, you know, with one sentence because
without that limitation, these some of these stories are are
a big epic adventure.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Right, Oh yeah, I'm sure you'd end up with a
six hour show every night and you wouldn't be able
to speak the next day if you if you were
getting into everything like that.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
It's supposed to be two forty five minute sets. But
if I can get off stage in under an hour,
that's a miracle, shirt right right. I never expected to
get encores for when I'm not playing music, when I'm
just talking, you know, more more more, okay, right, you
(04:29):
know Man's going to come out and play another song.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
You know that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
That's a weird thing to get when you're just talking. Yeah,
I bet, I guess it's not too long.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Well no, I mean if you're that's what you want, right,
Just like a good concert, you want to leave them
wanting more where they they don't want you to leave
the stage. I mean obviously that's happening with this tour
as well. Oh yeah, well I.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Think I don't have to sang anything. Nobody gets the headache.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It's too loud.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Uh, Stuart, you have such a unique playing style that
i'm the amount of people that have have copied or
attempted to copy you in the last four decades. Who
were you listening to that that you created your style from.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Oh that's an easy one one sence Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Yeah,
Buddy Rich, that's it. In later years I discovered John
Bonham and Charlie Watts and Ringo Star primarily Man, I'm
a huge I wasn't way back, but now that on
Instagram you can you can get these clips which are
just the drums solowed out yes, ma'am, that Ringo who knew.
(05:33):
You know, when I was a kid, I was all
into flash metronics. You know. That's why I like Mitch
Mitchell because he was playing every drum every which way.
But man, listening to those Ringo star Grus solowed out,
that's why the Beatles were so huge. I mean, you
can build a cathedral on top of that groove.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Nice and completely underestimated, right. I think I think it's
cool that he probably gets a lot more credit now, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Well that's that's interesting to know because you have such
a unique style, so you're you know, you were taking
all those things that you were listening to, uh, you
know in the seventies and and and made it your
own style. And I mean, I I just remember, you know,
(06:11):
wearing the vinyl for Synchronicity down and Ghost in the
Machine and I mean, you know, all of those in
the especially in the early to mid eighties, uh and
and just wearing them down and thinking, I'm I'm the
world's best air drummer. By the way, but if you
put me in front of an actual set, I'm gonna probably.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
You probably big Neil Peart.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Fan, Yes, exactly.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
You go to a Rush concert and everybody was doing
their air drumming every one of his drum fields. I
asked him, I dude, I want that. How do you
get that? I want that? And he said, well, you
got to play them the same every night. Oh okay,
that ain't gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
But it is.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Inspiring to see, you know, at a Rush cars to
see he'd go to his big famous drum field and
you'd see all these arms upraised playing playing the film
with him. That is kind of almost almost almost worth
playing it the same every night to get that.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Well, yes, right, because it is. Yeah, it's that way.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
It's predictable everything discipline for that.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Well you did some you have done just some amazing stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I also want to mention, I know time is flying
here that the Rithmatist is back out your your project
from nineteen eighty five for Record Day.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Oh yes, the al Agrythmatist. Now, the film was probably
the dumbest film ever made, with some really cool shots
and me racing with the giraffes across you know, on
a horse, racing the giraffes across the serengetti and playing
in the drums and a chicken wire cage surrounded by
starving lions, and the cage was sustumed with meat just
(07:44):
to get their attention right, and other adventures. But it
was a fundamentally dumb movie. But the music I'm very
proud of and it still lives on decades after it
was made.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well, the digital release coming out for Records or Day
and the translucent blue vinyl, which I love that so
many artists are doing the colored vinyl. Now that was
pretty rare back then, you know, to I remember in
the eighties only having a few, you know, colored vinyls,
But now it seems like a lot of people are
doing that, especially Yeah, exactly, and now kind of some
of the reissues and re releases and remasters, I feel
(08:20):
like they're doing that.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
So that's that's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Will there be a time where, you know, maybe beyond
this tour, where you are playing again, where we can
come watch you as a solo artist or with other people.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Well, this weekend I'm playing in Louisville, probably not that
close to you, but I'm playing with the Louisville Philharmonic
Orchestra where I'm playing my Police Deranged for Orchestra where
there's a big bad orchestra on the stage. I'm banging
on my drums. I got three soul sisters on the
mic singing these songs, and that's a fun show. I
(08:53):
was just up in San Francisco played that and it's
I've been doing this for a number of years now
and it's kind of growing and growing and growing. It
started out just after the epidemic, where I'm playing in
these fancy halls to like a third of a house,
but now we're selling out everywhere. Nice and it's a
big fun because you can't beat songs that people know.
(09:15):
And then I put my slick orchestral arrangements on there
and I bang up some stuff and it's a fun show.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Oh I love that all right.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Well I got to see that one too, So we're
looking forward to seeing you on the Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Absolutely, it's about three and a half hours. It's not
too bad.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Hey, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I will absolutely travel for music that I love, that's
for sure, and you've got so much of it and
we're looking forward to have I said too much evening
with you in July again here in a couple of
times in Ohio, Stuart. Great talking to you, man. I
can't wait to see you around here sometime soon.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Okay, all right, see you there.
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