These interviews, aired in late 1982, chronicle the band as they were beginning a sabbatical for the members to pursue individual interests. However, these conversations also make it clear that there were other reasons for the hiatus.
Lisa Robinson talks with Andy, Stewart, and Sting individually, but asks similar questions about fame, songwriting, and the possibilities of breaking up. Taken as a whole, these interviews provide a snapshot of the ego clashes and fatalism that would eventually cause the disbanding of The Police.
Andy Summers 00:00 – Possibility of moving to NYC 01:36 – Enjoying success 02:26 – Drawbacks to being successful (hoping for it to be over) 04:00 – Potential for a long career for The Police 04:58 – Who has gotten crazy after the stardom 05:17 – Keeping a level head to sustain the band’s existence 06:12 – Playing songs by Sting / sharing songwriting responsibility 07:21 – Defining the sound of The Police 08:36 – The “master plan” of The Police 09:58 – The 4th member of the band (Miles Copeland III) 10:31 – Larger tradition of music vs. being a guitarist in a pop band 11:12 – The “guitar hero pose” 11:58 – Working with Robert Fripp
Stewart Copeland 00:00 – Life at his country home vs. life on the road 01:33 – Definition of fame 01:52 – Benefits of success 02:18 – Anonymity as an unnatural state and motivator 03:15 – First inkling of major success / what kept the band together 03:48 – Why The Police is successful 05:01 – The practice routine 05:57 – Playing punk / closet heavy metal freak 07:41 – Making reggae popular 08:41 – Fighting in the band 09:53 – Playing songs by Sting 11:03 – Will the group break up? 12:03 – Being bored on tour / off-nights 13:37 – Other jobs in the music industry 13:50 – The Copeland family 15:24 – Roles of the members of The Police
Sting 00:06 – Acting in Brimstone and Treacle / convincing others he wasn’t a rock star 01:55 – Enjoying the challenge of acting 02:55 – Looking at one’s watch / off-nights on tour 04:31 – Doesn’t really like rock music 04:55 – The most pleasing thing about songwriting 05:36 – Songwriting as a chore 06:56 – What each band member does best 07:45 – An accident of large proportion / nothing in common with the others 09:26 – Not easy being in The Police 09:55 – Non-extravagance 10:22 – Self-motivation / avoiding a big head 11:55 – Learning from the casualties of rock and roll 12:40 – Not being able to do anything but rock n’ roll 12:58 – Past jobs 13:29 – No one can else can really be Sting 14:35 – Likes being a misfit