Stewart Copeland

A Different Drummer 1990

Stewart Copeland

You actually started The Police, didn’t you?

Yes, but it’s a technicality. I built the group, but the group didn’t actually start to happen until Sting started to write those big songs. I put the pieces together in the first place, but it doesn’t need to be emphasized too much.

What did you bring to your film scoring work from your years as a rock drummer?

A louder voice and a certain swagger. And in art, these things are actually significant. Every artist does what he has to do, and the quality is for other people to judge. But to actually get that opportunity takes a certain amount of swagger, so that you can realize what you want to do and follow through. It’s easier for me than it is for a Juilliard graduate, who may be very talented and proficient. But those working with him may not know that, so he’s not able or as free to follow through with his instincts. I’m someone who has the advantage of notoriety and previous success in other musical forms.