Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo, and Pygmies

Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo, and Pygmies by Stewart Copeland

Stewart Copeland was the drummer in the influential band The Police. He was an American in a British band who loved improvisation. He also head a reputation for not getting along well with bassist/singer Sting. The first part of the book covers some of his adventures. He played polo and beat British royalty. He found himself chained to a bench in Africa. He also was able to defend himself from a lion attack by playing his drums loudly. He also wrote numerous film scores and even composed an opera.

The end of the book focuses on the final tour with the Police. It is quite easy to see why they had so much conflict. There are a couple of strong personalities that liked to make music his way.  They seemed to get along personally, but would be at total loggerheads when it came to making music. There was a lot of extreme self-criticism. The conflict may have helped make the music better, but made the band unsustainable in the long term.