Stewart Copeland
Strange Things Happen - La mia vita con i Police , il polo e i pigmei

THE REVIEW

Stewart Copeland, once a celebrated rock star, for almost thirty years (reunion aside) has embarked on a life far from the camera flashes and packed stadiums of wild fans, engaging in musical projects completely different from his fame as the drummer of the Police. In the pages of his amusing autobiography titled fittingly "Strange Things Happen," the former lanky golden boy analyzes the post-band period, recounting in the form of short chapters (not always in chronological order) the adventures and strange experiences he had after a disproportionate fame and wealth made him (by his own admission) a cartoon character in the hands of the music business.

What emerges is a slightly confused but at times truly enjoyable tale, far from the expectations of Reggatta De Blanc's fans, who would have certainly preferred a series of anecdotes about the genesis and self-destruction of the most popular band of the '80s. Copeland completely overlooks the years of the Policemen's rise to global success, crafting a sort of "diary of oddities" that, like its author, does not seek the support of the general public, but rather "his audience," the one that followed his unique career through soundtracks (Rumble Fish being the most famous), anthropological films (The Rhythmalist), and the long collaboration with his Italian friends (the Gizmo and La Notte della Taranta), up to his most interesting work, the Orchestralli project. The only concession to the band that made him famous worldwide comes in the last part of the book, where the drummer recounts, almost like a travel diary, the short but intense phase of the 2007/2008 reunion. For much of the public, it's well-known the animosity between Stewart and the more famous Sting, a tension that has never subsided even in their mature age, indeed becoming stronger, often shaking up "our" hero and leading him to the definitive conclusion (albeit in peace) of the renewed collaboration among the three musicians.

This book is probably the vindication of its author as a musician beyond the Police, having distanced himself from the prestigious gilded bubble to pursue lesser-known and sometimes daring musical paths. Credit where credit is due but we fans would have preferred something else...