Stewart Copeland: “I don’t play to serve a song”

The drummer of Police Stewart Copeland during a chat with 60 Minutes he expressed his point of view on what happens in a band and how the various members of a group can have different purposes and visions. To be malicious, Copeland’s considerations can be traced back to the difficult relationship he had with Sting which led to the dissolution of the Police.

Copeland emphasized his passion for the physical act of playing the drums, rather than the mere musical performance. “I want to beat up everything. I want to be Mitch Mitchell with Jimi Hendrix setting the house on fire, and it’s all about the physicality of beating up. It’s a lot of fun. I was a skinny kid and a late bloomer, but then when I played my first drums, I grew hair on my chest.”

He then highlighted the differences that exist between drummers and songwriters within a band. “If you’re a songwriter, you have this slightly bizarre idea that the purpose of a band and musicians is to serve the song, and that the song is the center of everything. I admit that a band doesn’t get anywhere without a great song, but the reason I play is not to serve a song. The song, in my opinion, is there to serve me, to serve the band, to make the band look cool. You need good songs.”

The 73 year old Stewart Copeland he then concluded his speech: “But I understand very well that this is not compatible with the perspective of whoever wrote the song, who could also be talking about something important. But I’m a drummer, I’m at the back of the stage and all I see is the back of the singer’s head, so I don’t care what he sings about. I just want to play the drums.”