7 Wild Police Stories That Still Blow My Mind (Beyond the Synchronicity Drama)

Hey everyone, PJ Pat here. Why did The Police really break up? The Sting versus Stewart war, the cracked ribs, Stewart roasting his own band on his blog mid-tour. Wild stuff. But honestly, I had 17 minutes and these guys have 40 years of stories. I had to leave a ton on the cutting room floor.

So if you loved the episode, here are 7 more Police stories I couldn't squeeze in. Stuff every diehard rock fan should know about this band. Crank it up.

Listen to the episode: YouTube · Buzzsprout · Apple Podcasts · Spotify

1. Stewart Copeland's dad was an actual CIA spy

You know Stewart. The guy who basically ran a one-man roast of Sting from his blog during the 2007 reunion tour. Well, the dude grew up in some serious 007 territory. His dad, Miles Copeland Jr., was a founding officer of the CIA and the actual station chief in Cairo and Damascus during the 1950s. Stewart was born in Virginia and raised between Beirut, Cairo, and Damascus.

So when you hear that drumming on "Roxanne," you're hearing a kid who learned rhythm absorbing Middle Eastern percussion as a teenager. That whole hi-hat-driven, almost reggae feel of the early Police? It's not just punk. It's a cocktail of Cairo, Beirut, and London. Honestly, it explains so much about Stewart's energy. The guy was raised by an actual spy and has been making rock and roll chaos his entire career.

2. The original Police guitarist was NOT Andy Summers

This one's a deep cut. The Police started as a punk-leaning trio in 1977 and Andy was NOT in the original lineup. The first guitarist was a Corsican guy named Henry Padovani. Henry could barely play. Sting and Stewart were already pretty advanced musicians and they wanted more chops.

So when Andy Summers, who'd already been around the rock block touring with Eric Burdon and Soft Machine, sat in with them, they basically pushed Henry out and never looked back. Henry's been famously gracious about it. He even worked with the band years later as an A and R rep. But yeah, punk band swaps out their guitarist for a session pro and suddenly you've got "Roxanne." Best worst trade in rock history.

3. Sting got his name from a black and yellow sweater

Yes really. Gordon Sumner was playing in a jazz band called the Phoenix Jazzmen in the mid-70s. He showed up to a gig in a black and yellow striped sweater. The bandleader took one look at him and said "you look like a bee. I'm calling you Sting." And it just stuck. Forever.

The man went on to win 17 Grammys and sell 100 million records under a name his bandmate gave him because he dressed like an insect for one show. There is something deeply rock and roll about that. Imagine telling 1973 Gordon that the bee sweater was the best wardrobe choice he'd ever make in his life.

4. They actually DID reunite once between 1984 and 1986. At Live Aid.

The episode covered the 1986 Synclavier disaster where Sting basically replaced Stewart with a drum machine. But there's another reunion sandwiched in there that almost nobody talks about: Live Aid, July 13, 1985. Wembley Stadium. The biggest concert event in human history at that point.

They played three songs. "Driven to Tears," "Roxanne," and "Every Breath You Take." That was technically their last full performance as the original Police. Sting then walked off and immediately came back to do "Long Long Way to Go" with Phil Collins. Watch the Live Aid footage on YouTube. The band looks miserable. They look like three guys who would rather be anywhere else on the planet. Less than a year later was the Synclavier meltdown. The writing was on the wall in 4K.

5. The album Synchronicity was directly inspired by Carl Jung

This one I love because it explains so much. Sting was deep into reading Carl Jung's psychology in 1982. Jung's theory of synchronicity is the idea that meaningful coincidences aren't random. There's a deeper pattern connecting them. The whole album is steeped in that.

"Synchronicity I" and "Synchronicity II" are literally about Jungian concepts. The cover art features all three band members in separate panels of red, yellow, and blue. The visual symbolism IS the theme. Three guys, separated, somehow still connected by something bigger than themselves. The album was basically Sting saying "we're so disconnected we made a record about how disconnected we are." That's heavy. And honestly, kind of brilliant. Even when they hated each other, they made art out of it.

6. Stewart Copeland scored Spyro the Dragon. Yes, the video game.

After The Police imploded, Stewart did NOT just fade into rock retirement. He went into film, TV, and, I love this, video game scoring. His resume is BONKERS. He scored the original Spyro the Dragon for PlayStation in 1998. That bouncing-purple-dragon nostalgia for anyone who was a kid in the late 90s? That's Stewart Copeland writing the soundtrack.

He also scored Oliver Stone's Wall Street in 1987. He's composed for ballet companies. He's written operas. He scored Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish. The guy went from punk-jazz rock drummer to genuine multi-genre composer. Most casual Police fans have no idea. Honestly, his post-Police career might be more interesting than his Police career.

7. The "Every Breath You Take" royalty story is colder than you think

The episode touched on tour money. The publishing money on "Every Breath You Take" is its own tale. Sting reportedly earns around $2,000 a day from that one song alone. It is the most-played song in radio history. Forty-plus years on, it still pulls a fortune.

Here's the kicker. Stewart Copeland's drum performance and Andy Summers' iconic guitar arpeggio are arguably what made the recording a hit. The arpeggio in particular is one of the most recognizable guitar parts ever cut. But Sting kept 100 percent of the writing credit. That's one of the deeper reasons there's bad blood.

And it gets worse. When Puff Daddy sampled the song as "I'll Be Missing You" in 1997, that was another massive payday. Apparently when Puffy asked permission, Sting got 100 percent of the publishing royalties on the sample too. So neither Stewart nor Andy saw a dime from one of the biggest hits of the 90s. Cold blooded.

Wear it loud

If you're the kind of fan who reads 7 Police facts on a Sunday afternoon, you're probably the kind of fan who wants to wear it on your sleeve too. Two picks from the collection that fit:

Rock Hand Sign Graphic Tee →
The universal salute. Throw it on, blast Synchronicity, you know the drill.

Volume Knob Rock Baseball Cap →
For when "Every Breath You Take" comes on the kitchen radio and you NEED to crank it.

Anyway

Those are 7 stories I wish I'd had time to fit in the episode. The Police are one of those bands where every rock you turn over has something else underneath it. Forty years on, we're still finding new corners of their story.

If you haven't listened to the episode yet, the YouTube embed is right at the top of this post. Or hit Buzzsprout, Apple, or Spotify in the listen bar.

Got a band you want me to dig into next? Hit me on YouTube, Facebook, or just drop me a message at its1louder.com. Always reading.

Crank it up 1 louder.

PJ Pat