EVERY THING THE POLICE DO IS MAGIC!

I visit Police guitarist Andy Summers early one Monday evening at the mansion flat in Putney in Southwest London in which he has lived since the mid-70's.

Two days later he is set to move down the road into the grand Victorian house he has bought, a visible manifestation of the change in lifestyle the Police has brought him. ËœThe Police is very hard work, and often it's a lot to handle. But I like it. and I like the life it's brought me. It's much better at this end than it is at the other." he smiles at the memory of his years of scuffling.

At 38, Andy Summers, the most vital element in the Polices sound, is the oldest member of the group. He is also a seasoned member of the British music scene, having played with such classic mid60s British outfits as Zoot Money's Big Roll Band and Eric Burdon's New Animals. In fact, it was after a U.S. tour with Burdon concluded in California that Summers remained in Los Angeles, embarking on a degree course in music at UCLA. This stood him in more than good stead when he eventually returned to England in the i early 70s. Playing with highly credible, > though hardly hugely successful, British 1 performers like Kevin Coyne and Kevin. Ayers. Andy Summers quickly was recognised as one of the finest guitar players in the country. _ t

But when 1977 came along the decision, as he puts it, "to J>urn my boats" and throw in his Idt with punk was one he hardly has to look back upon: worldwide! the Police indubitably is thfe most successful! new outfit that emerged out of English I purrk. even though Sting has himself I admitted to me that a large amount of I opportunism was involved in the trios \ espousal of that movement. %

Andy Summers speafe in ths laconic, cultivated tones of his Inative NBournemouth, a seasiae resort on^England's south c^st. In formal interviews .he tends to retain a knavish, ironic wit which all the same lurks in his eyes, and which no doubt helped carry him through his lean times as a musician: even the early years of the Police were not easy, the group having little success in England until their first album, Outlandos D'Amour, and the Roxanne" single made the U.S. charts in late 1978.

IHke everything that goes with success. I like the power. I like the money. ! like all the opportunities it brings and the platform itcreates. —Andy Summers

Recorded on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the groups fourth LP, Ghost In The Machine, is undoubtedly the strongest Police album yet, an assessment with which Andy Summers readily goes along: I think its very strong. It has a supple quality I really like, and a very positive vibe I think was lacking on the last album. Its a true reflection of the psychological state the band was in.

In fact, Zenyatta Mondatta, the last album, was also a true reflection of the bands state. When we recorded it we were a bit fucked up emotionally. On the point of possible break-up, in fact: for example, Sting was really chafing at the bit to do a movie and hadnt been able to.

This year everythings different: Stings doing his movie; we gave ourselves more time to record in a much better place; we produced ourselves with a different engineer. The whole environment was very good."

The songs on Ghost In The Machine are of far superior quality to those on Zenyatta: Sting had much more time in which to write them.

For Zenyatta," reveals Andy, he brought in a lot of songs wed heard before. Theyd been around for a long time. He re-worked them a bit, but a lot of them were old numbers. But for this album hed written most of the stuff specifically.

He did have ËœDemolition Man previously, mind you—hed already given that to Grace Jones to put on her Nightclubbing album. In fact, that was the song we recorded first. You have to break the ice with something, and that was an easy one to do. Its a very simple song. We all listened to the Grace Jones version and thought, ËœShit, we can do it much better than that. It was a one-take job. To me, bur version is much more ballsy, which is what youd expect from Grace Jones.

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So thats how we started. It got us off to a good beginning, because everyone was really up from that.

Also, the place contributed a lot, because we were feeling very good physically. We were out in the sun and swimming, and feeling very physical and energetic. It was just what we needed because wed been very worn out."

Andy Summers remarks about the emotional state with the Police during the Zenyatta recording would seem to confirm constant English gossip column speculation that the group is constantly at each others throats, and permanently on the point of break-ip.

Thats not true," Andy Summers shakes his head in implicit denial. Theres always tensions and difficulties. Theres a lot of pressure in a situation like this. There are huge flare-ups. But we never hold grudges. Weve been to the edge but weve always come back and been really good mates.

You cant have this kind of band," he continues, and all be affable easy-going guys that all think along the same lines. You need that tension. Its like a constant rivalry between all three of us: every guy wants to come off the best. At the same time we have a lot of camaraderie...

Mind you, at the time youre having difficulties its always hard to be philosophical. You can go away gritting your teeth, saying, ËœIm going to leave the group, which we all have done. But'were not going to leave the group, because all-in-all its a very good situation and we all get so much out of it. The good times outweigh the bad times."

The offstage life of many groups is often totally contrary to that suggested by public images of happy neo-family units: most groups communicate with each other rarely. Andy Summers insists, however, that this is certainly not the case in the Police: We talk to each other all the time. About everything. For example, were about to do an English tour and we were asked if we wanted to travel in ..separate cars. But no, we all want to go together. We want to sit together and talk about everything.

Even if we dont agree at least its always upfront, whether its hostile or hot. None of us goes off and sulks or seethes in a corner of his own. It all comes out. Its like being in group therapy a lot of the time. It really gets heavy sometimes. Youre constantly having to deal with yourself, and somebody else as well. But its part of group life: I recommend it.

I suppose I could go and look for a sweeter situation. But the group wouldnt be as good, probably. Most groups Ive been in have argued, but this one does argue more than most. But it is the most successful. And somehow I think the two things go hand-in-hand. It is rock n roll and it has to be edgy, and it has to have that extremeness to it. And this group does have it.

I've got an American passport, but don*t have any feeling of particular allegiance to America. Nor to England. —Stewart Copeland

Its pointless keeping up a myth that its all a lovely, sweet bunch of blond-haired guys. It just isnt like that. We are mates, but theres the other side as well. Just like the Beatles or the Stones or the Who who have always fought each other, and still do to this very day.

The whole thing is so wrapped up in tension and emotion, and so much has been invested in it. Its like a marriage.

After all," he adds, with satisfaction, it hasnt just been a question of doing Quite Well. Weve been phenomenally successful and weve all had so much attention and praise lavished on us. The whole shebang, what everyone dreams about, weve had. And are continuing to have. Its still getting bigger."

The groups colossal worldwide success, which has seen them take with ease not only all the traditional Western rock n roll territories but also has had the Police playing in such Third World areas as South America, India and Egypt, does at times seem to Andy Summers, who is not a man to take life totally seriously, to be totally absurd: Often one is inside it and intoxicated by the whole thing. But other times you can stand outside it and say, ËœGod, I really dont believe it! Its incredible.1. Especially if youve been striving for it for a number of years and suddenly its in your lap and happening.

I like it. I like everything that goes with it. I like the power. I like the money. I like all the opportunities it brings and the platform it creates, and I feel ready and able to grab and take advantage of everything."

Andy Summers is by far the oldest member of the Police-Sting is 30, whilst Stewart Copeland is a year younger. In New York at the beginning of the year, Sting had cited Andys age to me as one obvious reason why the Police could never have total credibility as a punk group.

Usually," Andy mildly defends himself, Stings full of admiration for me. He thinks its amazing that Im as youthful as I am. I hope that doesnt sound like bragging, but its true...On the other hand, though, he did an English interview recently where he said that he thinks its totally ghastly for anyone over the age of 35 to be on the TV program, Top Of The Pops. See, sometimes he just doesnt seem to think: if hed thought about that he wouldnt have said it. Its SO stupid."

Controversy and speculation around the group, Andy adds, is often created by comments Sting makes in unguarded moments during interviews.

In fact, Andy Summers is living proof of how fallacious is the old rock n roll cliche of desiring a young death. As was the case with jazz musicians, it is now apparent that many rock V rollers will be playing their chosen music until the day when they finally die of old age.

Look at the Stones," Andy points out. Theyre the biggest theyve ever been. Im healthier than any of the Stones. I shall be going on for a jb-ng time.

The thing is, rock n roll has come of age. A lot of people who started in the mid-60s can play more excitingly than they did years ago. You would hope that that would be the case—that as you went on youd get better and become more exciting, and have more to bring people.

Rock n roll was always supposed to be a young peoples thing. But some of the most exciting performers and those whove contributed most are older people— Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis: the real rockers. I have to believe that you dont get Senile as you get near 40. You can go on being vital and energetic.

It does also depend on what sort of life you lead and what sort of shape youre in. Im in really good shape. Im very healthy."

The break-up of the Police is unlikely to come from any petty arguments within the group, believes Andy Summers. I think the end will come," he expands, if someones career just gets so amazing they dont want to be in the group anymore. " .

The success of Stings acting career, he insists, does not mean that jt is necessarily the Police singer who will be the first to depart. I think Im as close to leaving the group as Sting is," Andy insists, though one feels this is ego speaking more than anything else. In some ways weve all outgrown the group and would like to go on and do other things," he continues. And were all doing them, though Stings had the most obvious big success in terms of moving on to movies."

Currently, Andy Summers is setting up a deal for the publication of the photographs he has taken during his time with the Police. But his main extra-Police project is the album he has recorded with Kjng Crimsons Robert Fripp, also a native of Bournemouth and a similar lover of the pedal-board devices with which Andy Summers creates and enhances much of his guitar sound: Ive got pretty good with the devices in the past few years. I didnt get bored with them. I just kept following through.

There's a lot of pressure in a situation tike the Police. There are huge flare-ups. But u>e never hold grudges. —Andy Summers

I wanted to work with another guitar player and see if I could establish some sort of ongoing relationship . Robert to me is an obvious choice, because having heard him play and having heard about the sort of non-musical things he was involved in, 1 thought we were probably such disparate personalities that there would be a certain amount of tension there. It worked very well. We had two weeks of very hard working and recording together in a very structured manner. -

Fripps a very interesting figure in the fringe rock n roll world. Hes definitely carved Out his own path and is doing his own thing. Hes hardly your normal rock guitar player—theres a lot more to him than that.

An album will be released next summer, after this guitar duo has spent more time together in the recording studio. Live dates are also planned.

So Andy Summers finally will get to have an albums worth of songs with his compositional credits on all of them—certainly a very different state of affairs from his songwriting situation with the f Police. Once again, on Ghost In The Machine, the groups guitarist only has one song of his own.

It does almost seem like the token gesture, doesnt it?" he says with a shrug of rueful acceptance. But it is very much of a three-way process in the studio. Some of the songs that Sting brings in just dont sound like the Police at all. So we have to re-work and re-shape them until they do sound like the Police.

But the credit goes to the guy who brings in the demo, because really it's his song. And," he laughs resignedly, he usually happens to be Sting. Hes a singer and he writes songs that hes going to sing. So obviously Stewart and I are at a strict disadvantage when we have to write songs specifically for Sting.

But I refuse to be embarrassed or feel like a lesser writer because of it. I wrote 12 songs for my Own album. 1 dont have any insecurities about not being regarded as a writer of music.

We have to step back and admit that whatever Sting can sound the most convincing on is going to be the best for the group. What it has come down to in the end is whats going to make the best album. Its pointless to be worried about losing some publishing on a song if it just doesnt work within the overall context of the album. Because in the end youre only going to make the album weaker and you may not make as much money anyway.

You have to see how the group is going to come off best."

☆ ☆ ☆

In a blacked-Out room at the rear of his neat terraced house in Shepherds Bush in West London, the gangly Stewart Copeland, who bears a curious resemblance to the Walt Disney character Pluto, is showing his home movies.

The Police are on screen. They are onstage Somewhere In England. The Super-8 camera is shooting from behind Stewards right shoulder as he sits at his drum-kit. As Sting goes into an extempore piece of vocal dub on Roxanne," Stewart, still playing, turns to the camera and speaks into its built-in microphone, commenting On the show and passing criticism on Stings performance.

Surely this is an all-time first!

Once again the Police spearhead multimedia pregression!

Im well aware," Stewart Copeland speaks with controlled excitement of his film directorial ambitions, his permanently implanted contact lenses making his eyes appear as though they are about to literally pop out of his head, that I havent got a part acting in a film, and that I havent recorded an album with anyone. All Im doing is making Super-8 films which no-ones going to see but my neighbors. But this stuff is real important to me. Im not in any hurry. Ive a long life ahead of me. I do not hope I die before I get old.

Im not particularly confident, though I know myself that I enjoy doing it and I hope my films are effective in some way. Im just working at it and cutting it up and one day something will happen with just my own enthusiasm to carry me along. I got through two years of Policing under those conditions. I can actually thrive in my own little bubble. Also, I do have lots of neat footage of the Police."

The founder member of the Police, and formerly the last of a series of drummers with moderately successful early 70s progressive" group Curved Air, Stewart Copeland was born in Virginia. He was the youngest son of three, his elder brother Miles now being the manager of the Police (the fourth member of the group"—Andy Summers) whilst lari now heads the FBI booking agency. Their father, now a highly regarded authority amongst conservative circles for his views on foreign policy, was a senior official in the CIA, ample fodder for those conspiracy theorists who felt the Police world conquest to have been achieved with too great an ease.

When Stewart was six months old the Copeland family was transplanted to Cairo in Egypt, where their father had been given a posting. Moves to Syria and then Lebanon followed in quick succession. Stewart Copeland was 15 before he saw England for the first time: he was sent to an English public school for the completion of his education: The atmosphere was that we were all a big upper-class family, and if we participated and obeyed the prefects than one day wed get to be one ourselves. I was never a prefect."

Stewart was 18 before he returned to the States: All the time I was thinking I was American, even though I didnt know which words in my vocabulary were English and which were Arabic."

Today, the currently London resident Stewart doesnt necessarily think of himself as being American: Ive got an American passport, but I dont have any feeling of particular allegiance to America. Nor to England particularly. Where I have allegiance to is to all those countries to which I can travel and perhaps live. Australia looks like a nice place. England I like, Germany I like. France, Bali, Canada, America I like. All are places where I could possibly live."

Unlike his brother Miles, an intellectual Republican who regards the Polices forays into Third World territories as a way of spreading Western concepts of freedom through rock n roll (an idea Andy Summers regards as quite loony), the younger Stewart has a more lateral perception of world events. Thus: The United States has to decide whether theyre going to say to countries like El Salvador that theyre not going to deal with them because theyre a lousy government. Except that the El Salvador government replies, ËœWho the fuck are you to talk to us like that and to tell us how to run our country?

No way • are we going to break up. We've gone so far, and we actually have managed to arrive at this pinnacle of success with something we can take pride in. -Stewart Copeland

But if there is a strong peasant uprising, at what point do we start talking to them instead? The tricky point is when the government says, ËœWe need some of your weapons and some of your fire-power. Because America has treaties with all these people to protect them from outside aggression.

Now if its a revolution from the inside where the people want to replace their own government than the rules of the game are that we cant participate. So what the Americans do is try and prove its all down to outside influence—they just say its Cuban weapons coming in arid that theyre protecting El Salvador from Cuba."

Like Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland ___ hasnt read the Arthur Koestler book 1 whose title Sting took for Ghost In The s Machine. All the same, all three members o of the Police are well-read to ari almost I self-consciously excessive extent: I didnt £ think the book had any particular relevance to my understanding of the albums lyrics. At the same time we had a million titles written up on the studio wall, including ËœBlanco De Bunker, and a lot of similar ones we didnt use. "

Stewart echoes his guitarists opinion of the third Police LP, and also his feeling that Ghost In The Machine is far superior work:. I knew the next one would be better. When we made Zenyatta the situation was not good, and we did the best we could at the time. Its not a bad record. I quite like it. But I knew at the time we could improve on it.

The relationship between ourselves was pretty heated under the condensed conditions under which we made Zenyatta. ËœWeve got to do an album in four weeks, we know we can do it, weve done it before. But this tirine its going to go straight to number one. Whilst we were in the studio, our sales figures were being discussed by people from the record company—and we hadnt even got the thing on tape, let alone on vinyl. We were very acutely aware," he speaks in deliberate quotes, that we were Creating A Product For The Market-place. The market-place was there in the studio with us.

It made it a very commercial album, a very slick, clean album that showed we can do that. A lot of people use terms like Selling Out as though thats the easy route. But it isnt at all. Its very difficult to make an album thats tailor-made to go straight to the top' of the charts. Its also not very emotionally inspiring.

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When we did Ghost In The Machine we had a lot more time and the market-place was a 12-hour flight away. It wasnt there in our minds. We were able to follow our instincts rather than our knowledge. We played the airwaves rules during the Zenyatta stage. When we were doing Ghosts we were able to escape from that, and take more chances."

Everywhere else but in the UK, the first single put out off Ghost In The Machine was the instant, poppy Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," a song that recalls an indeterminate amount of Paul McCartney B-sides. For their home base, however, the Police released Invisible Sun," a song with a subject matter set in Belfast, the home-town of Stings wife, actress Frances Tomelty. The English medias insidiously subtle self-censorship ensured that the video of the record—which contained footage of Northern Irish street carnage of a kind seen most nights on the channels news programs—keeping Invisible Sun" off the top of the singles charts and negating the whole point of the groups making the video.

We wanted Invisible Sun" out in England because we felt it was obviously pertinent to the country," says Stewart, Its also a good tune, and if anyone can inflict the airwaves with something a little bit different, then we can. In fact, Invisible Sun" is not necessarily about Belfast, but about the human ability to survive in a crisis. It could be about Calcutta or Kabul as much as anywhere else.

But as for the rest of the world, there was only one inevitable single choice, ËœEvery Little Thing She Does Is Magic. Sting had a demo of it and people from the record company listened to it before wed even recorded it and said, ËœOh, thats a number one single. So it had Massive Hit stamped across it before wed even done it. Which is probably why that song took us about five days to do—it had us stubbing our toes on it, because it had the taint of the industry on it. The rest of the album is largely first takes. We just crashed through it.

Weve gone in a much different direction than we did with Zenyatta: weve gone quite musical. The next album hopefully will be something different again."

Like Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland makes a marriage-like comparison with the relationships within the group: Yeah, we argue all the time. But we also know that weve got a group that all of us feel is a very strong thing. No way are we going to chuck it in. Were nowhere close to the brink. We have been. Many times.

When weve been on tour for a long time it becomes basically pretty depressing. Even so, really weve never come anywhere close to breaking up—though there have been times when weve each individually said, ËœOkay, thats it! I dont think its ever got as far as anyone walking out of the room. Because by then it gets to, ËœOkay, shall we go through that number one more time, and when we get to the chorus if you could...

No way are we going to break up. Weve gone so far, weve got so much faith in it, and we actually have managed to arrive at this pinnacle of success with something we can take pride in. Theres a lot of people at the top who couldnt play their records to their friends and feel its something they can positively identify with. Most people I know who are in bands dont have a true feeling of pride in their group. They sort of know theyre lucky being successful.

In fact, I know Im lucky to be this successful, but at the same time I truly feel that its as good as I can do it."

The world tour with which the Police supported Zenyatta Mondatta ended in Australia, not in Germany, the scheduled next and final leg of those dates: We cancelled Germany, not because of tension in the group, but because all of us were dragging ourselves onstage to play the numbers. We were beginning to hate the music we were doing, and just going through the motions. Its really soul-destroying, when you know youre doing that, particularly with something you have pride in.

It really has been great to have that pride and its got to be maintained. Its really worth holding onto. But under those sort of conditions morale does die and you start feeling really cheap and rancid. You dont look forward to the gig, you dont get a buzz when you walk onstage. When you play that bit that makes the audience go ËœWOAHHHH... youre thinking ËœBLEURGGGHHH. Actually, we do work physically very hard. And theres got to be some sort of fire burning within you that can charge you up to push it out of you and make it happen. Without that fire it really is mind-wrenchingly hard work.

Im afraid that the audience, doesnt necessarily notice when thats missing. Nor do journalists. I, personally think its possible to not enjoy ourself, but still put on a good show. Its murder to do it, but it can be done—all the notes are present and correct."

Contrary to what their detractors hope and believe, the Police do not seem at all to be on the verge of any break-up. On the contrary, they are at an all-time peak.

Morale in the Police right now is very high, Stewart reflects, pleased. It certainly hasnt always been. Sting has really been itching to so a movie and hes had to turn down films because of touring commitments. In the end hes better off making sure the Police album is a hit and touring the States. But at the end of it he looks back and says, ËœI turned down that James Bond movie, and he gets into end-of-tour depression. But now hes making a movie, and the last time I saw him he was looking very pleased with himself.

We have a lot of faith in Ghost In The Machine. We didnt have quite as much faith in Zenyatta. If this album wasnt up to what we thought it should be, Id be telling you something very different."