Interview: Andy Summers, Former Police Guitarist, Author of One Train Later - A Memoir - Page 2

"There’s no truth to that. The press wants to believe there’s a great deal of animosity between us, but that’s crap. We’re still friendly today. Copeland lives up the street from me here in L.A., and Sting and I email frequently. We’re closer now that we’ve had a few years to settle petty differences.”

One Train Later emphasizes the randomness of the band's meteoric rise within an industry known for chewing up artists. The title refers to a chance encounter Summers had with Copeland, both of them exiting the London Tube simultaneously. Summers had met with Sting just hours before, discussing the possibility of him replacing original guitarist Henri Padovani. The encounter with Copeland in the London train station led to Summer's new role as guitarist in the band.

“I wish I could put my finger on why we we’re so successful. I think everyone wants to understand that secret. I think because the reggae/ska sound was relatively new to the States, and had not been worked into the pop/punk hybrid coming out of the UK, people were just completely turned on by it. We loved the freedom of working in a number of forms, and creating a signature sound that took years for others to duplicate.”

There is an underlying theme of loneliness in One Train Later. Summers recounts a period in his youth when his brother and he were placed in an orphanage when his parents temporarily separated. Years later, Summers finds himself nearly broke in L.A., teaching guitar for minimum wage after a number of years of touring with The Animals, and it surfaces again during the peak years of the Police.

“I think I was suffering a depression through the first part of my life. I love performing and my family dearly, but I can’t say those were my happiest years. Perhaps it's a result of the initial incident of feeling abandoned in my youth, but I think it ran deeper than that. I can tell you that I’ve always been a bit of an escapist, taking refuge in literature and art. I think that’s why the relationship between the guitar and me is so meaningful. The one constant in my life has always been music.”

Article Author: Larry Sakin

Larry Sakin is a former music executive and non-profit medical organization administrator. He advocates for literacy issues and provides advocacy training for grassroots and non-profit groups around the country.

Visit Larry Sakin's author page — Larry Sakin's Blog