Mar 05, 1991
Sting - Not just a name; it's a verb too. In the most recent instalment of the 'Star Trek - The Motion Picture' series, there is a recurring phrase: "Share your pain, and let us all grow stronger through the sharing." Modern life teaches us that pain is to be buried, hidden, expurgated bit by bit on the analyst's chair (none of 'em use couches anymore). Contemporary life is too hurried; none of us has the time to deal with the psychological paraplegia of intense emotional pain...
Mar 02, 1991
Sting, band are of sound minds in a video age: Sting may be a pop king to the MTV generation and beyond. But the visual emphasis MTV has brought to pop is not king to Sting, who chose his new band members for their sound, not their looks. "The big concern for a lot of bands nowadays is to reproduce their MTV video," said the English superstar, who performs here tomorrow night at the San Diego Sports Arena. "Not just the music, they have to do the dance routine and the whole thing. That, to me, is not very exciting. Playing live is different; it's a different art form...
Mar 01, 1991
Sting: No cages for his tour. Sting's new album 'The Soul Cages', a darkly mystical look at his British boyhood, is No.1 in Boston and No.3 in Billboard. But don't expect him to play the songs note for note on tour. Sting, is too much of a restless improviser to settle for that. "I think one of the challenges of performing live is that you use the album as a blueprint. That's all. You can follow it - or ignore it. I'm going to ignore it and do something that's better," Sting said during a recent interview in Manhattan...
Mar 01, 1991
While Sting's commercial success is undeniable, his artistic and political aspirations remain a popular subject of debate. His high-profile activism has met with mixed reactions, especially his much-touted campaign on behalf of the environment and people of the Amazon rainforest. His music, too, has flirted with lofty idealism, mixing sometimes emotional messages with pristine production values that sometimes seem soulless. But now, with the release of 'The Soul Cages', his most personal solo album and already a major hit, Sting has put pop politics aside to reflect on his past...
Feb 03, 1991
Into Sting's soul - His 'Caged' unlocks sad memories: "I didn't want to make this record, frankly," Sting says, "but there basically was no choice." 'The Soul Cages', his third solo album, dwells on a painful subject the 39- year-old British pop star resisted confronting for two years: the 1987 death of his father, with whom he had a strained and unresolved relationship. He held sorrow at bay with such distractions as his MacHeath role in Broadway's '3 Penny Opera', a long 1987-88 tour and efforts to save the rain forest...
Feb 01, 1991
Sting's intellect stifles passion: It's a bloodless album; will show come alive? From the beginning, Sting was the perfect Rock Star - so rich and talented that all the boys wanted to be him, so chiselled-from-stone handsome that all the girls wanted him, period. By his own admission he was arrogant and aloof, but we found those to be forgivable sins. We forgave him because he was also literate, uncommonly articulate and politically correct. Most important, though, we forgave him because of the music he made: a moody blend of rock energy and reggae bounce that, as an added bonus, had something on its mind and the ability to express it with uncommon grace...
Feb 01, 1991
Sting in the tale: Sting says his songwriting is cathartic, yet he could not compose a single verse for three years after his parents died. The reason, he says, is that he refused to confront the stark reality of death. Sting, or Gordon Matthew Sumner as his parents christened him 39 years ago, was jolted by the death of his mother, Audrey, to cancer in early 1987 and his father, Ernest, to the same disease later that year...
Feb 01, 1991
Sting racks his memory and rattles his soul: Sting is getting a rush, or several rushes actually, by riding a motorcycle through the drastically distinct patches of brilliant sunlight and blinding shadows of Los Angeles' oh-so-mellow Topanga Canyon. He enjoys swooping up and down the inclines, rounding corners with a smooth flow of energy. I'm down at the bottom of the hill, basking in the expanse of the Pacific, scribbling last minute questions for our conversation. When there's not a minute left, it's into the bowels of the canyon I go, and almost immediately the road signs along the winding lane begin speaking to the situation at hand: trying to get to the bottom of Sting - musician, rock star, advocate, sales item...
Feb 01, 1991
Three years after the death of his parents, Sting draws on the healing power of music to create his first new album since 1987, the powerful 'Soul Cages'...and it feels like starting over. "This is my dog Willie and his brother Hector," Sting explains as his two dogs careen down the road ahead of him, barking wildly, delighted to be liberated from the house. "They actually love each other, but they're tearing each other apart right now. They're a bit crazy - apparently it's the breed. They're springer spaniels. I'm told Willie is very like me; he's my familiar. They want to get him doctored, but I refuse to have that happen..."
Feb 01, 1991
Where the hell have you been? It was the return of the prodigal son. A lapsed Geordie, Sting was suddenly confronted by the twin crises of a writers' block and the deaths of his parents. He began to panic - but found a solution by going home to Newcastle. "I had something to say, but I was scared to face it. It was time to reassess..."