“Bonzai Beat” Features Stewart Copeland on NAMM’s Playback Blog
NAMM has launched a new video series, the “Bonzai Beat,” as part of its Playback blog. Music and recording industry figure, Mr. Bonzai, hosts the series, with this new episode featuring Stewart Copeland.
In the latest edition of the Bonzai Beat, Mr. Bonzai speaks with Stewart Copeland, famed percussionist, and co-founder of The Police. In this interview, Copeland is fresh off his performances at Wembley and SoFi stadiums as part of the Taylor Hawkins Tribute, discusses his work scoring film, television, and video games, prolific drummers of the past, his time with The Police, and more.
https://ww1.namm.org/playback/bonzai-beat/bonzai-beat-stewart-copeland
Stewart Copeland is the son of Scottish archeologist Lorraine Copeland and U.S. Foreign Service officer Miles Copeland. Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Copeland moved to Cairo, Egypt as a young child and again to Beirut, Lebanon, where he spent some of his formative years listening to Lebanese music, rock ‘n roll, and jazz. After completing high school in England, Copeland enrolled at The University of California at Berkley.
In 1975 Copeland joined the band Curved Air as the drummer. Previously, he had worked as the band’s road manager. By the end of 1976, Curved Air parted ways, and Copeland formed The Police alongside Sting and Henry Padovani. The Police went on to sell over 75 million albums and receive six GRAMMY(r) Awards. In 1983, Copeland scored the Francis Coppola film Rumble Fish, which kicked off an extensive list of projects scoring for film, television, and video games. Copeland’s latest score is for the 2021 documentary Under the Volcano.
Learn more: https://www.stewartcopeland.net
Chad Smith, Stewart Copeland, Mr. Bonzai, and Jim Keltner. “FACES of MUSIC” book-signing at Book Soup, 2005. Photo by KamranV.
Mr. Bonzai is an award-winning photographer, author, and interviewer. He has written more than 1,000 articles for outlets in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and has published numerous books, including Studio Life (Mix, 1984), Hal Blaine and The Wrecking Crew (Mix, 1992), The Sound of Money (Focal, 2000), Faces of Music (Cengage, 2006), Music Smarts (Berklee Press, 2009), and John Lennon’s Tooth (BookBaby, 2012). His photos and articles have appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Billboard, Mix, EQ, Keyboard, Daily Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Magazine, Disney Channel Magazine, Sound & Recording, and Relix, among others. http://www.mrbonzai.com
NAMM’s Playback blog shares compelling stories to inspire innovation in and connection to the industry and member community. NAMM is a not-for-profit association with a mission to strengthen the $17 billion music products industry. NAMM is comprised of approximately 10,400 member companies located in 104 countries and regions. NAMM events and members fund The NAMM Foundation’s (https://www.nammfoundation.org) efforts to promote the pleasures and benefits of music, and advance active participation in music making across the lifespan. For more information about NAMM, please visit https://www.namm.org
