Hi everyone! I received a nice email from a reader who enjoyed my article about Juliette Lewis and her rock band and it got me thinking about my last posts. At first I decided to write about movies because it’s one of my passions but I think I’m going to write about music as well, I hope you don’t mind… So in case you have a band or you want me to review an album, just let me know! Send me an email to goodoldparanoia [at] gmail.com with the name of the band or the link where I can listen to the album/EP and you will have a raw but always truthful opinion from this nice woman :)
Today I will be introducing a musician who’s making one hell of a career as an actor: Sting . Yes, in case you didn’t know this bassist – and frontman of The Police – has been doing pretty well on camera… But let’s start from the beginning.
Who is Sting?
Sting came into the world as Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner on October 2nd 1951. You should all know by now that he is an English musician, singer-songwriter, activist, actor and philanthropist. Prior to starting his solo career, he was the principal songwriter, lead singer and bassist of the rock band The Police. His first music gigs were wherever he could get a playing job so at first he performed in jazz groups on evenings, weekends, and during breaks from college and from teaching. He played with local bands such as the Phoenix Jazzmen, the Newcastle Big Band, and Last Exit.
The name “Sting” was given to him after he performed wearing a black and yellow sweater with hooped stripes while onstage with the Phoenix Jazzmen. Bandleader Gordon Solomon thought that the sweater made him look like a wasp and there you have the nickname’s origin. When addressed as “Gordon” by a journalist at a press conference filmed in the movie Bring on the Night, he jokingly stated, “My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting, who is this Gordon character?”
In January 1977, Sting moved to London where he joined Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers to form the band The Police. Between 1978 and 1983, they released five hit albums and won six Grammy Awards. According to Sting, he decided to leave The Police while onstage during a concert because he felt that playing that venue was “Everest” (he was talking about the concert at Shea Stadium on August 18, 1983). While never formally breaking up, after Synchronicity the group agreed to concentrate on solo projects. As the years went by, the band members, particularly Sting, dismissed the possibility of reforming but in 2007 the band reformed and undertook an amazing world tour.
Thank you, Wikipedia.
What about his acting career?
1979 – Quadrophenia
He first appeared in the silver screen as Ace Face (the King of The Mods) in the movie adaptation of The Who album Quadrophenia in 1979.
Synopsis: London, 1965: Like many other youths, Jimmy (Phil Daniels) hates the philistine life, especially his parents and his job in a company’s mailing division. Only when he’s together with his friends, a ‘Mod’ clique, cruises London on his motor-scooter and hears music such as that of ‘The Who’ and ‘The High Numbers’, he feels free and accepted. Always on a high, life can’t get any better. But just like they say “what goes up must come down” and with Jimmy’s come-down, his life is turned around, and so begins his downward spiral into paranoia and isolation, and the four-faceted mindset: Quadrophenia.
Director: Franc Roddam
1980 – Radio On
The following year Sting appeared on another movie, this time his character was a rockabilly loving petrol station attendant by the name of Just Like Eddie.
Synopsis: Britain, 1970s. A man (David Beames) drives from London to Bristol to investigate his brother’s death. The purpose of his trip is offset by his encounters with a series of odd people. This film was shot in black and white and features music from Kraftwerk and David Bowie among other new wave bands from the time.
Director: Christopher Petit
1984 – Dune
This time directed by worldwide known director David Lynch , Sting got into the shoes of Feyd Rautha .
Synopsis: In the distant future, a man appears who may be the prophet that a long-suffering galaxy has been waiting for. In case you didn’t know, Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert .
Director: David Lynch
1985 – The Bride
Sting as Baron Frankenstein… Unexpected, right?
Synopsis: After years of research, the doctor finally succeeds in creating the perfect woman, who gets the name “Eva”. This is a remake of the old classic film Bride of Frankenstein. Director: Franc Roddam .
1988 – The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Well, this is getting too long so I decided to select a couple of films I really enjoyed. This one is one hell of an awesome movie and Sting appeared as the Heroic Officer.
Synopsis: The fantastic tale of an 18th century aristocrat, his talented henchmen and a little girl in their efforts to save a town from defeat by the Turks. Being swallowed by a giant sea-monster, a trip to the moon, a dance with Venus and an escape from the Grim Reaper are only some of the improbable adventures.
Director: Terry Gilliam
1998 – Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
This one is a must-see film. I don’t know why most people don’t even know this movie exists! In this opportunity, Sting portrayed J.D., Eddie’s father and owner of a bar.
Synopsis: Four London working class stiffs pool their money to put one in a high stakes card game, but things go wrong and they end up owing half a million pounds and having one week to come up with the cash.
Director: Guy Ritchie
