Sting's Broken Music
Sting's first attempts at music came at the piano at his grandparent's home. As he banged away at the piano, his grandmother described the noise he made as "Broken Music". Thus, the title of his book.
In October 2003, "Broken Music: a Memoir" was published. On the book flap, Sting describes the book as follows: "It is a book about the early part of my life, from childhood through adolescence, right up to the eve of my success with the Police. It is a story very few people know."
In the book he describes many very personal moments of his childhood, his teenage years, and his sometimes difficult relationships with his family. He discusses his first marriage to Frances Tomelty and the how he met his current wife Trudy Styler, while he was still married to Frances.
In Broken Music, Sting describes in detail the early history of his career in music including his work with the Phoenix Jazzmen, the Newcastle Big Band, Last Exit, and the origin of the Police.
Broken Music is a must read for true sting fans.
Broken Music: Book Reviews
"The bulk of the former Gordon Sumner's memoir is devoted to his family history, upbringing, and adolescence; in other words, it's precisely the book one wouldn't want from him. Yet despite such restrictions, ''Broken Music'' is an engaging, lucidly written reminiscence that, like Sting's post-Police career, both surprises and frustrates."
Washington Post
""Broken Music" isn't smarmy or pompous. Sting is a likable narrator, neither falsely modest nor proud beyond merit, and he writes with a self-deprecation that works. In the end, though, the book fails in a very familiar pattern: Sting starts strong with undeniable chops, then loses nerve and hires the strings. And the wind machine. And the voiceover."
The Current, University of Missouri-St. Louis
"'Broken Music,' is an interesting enough read that could easily be considered for feature film. With rich detail and vivid characters, one gets a sense of what it was like growing up as the rock icon."
Broken Music Extracts from the Telegraph
"After a succession of 'soul-destroying' jobs, Gordon Sumner trained as a teacher, while dreaming of becoming a successful musician. In this third extract from his memoirs, he reflects on his student days, early loves - and heartbreaks - and explains how he became known as Sting"
Have you read Broken Music by Sting?
The Broken Music Tour
In the Spring of 2005, Sting launched the Broken Music tour. The stripped down Broken Music tour consisted of a four-piece band featuring Sting on bass and vocals, Dominic Miller and Shane Fontayne on guitars, and Josh Freese on drums. The tour venues included a number of college campuses, where students had access to tickets prior to the general public. The set list included many early Police songs.During the tour Sting made several appearances at selected universities in the cities he played in. In Eugene, Oregon he guest lectured at an English and creative writing class, speaking to the students about the process of writing Broken Music. In other cities he spoke to advanced music theory & composition students, usually accompanied by some or all of the band.
The US tour officially kicked off in San Jose, California April 1, 2005. It ended April 29, 2006 in Las Vegas.
The European leg of the Broken Music tour kicked off in Lisbon, Portugal on June 4, 2006. It closed in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 30, 2006. The European tour consisted of Sting on bass, with Dominic Miller and Lyle Workman on guitars, and Abe Laboriel, Jr. on drums.
Broken Music Tour Links
Broken Music Tour Opening Night Reviews and Other Tour Information at Sting.com
A look back at Broken Music. A brief tour summary at Sting.com
European Broken Music Tour Closing Night Information from Sting.com
Sting Scales Down For Spring Tour (Billboard.com Article)
Sessions@AOL interviews Sting about Broken Music, the book and the tour.
Sting and his Broken Music band perform Message In A Bottle at Sessions@AOL
Did you see Sting on the Broken Music Tour?
- Sting.com
- The Official Sting Website
- ThePolice.com
- The Official Police Website
- Sting at Wikipedia
- The Sting page at Wikipedia.com.
Check out Sting's New Book "Lyrics"
Lyrics
"Publishing my lyrics separately from their musical accompaniment is something that I've studiously avoided until now. The two, lyrics and music, have always been mutually dependent, in much the same way as a mannequin and a set of clothes are dependent on each other; separate them, and what remains is a naked dummy and a pile of cloth. Nevertheless, the exercise has been an interesting one, seeing, perhaps for the first time, how successfully the lyrics survive on their own and inviting the question as to whether song lyrics are in fact poetry or something else entirely."
Read more and view a video clip of Sting talking about the book at the Today Show Website.
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