- THE POLICE: 'Better Than Therapy' -
jordan copeland interview - 3/3
- interview by Gert-Peter BRUCH -
What we see in the first part of the film (the rehearsals in Vancouver) is quite confusing. We see Sting with a very precise idea (almost note by note) of the way he wants the songs to be played, which gives Stewart and Andy almost no freedom, no possibility to express themselves. Did you get this impression as well?
Musically, the most significant dividing lines in the band are concerning Perfection and the pursuit thereof. Sting is a whittler - his tendency is to make something gradually better and better until every detail is perfect, and that can be a very frustrating thing when suddenly he doesn't have absolute control over two-thirds of the music. My dad and Andy are much more prone to whimsically discarding whatever was agreed in the last rehearsal in favor of whatever seems truthful in the moment, and this can be very frustrating if your singer feels like everything you're playing is wrong, because it's a long way from the perfectly crafted jewel in his head.
How did they finally get past that frustration?
Initially there was a lot of frustration, and I think that's what comes across in the rehearsal scenes. Eventually, they all figured out how to relax and enjoy themselves, because they realized that as my Dad said, the music doesn't belong to them - it belongs to the audiences who have been living their lives to this music for the last 30 years, whilst the band have been listening to anything but The Police.
Why does the film stop well before the end of the tour?
Because it's not a film about a tour, it's about three guys figuring out how to recreate something magical that once came so naturally. That's why the film ends where it does, rather than at the end of the tour -Once they arrive at that place, the film is over.
Do you have footage of Henry Padovani visiting the band in Italy? You filmed him backstage at the Stade De France. I would think that your father would have been happy to have him in the film. So why don't we see him in Better Than Therapy? Was that your choice?
I was not in Italy when Henry came to visit, so I have no footage of that. I do have footage of him at Stade de France, but though Henry is a fascinating character who I love dearly, he's not in the film because Henry was not a part of this story - it's not a history of the band, it's about a reunion, and to explain Henry's relevance would have taken too much of a detour. I gave all the footage of that day in Paris to the filmmaker making a documentary about Henry.
Tell me about editing the film…
I did it myself. The bulk of the film came together between January and March 2008, with tweaks being made for a couple of months after that. It's difficult making a film for the subject of your film - it was always their movie, paid for by the band, and obviously they'd want to have a certain amount of control over how they're being presented.
Exactly how did they exercise that control?
There were a few scenes amended and a couple dropped altogether, but to be honest it wasn't half as bad as I was expecting. There was nothing political in their editorial decisions, as I know can be the case with other bands - people objecting to a scene just because someone else in the band likes that scene - there was none of that. Just good old-fashioned self-conscious flinches.
What was your idea of The Police before this experience and what is your idea of The Police now?
Before I had only the music and the stories, now I know the people a lot better so the music and the stories have a different context. ?Luckily I still love the music, even if I can't listen to it any more.
Which show of the tour was your favorite and why?
The Grammys, Bonnarro, and MSG, because they are the only ones I wasn't shooting. And London was pretty special.
Which song of the show did you enjoy the most?
Murder by Numbers, but they dropped it after the first leg of the tour! I also really liked Bed's Too Big, which they stopped playing somewhere in the European leg.
Which recorded song of The Police is your favorite?
Does Everyone Stare. Actually all of Regatta de Blanc.
Let's get back to the film. I saw your wife Ami filming with you in different places…
- My wife shot more than just interviews - probably about 40% of the film was shot by her. Her background is film production, and we've been making films together since 2002. It would have been a very different film without her involvement.
How did you become a filmmaker?
I've always loved being behind a video camera, and I broke several of my dad's cameras before he eventually bought me one. My first real film was called "Valentine's Way", and it was screened by Channel 4 in 1998, when I was 14. I ran the Film Club at school, and made a few films whilst I was there, and then after school I started working as a freelance editor in London.
What's next after this breathtaking project?
My next film project is very difficult to explain, but it has a lot to do with my band, Hot Head Show : www.hotheadshow.com
07/12/2008 -Thank you to kellie walsh
