Stewart Copeland turns his studio into a wild orchestra
In a Nutshell
Stewart Copeland showcases his Los Angeles studio filled with inventive percussion like a tuned rack, waterphone, Balinese chang chang, war maracas, and a 1928 cornet, demonstrating their unique sounds and a chakra-fixing vibration experience. Once The Police's drummer alongside Sting—still friends despite clashing creative styles—he now collaborates with naturalist Martin Stewart on an album featuring animal sounds from hyenas, owls, and howler monkeys as a wild orchestra.
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60 Minutes overtime. So, can you bang some stuff for us? This week on 60 Minutes, musician and composer Stewart Copeland, best known as the drummer for the Police. Copeland now has new collaborators: hyenas, owls, and howler monkeys. Copeland teamed up with British naturalist Martin Stewart to create a pioneering album celebrating mother nature's orchestra.
What does a workshop look like for a man who has worked with Sting as well as a cucara and a Wanga pigeon? Copeland showed his ever-growing collection of musical instruments in his Los Angeles studio.
This is my percussion rack. Sort of an instrument that I've invented myself. All of these are tuned. Everybody's favorite is this one here. This is a waterphone. Ever see the movie Alien?
This here does the job of a tambourine. But this is from Bali. It's called the Chang Chang, but it's much more controllable. The tambourine is quite tricky to get the first hit. This is much easier, much louder, much more aggressive, and cuts through better. So, who needs a tambourine? These here are the war maracas. This is my daddy's trumpet. It is a 1928 cornet by Conn.
Can you play it? Actually no.
Take a seat and we will fix your chakras. Now, lean forward. Now lean back.
Wow. It's something, isn't it? That is a total sensory experience. It just your whole chest cavity vibrates. Everything is.
Long before the soundtracks and sound experiments, Copeland was one-third of the Police alongside frontman Sting. Their chemistry produced some of the most iconic hits of their era and a creative tension that was just as famous.
In fact, Sting gave me this little guitar here. So, you two are still friends. Oh yeah. We can't make music together because we'll strangle each other. We make music for different reasons. I bang, he writes songs. But you remain friends. Yeah. As long as we keep the subject to like the kids.
This is my brass arrangement. Sort of like a flower arrangement, but it's brass.
You play the tuba. That is a hohner. Play it if you'll hold it cuz it's heavy.
Really wake up everybody. So here the timpani. I want to be the Jimi Hendrix of timpani. And the whole business I had them and I just hang around.
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