Batterie Magazine numéro 204

LIVING WITH TIME

For some years now, we've been hearing that musicians can no longer simply play their instrument to make a living from their art and survive in the music business. You have to broaden your scope: compose, produce, sing, even play another instrument. You also have to be your own manager, know how to sell yourself, understand the workings of social networks, do photo/video editing and so on... Someone like Stewart Copeland has been doing just that for the past 40 years.
Not content with kick-starting the pop-rock anthill with The Police in the late 1970s and ranking among the top 10 most acclaimed drummers in history, Stewart embarked on a stellar career as a film composer in 1983 with the soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola's Rusty James (Rumble Fish in V.O.), the first of a series of sixty, alongside some of the world's greatest directors. He also provided musical direction for several ballets, operas and video games (Spyro the Dragon topping the list) and set up numerous projects with the rock and jazz gotha (Animal Logic with Stanley Clarke, Oysterhead alongside Les Claypool, Gizmodrome with Mark King and Adrian Belew...). As if that weren't enough, Copeland set up his own studio (The Sacred Grove), trained in recording techniques and video editing, and today manages his YouTube channel and Instagram account with the ease of a fashion influencer! So many reasons that explain the longevity of this 70-year-old, whose drumming has lost none of its superbness.
We last met Stewart in 2017 for that memorable cross-interview organized with Manu Katché (we invite you to look back in Batterie Magazine #148). It's always a pleasure to chat with this immense artist, so when the opportunity arose to chat with the drummer of The Police, we didn't hesitate!
Enjoy your reading and have a great summer! And if you'd like to start the new school year with drum lessons, we've put together a guide to schools and teachers across France to help you find what you're looking for! See page 75.

Sébastien Benoits

P.-S.: To support Batterie Magazine, don't forget to subscribe! You'll find our latest news on pages 46-47.