Miles Copeland Jr.

October 15, 2005 3:17 PM

"Too much information running through my brain. Too much information driving me insane!" ~ Too Much Information: The Police I was fanatical about the band as a teenager. One common piece of trivia about the band and its members was -- the band's founder and drummer, Stewart Copeland, is the son of a former CIA agent (now deceased). I never did give much thought to what his father, Miles Copeland Jr., actually did for the CIA until tonight. This spook was spooky.

He quite the CIA in 1953 to work for Booz-Allen Hamilton then rejoined the CIA in 1955. Now THAT'S interesting. He strongly supported George Bush Sr., who was CIA director in 1976, and disdained Carter. Copeland had knowledge of (and possibly involvement with) the delay in the release of the U.S. hostages in iran. He even founded the political support group called, 'spooks for Bush.' Oh . . . another Bush connection: Copeland was also involved in the oil industry after leaving the CIA (again) in 1957. More Copeland/CIA knowledge or involvement: manipulating Syrian Elections / participated in coup in which Syrian colonel Husni Za'im seized power / WATERGATE! / MK-Ultra / Church of Scientology / The Baath Party in Iraq / Thatcher's election. It's interesting what he had to say about The Sabotage of the Presidential Campaign of Senator Edmund Muskie 1971-1972

Was there any spook(y) business behind the scenes during the band's tour of third-world countries in the early 1980s. Who else was embedded with the band's tour crew? What about Ian, Miles III (the band's manager), or Stewart? At least Sting pulled the plug on "Brand New Day" from the Bush campaign. How much did Sting's knowledge of Copeland influence the tongue-in-cheek song, "Murder by Numbers?"
posted by augustweed (59 comments total)

For that matter, 10 facts about Stewart Copeland does not mention the opera he wrote in the 80s, "Holy Blood and Crescent Moon." No, I don't think that show has anything to do with the Middle East....
posted by ilsa at 3:37 PM on October 15, 2005 [1 favorite]

The Police are overrated. And Sting is a self-important hygenically-challenged (I have it on good authority) twat.

There, I said it.
posted by jonmc at 3:38 PM on October 15, 2005

I guess Miles Copeland might have been the Man In A Suitcase. No doubt he saw Shadows In The Rain in his work as a spook. He might have been Driven To Tears by some of what he saw. Was he the King Of Pain? We may never know. Oh, and augustweed, here is a Message In A Bottle for you: too long.
posted by fixedgear at 3:39 PM on October 15, 2005

Sorry Augustweed, but someone needs to weed this out. And slightly more on-topic, it's funny how SGrass is under AugustWeed. To me. Funny. Heh.

Anyway, we can write anything in the comments now that this post will be deleted, can we?

Yeah, I know, I can get lost.
posted by Laotic at 3:43 PM on October 15, 2005

"Too much information running through my brain. Too much information driving me insane!" indeed.
posted by theperfectcrime at 3:46 PM on October 15, 2005

I think this would be what Metafilter would be like if Sting wrote FPPs
posted by Peter H at 3:58 PM on October 15, 2005

interesting figure, poorly posted.
posted by j-urb at 3:59 PM on October 15, 2005

I think this would be what Metafilter would be like if Sting wrote FPPs

No, if Sting did FPPs they'd all include gilt-edged portraits of sting feeding toast cooked on a solar powered toaster to third-world amputee orphans and saving the world through sheer star-power.

Sting makes me want to burn down rainforests and shoot guns.
posted by jonmc at 4:02 PM on October 15, 2005

Sting is probably the greatest musician of our generation.
posted by Mach3avelli at 4:04 PM on October 15, 2005

*Slaps taste from Mach3avelli's mouth*
posted by hall of robots at 4:09 PM on October 15, 2005

If Sting did FPPs ... I'd much rather check in on Joey Hetherton's blog than visit here.

No.

Really.
posted by Relay at 4:12 PM on October 15, 2005

My Dad said that he saw Joey heatherton when she performed for the troops in Vietnam. he said she was cool. and Hot.
posted by jonmc at 4:13 PM on October 15, 2005

This FPP reads and is formatted like a bad Plastic submission. Resub!
posted by mischief at 4:13 PM on October 15, 2005

Our generation hasn't been doing too well...
posted by qwip at 4:16 PM on October 15, 2005

But Sting did an awesome job of Feyd Rautha in Lynch's Dune.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 4:16 PM on October 15, 2005

[trimmed the post down a bit and a few of the "this sucks" comments, try again?]
posted by jessamyn at 4:18 PM on October 15, 2005

OH . . . Courteney Cox is also related to the Copelands.
posted by augustweed at 4:23 PM on October 15, 2005

As an alas fairly irrelevant aside, I've met Miles Copeland III, as he is a fairly important producer in the bellydance world these days, running Bellydance Superstars, possibly the highest-profile American-based touring bellydance troupe around, and some other up-and-coming groups.
posted by kyrademon at 4:26 PM on October 15, 2005

Wow, a lot of hate'n going on on this post. May I make a comment or is that going to extend this thread beyond the limit of any head-bashed topic?

ER, UH. I always felt there was more to the sinister undertone of the Police. Son of a spy for the cold war to mega rock star! Cool.
posted by xtian at 4:27 PM on October 15, 2005

trimmed the post down a bit

Really? Wow.

I always thought it odd that the two most musically interesting parts of that band sank into obscurity. What kind of special hell it must be for Andy Summers to realize that it took a Sting to bring an audience to his music.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 4:46 PM on October 15, 2005

Conspiracytheoryfilter
posted by skallas at 4:53 PM on October 15, 2005

skallas, my old worthy adversary! where ya been, dude? I missed you, these new pikers don't compare ;>
posted by jonmc at 4:58 PM on October 15, 2005

If Sting wrote FPPs, they'd sound like the score from an episode of 'Survivor.' Tribal drums and all.
posted by brundlefly at 5:01 PM on October 15, 2005

[more inside]?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:06 PM on October 15, 2005

Sting is a self-important hygenically-challenged (I have it on good authority) twat.

True

The Police are overrated.

The first three albums stand with anything released in the last 30 years or so.
posted by jalexei at 5:08 PM on October 15, 2005

The real question is, will any of this rescue Copeland's side project, Klark Kent, from total obscurity? To be honest, I have this record, and it should probably remain obscure. But there's something kind of appealing about the skronky new-wave complaint "Don't Care."
posted by escabeche at 5:15 PM on October 15, 2005

Metafilter: highest-profile American-based touring bellydance troupe around
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:29 PM on October 15, 2005

Metafilter: makes me want to burn down rainforests and shoot guns.
posted by LarryC at 6:19 PM on October 15, 2005

The FPP is long, but there's some interesting stuff in there...not that I've gotten to all of it ;-)

Speaking of long FPP's and long absent MeFites, whatever happened to Miguel Cardoso?
posted by Devils Slide at 6:19 PM on October 15, 2005

Mach3avelli, "we" are not 50something. well, not all of "us".
posted by matteo at 6:22 PM on October 15, 2005

No, if Sting did FPPs they'd all include gilt-edged portraits of sting feeding toast cooked on a solar powered toaster to third-world amputee orphans and saving the world through sheer star-power.

Sting makes me want to burn down rainforests and shoot guns.

Funny, that's exactly how I feel about Bono.

Anyways this was some really neat detective work on the poster's part, and I enjoyed reading it. Pity about the formatting.
posted by Ryvar at 6:27 PM on October 15, 2005

I wondered if they were related to this composer. Now I think not.
posted by davy at 6:34 PM on October 15, 2005

Mach3avelli, "we" are not 50something. well, not all of "us".

Actually, you want to say "40something". The first time The Police played in Brazil my parents didn't let me go - I was 15 and it was in another city.
posted by nkyad at 7:04 PM on October 15, 2005

Interesting post. I have always wondered about Copeland and his dad.

I came late, Augustweed, so if you made a comment since deleted, I can't tell--but, if not, your restraint is admirable. It's irritatin if you go to a lot of work and then have a pack of drunks peeing on your post.

And look at this way, someday jonmc will make a music post. Snark there. He'll squeal like a pig. Rinse and repeat. And watch waterfalls of [self-] pity roar. Revenge is a plate best served cold.
posted by y2karl at 7:17 PM on October 15, 2005

And look at this way, someday jonmc will make a music post. Snark there. He'll squeal like a pig. Rinse and repeat. And watch waterfalls of [self-] pity roar.

Freud called it projection, karl.
posted by jonmc at 7:28 PM on October 15, 2005

You would go ballistic if someone crapped in a post of yours the way you did here.
posted by y2karl at 8:09 PM on October 15, 2005

You would go ballistic if someone crapped in a post of yours the way you did here.

actually, my comment came after about 10 (now deleted) comments derided both the formatting and the content of the post. Context means a lot. And the first rule of the internet is, if you post about something you love, someone's going to pop up and say it sucks (some more elegantly than others, but the intent is the same). If you can't handle that, take up macrame. And you've done your share or deriding yourself, so don't come on all holy and innocent.
posted by jonmc at 8:20 PM on October 15, 2005

>Sting makes me want to burn down rainforests and shoot guns.

>> Funny, that's exactly how I feel about Bono.

Indeed! Millionaire Maoists, both of them.
posted by placebo_addict at 9:06 PM on October 15, 2005

You would go ballistic if someone crapped in a post of yours the way you did here.

The statement is true, nevertheless.
posted by y2karl at 9:22 PM on October 15, 2005

A different me might've, but at this point I've accepted the fact that certain people hate what I love and vice versa and that's just the way it is. Dosen't mean I won't defend what Ilike within a thread, but I'm through trying to convince anybody about anything when it comes to matters of taste, beacuse they are just that. But I'll still say what I think, as I imagine you will. And that's the way it should be.
posted by jonmc at 9:35 PM on October 15, 2005

Well then I tried macrame, and they were all like, "What's this, it looks like somebody performed indecent acts on a shoelace." And then they laughed at me until I went away.
posted by SomeOneElse at 9:54 PM on October 15, 2005

I've also met Miles Copeland III, back around '89 or so when I was working with Amnesty International and when he was managing Sting. We wanted to do a bit of fundraising and hoped we could have a presence at one of Sting's first solo tours in the U.S. Not only did he see to it that we had a table, he also saw to it that we were all comped some very nice tickets. He also hooked us up with the manager of another band for a second benefit. Very hands-on, and obsessively good at his job. He helped create more than just shows... he helped establish a real vision for what the shows and tours should be and should achieve as a whole. That kind of professionalism and focus is a real rarity in the music business.

As for Sting, no matter what you think of his music, it's interesting to me that one of the people he cited as a source of information for him was Robert Fisk. On that basis alone, I highly doubt that he is some kind of closet spook.
posted by insomnia_lj at 10:16 PM on October 15, 2005

Miles Copeland III ... a fairly important producer in the bellydance world

Not especially surprising, given he grew up in Beirut.

Copeland's side project, Klark Kent, ... should probably remain obscure. But there's something kind of appealing

Hey! If we're gonna talk about obscure yet appealing side projects of Stewart's, we must mention Animal Logic! Stewart's drumming and Stanley Clarke's (!) bass backing vocalist Deborah Holland. WXRT (semi-cool boomer radio) couldn't stop playing their two hits back in the day.
I have now done my duty by the by-laws of the three-person Animal Logic fan club.
posted by dhartung at 10:45 PM on October 15, 2005

For those of you just joining us this FPP used to be screw-eeeeed up! But now it's been reformatted and all (most) of the vicious posts mentioning how screwed it was have been thankfully censored. Ain't moderators great?!
posted by wfrgms at 11:49 PM on October 15, 2005

Gives me a headache.
posted by Smedleyman at 11:59 PM on October 15, 2005

Jon, it's not all about you and your opinions.
posted by Vidiot at 1:52 AM on October 16, 2005

And the first rule of the internet is, if you post about something you love, someone's going to pop up and say it sucks

And that someone, in all probability, will be jonmc.


I can't believe this post was trimmed. I must see the original!


The first three albums stand with anything released in the last 30 years or so.
posted by jalexei at 5:08 PM PST on October 15 [!]

Agreed, but only if we limit the comparison to pop music released in the last 30 years.
posted by sic at 4:19 AM on October 16, 2005

What exactly does it take to get "this sucks" comments deleted? I see "this sucks" comments all the time, do they get deleted if they reach a critical mass and/or the post has obviously taken someone lots of time to craft? Not to imply that there have to be rules, since moderated forums are a benevolent dictatorship and not a democracy, but I'm curious.
posted by Hildegarde at 7:57 AM on October 16, 2005

The post was a formatting nightmare and the first ten or so comments were referring [mostly] to the lousy formatting which was no longer in evidence. Once there was a MeTa thread about it, people flagged the early "this sucks" comments. If people think that the post sucks on its own merits, it's fine to say so, but I figured it should get a chance.
posted by jessamyn at 8:46 AM on October 16, 2005

augustweed: OH . . . Courteney Cox is also related to the Copelands.

And Courteney Cox's sister-in-law is Rosanna Arquette, who dated Peter Gabriel for some time in the eighties. Of course, Gabriel's band mate, cousin, and best friend Phil Collins took over vocals from him when he left Genesis in 1975. Gabriel sang back up vocals to Collins on the single "Take Me Home" in 1985. Now get this: None other than Sting also sang back up vocals on that *same song*!
posted by sour cream at 10:00 AM on October 16, 2005

And Courteney Cox's sister-in-law is Rosanna Arquette, who dated Peter Gabriel for some time in the eighties. Of course, Gabriel's band mate, cousin, and best friend Phil Collins took over vocals from him when he left Genesis in 1975. Gabriel sang back up vocals to Collins on the single "Take Me Home" in 1985. Now get this: None other than Sting also sang back up vocals on that *same song*!

AND Sting was in The Grotesque with Theresa Russell;
Theresa Russell was in Wild Things with Kevin Bacon.

I would also put the first three Police albums with anything anyones ever done.
posted by Bonzai at 11:57 AM on October 16, 2005

I'm listening to the theme song from the Equalizer right now. The Equalizer TV show sound track would seem to validate the theory of Stewart's father as an influence in his musical career.
posted by xtian at 1:12 PM on October 16, 2005

Certainly lends new meaning to "In Trouble Again," Copeland's theme from Droids.
posted by johngoren at 1:18 PM on October 16, 2005

I put together a Wikipedia entry (I'd been meaning to for ages, since working on Stewart's). As the NR obit noted, in his prewar career, Miles Copeland, Jr. was a trumpet player with e.g. Glenn Miller. The story of how he got from there to the OSS must be interesting in itself.
posted by dhartung at 1:40 PM on October 16, 2005

I remember listening to an interview from Sting where he referred to "Every Breath You Take" as an "evil, evil song." When asked what it was about, he said it wasn't a love song, but about "surveillance" and "control." Given Miles Copeland's familial CIA connections, this could prove to be quite interesting...
posted by jonp72 at 7:51 PM on October 16, 2005

I'm suddenly compelled to dig up some old Police LPs. They were good and tight.
posted by joseppi7 at 11:14 PM on October 16, 2005

Xtian: My thought exactly... interesting that Stewart C. would write the theme for a show about an ex-CIA agent.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:05 AM on October 17, 2005

Gotta love a good underground story post. Stories like this can make you aware of whole threads in history that you never even considered.

As for the Police, I only have the second and third albums; they're pretty good, but the first is much tighter (one of these days I'll buy it).

I used to love Copeland's stuff; I had the Rumble Fish soundtrack on continuous loop for a long time, and used to play "Theme for Kinetic Ritual" (which some of the 40 somethings hereabouts might remember as the theme from MTV's "The Cutting Edge") whenever I wanted to get myself up for a night out. Then I stopped having money to buy albums or time to listen to the radio for a long time, and lost track of what he was up to.

Never liked Sting much, but Andy and Stewart apparenntly liked him alright. I read an interview w/ Copeland once wherein he talked about defending these "mere pop musicians" to his jazz-player father by saying proudly that he played with some of the best musicians in the world, jazz or pop. He went on to say that since his father respected Stewart's skills, he took his word for it and let it be.

BTW: If he played for Goodman, he was good. Goodman didn't hire shoddy talent.
posted by lodurr at 5:00 AM on October 17, 2005

oops...mis-remembered up-thread as Goodman, when it was Miller. Whole different kind of "good". Like the contrasting meanings of "tight". Still, comment holds, but just in a slightly different sense.
posted by lodurr at 5:26 AM on October 17, 2005