Walking on the Moon

The Untold Story of the Police and the Rise of New Wave Rock

By: Chris Campion

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

An unflinching look at the rise of one of the most recognizable names in pop music - The Police

The Police have sold more than 50 million albums, made Rolling Stone's Greatest Artists of All Time list, and finished a triumphant world reunion tour in 2008.

Now British journalist Chris Campion draws on extensive research and new interviews to trace the inside saga of this iconic group, including the unorthodox business strategies employed by manager Miles Copeland that took them to the top and the intense rivalry that drove Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland to split at the height of their success in the 1980s.

©2010 Chris Campion (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Great Book For a Nap

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This book was supposed to be about the Police....which about 45 to 50 percent of it is, but it keeps going in other directions, besides what it's supposed to be focusing on.

What could Chris Campion have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

More about the group, than what management did. This isn't supposed to be about the Police's management.

What does Fred Berman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Fred Berman does a fantastic job.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Kind of disappointed....sorry.

OK, OK, we get it... you don't like the Police.

Considering the Police's definitive place in the history of New Wave, it's initially surprising to hear them described as such mediocre, opportunistic, and profoundly flawed human beings. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes obvious that author Campion has a serious axe to grind, as his seemingly comprehensive tome on the band devolves into a feature-length exercise in character assassination, tinged liberally with a not-insignificant helping of judgement and smirk.

Much of the early section of the band's history casts them as ruthless manipulators of the punk movement, a group of schemers masquerading as serious-minded musicians to cash in on whatever trend could be ridden to riches, all the while insulting their audience's intelligence and good will. Campion seizes on the regular instances of disharmony - particularly between Sting and Stewart Copeland - as if this were proof positive that, beneath their marginal talents, this ground-breaking band could be reduced to a bad marriage that stayed together for the sake of kids. The only positive words are effusively heaped on Henri Padovani, the Police's original but fundamentally limited guitar player. Which, I guess, makes Andy Summers the homewrecker.

Of some distraction is the interspersing of New Wave historical information, and even here, the focus is squarely on Miles Copeland (the Police's manager), A&M Records (the Police's original label) and Copeland's Faulty Products / I.R.S. stable of performers (ie. Squeeze). Not only is this shockingly inadequate coverage of New Wave (even as an overview), but these sections veer away from the Police narrative regularly, leaving the listener wondering when the main story will resume.

In the later segments, Sting's solo career is cast as a cold and calculating exploration of jazz/world music and black musicians bordering, it is imagined, on racist exploitation. Too, Copeland's post-Synchronicity adventures are dismissed as desperate grasps at respectability, while Summers drifts aimlessly as an aging relic, lost without the band as his meal ticket.

Fred Berman's narration is clear and straightforward, though on multiple occasions he seems to unconsciously slip into a weak Sting vocal impression (the only character in the story for whom he does this), which at least underscores the prominent role Sting plays in the life and subsequent demise of the band. In being forced to deliver this literary hate-fest, he could probably be excused that one eccentric habit.

In a more honest assessment, I would assume that Campion would ultimately confess that, once upon a time, Sting stole his prom date, Summers wrecked his car, and Copeland shot his dog. Little else could explain this pointlessly negative hatchet job of a history. What could otherwise have been an effective and objective account of the Police's career (and the complicated dynamic between its headstrong members) is reduced to preachy diatribe (the word "petulant" is trotted out with exceeding regularity), which has the listener eventually hoping to quit walking on the moon and instead float out into the serene vacuum of space.

Torture for the author?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The book succeeds in the most important way - it's an interesting historical portrait most of the time.

What was most disappointing about Chris Campion’s story?

What's disappointing is that Chris Campion comes off as a hate filled troll. Is he a failed musician himself? It sure sounds that way. He's one of those bitter old proto-hipsters who thinks Punk Rock was the be-all-end-all, instead of the corporate fashion product it was created to be. At least New Wave was honest about its shallowness, while giving us far more diverse and interesting music.

Which character – as performed by Fred Berman – was your favorite?

As usual, Fred Berman did a fine job narrating.

What else would you have wanted to know about Chris Campion’s life?

I don't really want ot know anything else about the author's life, except why did he bother to write this book? It's filled with so much venom directed at the entire Police organization, it's kind of baffling why Campion would torture himself.

Any additional comments?

Again, good for historical context, especially Miles Copeland's then-revolutionary marketing techniques - and I'm sure most of it is true - but all the positive aspects of the Police and their music have been completely swept away in favor of character assassination.

Author Needs Gruntles—Lots of Gruntles

Specifically, this author is majorly disgruntled, about *something*. It's either that he attempted to become a professional musician at some point (and failed) or he couldn't get all three Police members' autographs for eBay.

Aside from this "biography" digressing from the topic at hand—namely, the band named The Police—the author is extraordinarily snippy about just about every single person in this book, aside, maybe, from a couple of transvestite punk rockers, a subject which seems to fascinate him. Much ink—or in this case, decibels—is spilled, for example, over just one of them, someone named "Wayne County" or something; I didn't quite catch it despite it occupying fully ten minutes of the book.

But the author's venom spills into everything. A "plan" becomes a "scheme." Other negative adjectives are liberally sprinkled throughout: "tawdry," "morose," "preening," "passive-aggressive" (this last is used multiple times to describe Sting).

Unlike some reviewers, I was prepared to overlook the negativity if the subject matter was adequately explored but the author goes off with regularity on extended tangents, mostly about minor characters who don't move the narrative forward much and tend to come and go with little meaning. "Filler" is one possible explanation, but these tangents are unpleasant more than interesting, and it seems that everyone in this book gets treated equally venomously . . . if the author is to be believed, the late 70s/early 80s was a mightily unpleasant time to be alive.

A curious book which I couldn't finish—so many gruntles, so little time.

Meanspirited Tell-All

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It's from an outsder's perspective, and add's little value to fan's perspective as he seems to despise everyone equally. Waste of time.

Has Walking on the Moon turned you off from other books in this genre?

Possibly.

Which character – as performed by Fred Berman – was your favorite?

None.

Any additional comments?

If a book is a Kitty Kelly / Perez Hilton-type tell-all, say so. I wouldn't have purchased it if I'd known.

Agenda-driven hit piece

I had always known that Sting, Stewart and Andy were pains in the ass, but this book seemed to be little more than an attempt at character assassination. If you already hate the Police, this book is for you. If you’re looking for an honest insider look at the band and the musicians behind the music, look elsewhere. I should have done more research on this author before burning a credit on it.

A good read, especially if you like band bios!

Very interesting look behind the public face of The Police. I think even a very casual fan (which I am, at the time they were popular I had only a cursory interest in their music-mainly because, for a time, you couldn't turn on pop radio without hearing their songs) would find entertaining.

Smear job!!

Would you try another book from Chris Campion and/or Fred Berman?

NO!

Has Walking on the Moon turned you off from other books in this genre?

No but thankfully made me aware of Chris Campion. So I will not make the mistake of downloading another one of his books.

Have you listened to any of Fred Berman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

he was great

What character would you cut from Walking on the Moon?

the author

Any additional comments?

This book seems like it was written by a pissed ex-girlfriend or maybe a rival band. I don't think The Police are angles but come on. And its not just the band that this guy shits on. In the end its a sad outlook on the world. Hay Chris brighten up sunshine!

D