Product Description

"Having been a songwriter most of my life, condensing my ideas and emotions into short rhyming couplets and setting them to music, I had never really considered writing a book, but upon arriving at the reflective age of fifty,I found myself drawn, for the first time, to write long passages that were as stimulating and intriguing to me as any songwriting I had ever done. And so 'Broken Music' began to take shape. It is a book about the early part of my life, from childhood through adolescence, right up to the eve of my success with the Police. It is a story very few people know. I had no interest in writing a traditional autobiographical recitation of everything that's ever happened to me. Instead I was drawn to exploring specific moments, certain people and relationships, and particular events which still resonate powerfully for me as I try to understand the child I was, and the man I became." STING

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36207 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
"I had no interest in writing a traditional autobiography", claims musician, actor and environmental campaigner Sting in Broken Music. It is, as he says, a book that explores "specific moments" of his life, mainly his upbringing in Tyneside (unavoidably part Hovis ad and part Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads) and the years he spent paying his musical dues in numerous bingo-hall jazz combos and Last Exit--a group he fronted prior to the Police and which Sounds magazine "Picked to Click in 76". So, nothing on tantric sex, those embezzled millions or, for that matter, a great deal on the Police. This is a slight pity as you're left yearning for a smidgen less about the chicken-in-a-basket gig circuit and a bit more about the quibbles over royalties that he hints led to the multi-platinum trio's "ultimate demise", or the battle with Virgin publishing to regain copyrights, or an aside on "Message in a Bottle" storming the charts. Something for the second volume, perhaps.

Still, this being Sting, the book does open with the singer and his second wife Trudie Styler hunkered down in the Brazilian jungle imbibing mind-bending Ayahuasca in an Indian ritual. The drug awakened memories of his childhood and forced him to think about his recently deceased parents, thus kicking off the whole autobiographical endeavour. (Proust had to make do with a soggy Madeleine.) His relationship with his milkman dad Ernie and mum Audrey and their unhappy marriage provide the real backbone to the tale of how Gordon Sumner evolved into Sting, and he writes thoughtfully and honestly about the strengths and failings of his parents and himself. One for the fans, perhaps, but it does offer a chance to discover sides of the songwriter usually obscured by the glare of celebrity. --Travis Elborough

Customer Reviews

a beautifully written book
Long awaited and full of expectation, this book is Sting taking you through his early memories, explaining and revealing much of himself along the way. It is everything you hope it to be in many ways: touching, often very insightful, beautifully written, and (as with the cameo for Miles Davis' album) full of entertaining and funny tales!

It's been Sting's misfortune that his honesty has often counted against him, but Broken Music shows just how much we should treasure that quality. I recommend this book for any and all who wish to understand the man behind the name, and why he is who he is.

Brutally honest
Sting has been my favourite artiste for many years now, but nothing could have prepared me for his biography. It is beautifully written, on par with his lyrics. More importantly, it is brutally honest, both in his own frailties and his turbulent relationship with his parents. It does not deal with the giddy heights of his Police and solo careers, but with his memories of growing up and his struggle to make it as a musician. After reading the book, his songs took on even greater meaning to me. An excellent book for all, particularly those who 'dislike' him. He is human just like the rest of us.

A story shared
I asked my brother to buy me this book for Christmas after seeing Sting on Parkinson last year, even then when pressed by Parky you could see the emotion of the memories in his eyes. Reading the book brings those alive, I could read them and see them at the same time. Broken Music is so vividly and beautifully written; no less than you would expect from someone with the phenonmenal song-writing talent like Sting. A thoroughly enjoyable read, I couldn't put it down, and in fact I read it again straightaway, to take it all in. Parts of it are sad, some funny, all moving. I'm glad he chose to share it.