Find the entire Off The Road series at hawaiipublicradio.org/offtheroad.
Today, HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence is joined by a musician who comes from one of rock’s biggest ever bands: The Police, and guitarist Andy Summers.
Andy appears from his home in Los Angeles and shares his new book of short stories, Fretted and Moaning. The 45 tales contained inside revolve around a guitar in a wide range of settings and situations.
Andy’s career started in the decade before The Police, as Andy is about a decade older than his Police bandmates, singer/bassist Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland. With experiences in the 60s in The Animals and intersecting with music legends like Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, Andy Summers has a lot of personal and professional life chapter that influence his writing.
In part one of our feature, we learn how the pandemic has affected his life, including knocking out some tour plans he had to perform in South America. Andy then digs into Fretted and Moaning, discussing some of the standout chapters in the book, including one with a number of Hawaii connections. He also shares stories relating to people and places that make cameos along the way, from Madison Square Garden to Eric Clapton.
Tomorrow we’ll hear more from the book, including hilarious stories about his experiences with members of the Marley family on a trip to Jamaica. Plus, we’ll dig into his life with tales of performing for and with Jimi Hendrix, and some wild adventures in the South Pacific with John Belushi. We’ll also post the complete interview.
MORE:
Hear a 2008 interview with Andy and Dave.
Watch a complete Police 2008 reunion tour concert at the Tokyo Dome:
Off The Road started in April 2020 when the pandemic led to a halt in the touring entertainment industry. Connecting with artists around the world since, we’ve offered intimate conversations and many exclusive musical performances with some of the biggest names in music, spanning many genres, eras and styles. Some of the highlight artists we’ve welcomed so far include Taj Mahal, Judy Collins, John McLaughlin, Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, Al Di Meola, 10,000 Maniacs, Alice Cooper, Soul Asylum, Deep Purple, Third World, George Benson, Heart, Joe Satriani, The Doors, Randy Brecker, Peter Frampton and System of a Down.
