At least he admits it...

[Kim]

http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/1028/sting.html

[kmart]

Kim,

I thought the same thing when I read this the other day....but I think it shows in the fact that out of 32 dates in small theatres (5000 or less) this fall, he has only managed to "SELL OUT" 11 of them. and out of those 11 I just checked and tickets in Chicago are readily available both on stubhub...for at or below face value and ticket master...

His audience is developing "Attendance block"
There is only one cure...I can think of 2 musicians who do not suffer from writers block..
He needs the creative tension that can only be caused by one thing....

[ltwoman]

http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/1028/sting.html

The comments are priceless.

[sockii]

On one hand I can feel some sympathy, on the other I think he's completely full of shit.

Writers/creative block does suck, and it's true when you're younger the creative juices just flow like they never seem to later on. I can look at my portfolios full of artwork I created when I was a teenager and I have NO idea today where those ideas and energy came from - I only wish I could tap into it today with the better technical skill and training I have today. And I've gone through periods of writers block that lasted for a few years, but invariably something came along that brought fresh inspiration - especially if the promise of money was involved as a reward for it.

I think it's more he's just not hungry any more. It's hard to create when there's nothing driving you, nothing to rebel or protest against, nothing to feel compelled to bring to the world's attention. Yeah, there's a shit ton of injustice in our world today, but when you're sitting pretty on countless huge estates and can spend your days lounging about in Tuscany, when not raking in big bucks playing it safe and touring the same songs people have listened to for years? There's no drive for him to take any risks or take any chances - beyond the Police tour, which was a risk in that it reminded so many of us what he HAD be capable of, at one time, and how much he limits himself and plays it safe today.

Just my 2 cents for what little they're worth.

[63falcon]

Time for Sting to 'Police' his writers block!

[policefan]

{ i really don't like his hairstyle right now }

[Shangeris]

{ i really don't like his hairstyle right now }

I'm not alone

[smax]

a longer version of the interview:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sh ... ff-it.html

[sockii]

{ i really don't like his hairstyle right now }

I'm not alone

Not by a long shot.

[Kim]

I don't like this hairstyle either - I think it makes him look old. Although it's not quite as bad as the beard!

I've suspected something was wrong for a while now. I'm glad he's faced it and is honest. He definitely lost his fire a while back, but nothing new at all? That's not like the guy I knew, whose songs touched me. I guess we all are changing and getting older. I'm disappointed, and feel like mourning. I can only imagine how he feels, at the loss of his gift. I've always wondered how it works... Where do the songs come from? How many did he write? How many were knock your socks off good? How many were trash? Do they just stop coming, or fade away? It must be frustrating. I'm glad he's still out performing though, instead of sitting at home. I won't be going though, for the foreseeable future. He has enough of my money, and at this point nothing he does can compare to the reunion tour, for me anyway.

[luddite lady]

Sting was just in Toronto for two nights at Massey Hall, a small but iconic venue that The Police played (and likely sold out) in 1980. (Dietmar, feel free to correct my memory.) Sting did not sell out this time. In fact, they played "Englishman in New York" and talked up the show on the local CBC radio the afternoon of the first gig. That only happens when a venue phones up the station in desperation and asks them to help fill a few more seats.
But there's reports that while in town he played at the birthday party of some mega rich guy's wife, and made a cool $ million.
And the hair...yes, simply scary. But in defense of the stylist, I don't think he/she has much to work with.

[Max Taffey]

I hate to disagree Luddite Lady, but I had caved in and decided I would actually buy tickets for this, mainly because I thought Massey Hall would be a terrific venue to see this show. Originally only the first date was scheduled, and the morning they went on sale, I tried getting tickets (as soon as they were available - 10:00 am) and immediately there were only partially obstructed available. The second show was added a day or two later, so I tried again, and got the same results. They wouldn't have added the second date if the first didn't sell - I suspect if there were any seats unsold, it was the obstructed views.

[any_other_day]

{ i really don't like his hairstyle right now }

I'm not alone

Not by a long shot.

Agreed. But, I mean, he doesn't seem to have much hair to work with... =/

[luddite lady]

Thanks for the clarification, Max. It's good to hear from somebody who was actively seeking tickets for these shows. I had not been paying too much attention to Sting's tour, so I was very surprised to hear CBC plugging his show. Typically, they only do that if the venue is having trouble selling tickets. As you noted, Massey Hall is a small venue. I took it as a very bad sign that they were relying on CBC for free publicity. You must be right. Massey Hall was likely trying to sell their infamous obstructed view seats.
Sorry to have jumped to such a negative conclusion.
It's good to know that you're still lurking about here, Max. I must spout misinformation more often if it gets you to come out of hiding!

[iburn4u]

Regarding his final admission to writer's block I say thank God he's finally admitted to it. I don't think it's laziness on his part and blaming his supposed fat cat lifestyle is a cheap shot. I suspect he's pretty gutted that it's not coming easily to him since he has always labelled himself as a songwriter and musician. He's not one to put something out to fill the expectations of the marketplace. He's a perfectionist as we all know and that is probably his greatest problem. He doesn't think anything is good enough to put his name on. He and others have been quoted in recent interviews saying he's written 25-30 NEW songs for The Last Ship - not reworks of Soul Cages songs.

I was at both shows at Massey and they were sold out. People were standing in the back row of the gallery. A friend tried for tix Nov 2nd afternoon at 3pm and nada. Both shows were fantastic, as close to a rarities tour as we're likely to get. Not the usual overplayed hits and only a couple of Police tunes. He was relaxed, very chatty and in brilliant voice singing for 2hrs 20min without a break. The SL cuts were stripped down and great - something I never thought I'd say about my least favourite of his albums. Never Coming Home was my fave of the setlist. Had he recorded these songs with the current arrangements instead of the kipperbug's, Sacred Love would have been much more successful. The band was tight. Vinnie was fantastic. Peter Tickell blew the roof off with his solo during Love is Stronger Than Justice. Jo Lawry went to another galaxy with her vocals on Hounds.

I know the majority of members here have a hard time saying anything positive about Sting so I thought I'd add a comment about the TO shows to counteract the preponderance of negativity. It's always interesting to me that there is never anything negative said about Stewart on Sting.com although many don't think he walks on water either and yet there's always nothing but criticism here about Sting. It's sad to read so much anger and resentment. We all love the Police. The Reunion tour was brilliant. It's unfortunate that the atmosphere on Stewart's site is so toxic with negativity about Sting that those of us who are able to move on from the Reunion tour and embrace what Sting is doing after the fact are made to feel less than welcome to enjoy talking about Stewart on his site because of the toxic atmosphere. It's sad, very sad.