I'm probably one of the bigger Sting fans around here, but I also just love to make fun of him as his fame has turned him into such a caricature of himself.
Personality-wise I probably relate much more closely to Sting than Stewart, but I would never bother paying for a Sting.com membership and hang around chatting about him on the forum there. If it was free, and Sting actually read the forum or posted occasionally (which I doubt he would ever do), I might hang out there out of interest. I just love the fact that Stewart actually participates on his forum, and I get a kick out of imagining what must go through his head when he reads this stuff.
Both of them have left such an indelible imprint on me because I was exposed to the Police at the very early stages of my development as a musician...and they have kind of become my "reference" for popular music. Sting's songwriting ability is humbling, and his vocal approach is so uniquely original. And I can't even think about rhythm in music without listening to it through a "Stewart" filter. The way he approaches rhythm, is just so "Perfect", that most other approaches seem to pale in comparison. Andy as usual, never gets the full credit that he deserves, but he has also influenced my guitar playing immensely, and is the perfect "filling" between Sting and Stewart.
One thing I do have to say though...and it will probably ruffle a few feathers around here...is that I truly believe Sting is primarily responsible for the longevity of the Police's appeal, and the "staying power" of their catalog. I know that there are a lot of fans that are very partial to the early Police albums, and liked the later "Sting-centric" albums less. But I was thinking about this the other day, and tried to imagine where the Police would be if they had only put out 3 albums instead of 5. I love the early stuff, and there are definitely classic songs and a real "band" sound, but I think they would be perceived as a more of an '80s pop novelty act, had they stopped after Zenyatta. Even Stewart has commented that he is surprised about the Police's longevity when in his view they were just creating what was supposed to be disposable pop music.
It wasn't until GITM and Synchronicity that they entered the realm of untouchable "Artistes". The sophistication of the songwriting and musicianship displayed on those albums brought them to a whole new level in my view, and gave them a staying power that few other bands have ever achieved. By taking a chance and changing the band's sound (which could very easily have become dated due to all the copycat bands at the time), they created an appeal that transcended a particular time or generation. I haven't always liked every decision Sting has made, but I think (at least until his last few pop albums) he has made more right decisions than wrong ones. He's got major balls though...no one takes chances like Sting has in his career... and still remained so successful.
I'm not here to kiss anyone's butt though, and I'll still make fun of him even if it pisses a few people off.
They all have had their fair share of adulation. This is just a cool place to discuss the music I love, and the personalities that make it work.