Sting (yes, that Sting) Said That Grown Men Shouldn't Be in Bands

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How Sting wants all grown men in bands to feel:

via: Tone Deaf

The former frontman for The Police shared the controversial opinion with MOJO magazine. “I don’t think any grown man can be in a band actually,” he said. 

​“A band is a teenage gang. Who wants to be in a teenage gang when you’re knocking 70? It doesn’t allow you to evolve. 

“You have to obey the rules and the gestalt of the band. As much as I love the Stones and AC/DC, it’s hard to see growth in their music. 

“For me, the band was merely a vehicle for the songs and not the other way round.” 

I saw this on IG yesterday and still don't know how to go about blogging it nearly a day later. There's the glaring: dude, you were in a band as a grown man angle that everybody and their mother is taking. Of course, you can zig while others zag and agree that AC/DC and The Rolling Stones are washed and should probably spend more time with their grandchildren/single-digit aged children, but I'm gonna send an S.O.S. to the world and go with the former on this post.

It shouldn't surprise anybody that Sting had this take. He broke up The Police at the height of their career to venture out as a solo artist. Maybe this guy just hates male camaraderie and isn't for the boys? Some dudes just don't like broing out with the fellas. We all have a friend in our circle (or former circle...I'm getting old) who isn't for the boys, and he stinks on ice. Talk about bringing a new meaning to "Don't Stand So Close To Me." Yeah, love your gf/wife and potential kids all you want, just don't turn your back on the squad.

Obviously, Sting comes off as a hypocrite here as he spent age 26-32 in a band, which in the late 70s and early 80s certainly constituted a grown man. Today, it's not as clear. I wasn't a real adult until like three years ago. Or is he trying to be philosophical and say that you're not truly a grown man if you're in a band?

Yes, I love Sting's music, but he's not really someone I can identify with. I'm not gonna get that worked up about him sounding like an out-of-touch douchebag for biting the hand that fed him. For one, he plays bass, which means he has rhythm, something I've never been able to achieve. Plus, he's probably more famous for being a tantric sex guy than a musician. He's had single sessions longer than all the cumulative vaginal intercourse I've had in my years. I can separate the art from the artist and know that while Roxanne is my go-to Karaoke song, that Sting and I probably wouldn't have much to talk about.

I just can't wrap my head around how bad of a take this is. Why is he trying to rob people's joy? You'd think as a musician; he'd understand that better than anybody? As long as you're still providing for your family and being-semi present, I say rock on. Like, imagine how much worse the world would be without the music of bands that feature adult men? Why is Sting rooting for this? Does he think he'd still be Sting and not Gordon the mail man without The Police? It's pretty fucking sexist if you ask me to eliminate an entire sex from the musical field and low key ageist too! (even though I low key fw it at times, #termlimits). I agree women don't exactly get a fair shake in this whole society thing, but this isn't the way to achieve equality. Does he think professional sports shouldn't exist either because you're playing a "kid's game?" Maybe Sting is a harder 70 than I thought and entering the "get off my lawn" or in his case, the "get out of my field" part of his life?