One Train Later: A Memoir [Hardcover]

This is an amazing "life story" told with heaping amounts of humor and insight -- easily accessible to both the hardcore Police fan, and the reader simply interested in gaining perspective on the churnings of the music business amidst a more spiritual pursuit. Andy uses his fantastic sense of humor to great effect here. I was constantly giggling at the absolute mayhem surrounding him at every turn. I had no idea he was such a roving wild man -- but from the man who wrote the classic "Behind My Camel" -- who would expect otherwise. I admire someone who enjoys Spinal Tap and Camus.

I'm baffled at his ability to stay sane amidst this carnival of motion. If you are even remotely interested in the sacrifice, hard work, and drive that it takes to "make it" in the music industry, this is required reading. Make plans, but do it in pencil. In the end, you follow the music. This book is a spiritual adventure. I'm looking forward to the next one!

When I was in junior high, The Police was one of the biggest bands in the world and I was a huge fan. I had grown up listening mainly to sixties music like the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, etc. The Police was the first band I came to on my own and from my own era. No music group before or since has meant as much to me.

On the other hand, my brand of fandom mainly centered around playing my LPs over and over and over. I didn't care much about the personalities. Other than a few magazine interviews, I never knew much about the three musicians in the band and I don't read much in the way of exposes or biography. I will, however, read the occasional autobiography and when I saw this one by Andy Summers, I couldn't resist.

There was so much I didn't know about Andy that every page seemed a revelation and I was fascinated. I gained a lot of respect for this musician who went through the rigors of learning the guitar and held to his own musical tastes through the ups and downs of the business of music. I was also surprised to learn of Andy's close connections to so many other musical greats even before he was world famous himself--he gave Clapton one of his best guitars, he jammed with Hendrix, he played with the Animals. Wow.

Less interesting to me was the continual stories of drugs and drunkenness. I suppose it's part of his life and part of the rock `n' roll legend, but I quickly grew weary of the inebriated craziness and trippy observations. I, for one, actually am disappointed when I find out a musician has played a concert drunk and/or stoned, no matter how well he might feel he pulled it off. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me to be in the minority here.

Anyway, one of my disappointments in Sting's recent memoir was that he didn't talk about his time in The Police at all. Andy takes us through all the highs and lows of superstardom with what feels like a very refreshing honesty. It may be his point of view only (I'm sure Sting and Stewart would have things to say about some of Andy's observations) but I liked the fact that he was up front about the egotism that all three of them shared which made the band create great music but also blew them apart.

Overall, this is a very good book. Andy is a good writer and his prose is very dynamic though I would have dumped the recurring story of "August 18, 1983." It didn't add anything to the book and seemed twisted to unfold in a way that allowed him to tell the rest of the story. Still, anyone who liked The Police would be crazy to pass this up and anyone interested in the history of rock `n' roll will find a lot of great stuff here.

I could NOT have enjoyed this book more!

Andy Summers proves to be a terrific writer. The book follows his life from childhood to the break-up of the Police.

I found myself laughing out loud often while reading this memoir. He's genuinely funny; describing a boxing match in which he was forced to participate in grade school, he comments that his loutish opponent burst from his corner towards him like "a dog with his tail on fire."

During a sojourn through Spain while still a teenager, he recounts a dinner where he and a friend are guests of a kind Spanish family, with two beautiful daughters there to tempt them. At the table, he says the mother enjoyed torturing them (by sitting them across from the two goddesses but preventing any sort of contact) "like a witch cooking two shrimps in her cauldron."

He's self-deprecating, witty and vivid with his descriptions of life in England, life on the road, observations on human behavior.

He's merciless in commenting on his own shortcomings, especially with his wife and with drug use. There are passages that are acutely painful, like how he let his family down while seduced by the life of a rock star.

On the other hand, I will never forget his description of what it is like to urinate while on LSD. I laughed so hard I had to put the book down.

I was continually surprised to see how he floated through popular culture, Zelig-like, for decades. The tale of the 1959 Les Paul Sunburst, Eric Clapton and the first Cream album will have you slack-jawed. Not only are there several episodes involving Clapton (and how he fits into rock history as a central figure), but Summers encounters people like Hendrix, places like NYC and LA, the psychedelic era, prog-rock...I had no idea he was such good friends with John Belushi! He captures Belushi wonderfully.

The birth of the Police is fascinating. Being one of the biggest Police fans ever, this was the initial reason for buying the book, being in The Police is a thread laced throughout the whole book.

You know they're gonna be huge, and then break up. It all happens with such inevitability, like some Shakespearean tragedy.

The image of the three guys pushing a dead van over a bridge in Paris is a riot, and the subsequent genesis of the song, "Roxanne" (and hence, the whole Police sound) is almost fairy-tale in it's construction.

Seriously, I feel like starting all over and reading this book one more time...there are SO many great passages, SO well written! His love of music...the appreciation for musical theory and talent...is infectious. You will want to learn how to play guitar after finishing this book.

The story of the Police plays out like the arc of a flare, burning impossibly bright for a few moments, sailing high, and then at it's apogee, it burns out. Disappeared.

The epilogue is most hopeful...both personally and professionally. It seems with the Police reunion this year, Mr. Summers may have done what he wanted...to give us Police fans a proper farewell.

Just buy this book...it's perfect for beach reading, perfect for ANY music fan, terrific for anyone who can appreciate good storytelling...