(Credits: Alamy)
Tue 4 November 2025 6:00, UK
Despite the fact that Stewart Copeland is perhaps best known for his work in The Police, delivering a hybridised style of art rock and reggae-influenced drumming, his tastes and influences run a lot deeper than what the band’s output may suggest.
His first taste of being in a touring band came with Curved Air, a British act who he had previously worked as a road manager for, and the American was quickly inducted into the group after previous drummer, Jim Russell, had departed. While Curved Air were more of a progressive rock outfit than The Police ever were, this is ultimately what caught the attention of Sting and Henry Padovani, who asked him if he wanted to form a new project while Curved Air were on a hiatus.
After The Police disbanded in 1984, Copeland would move on to work on soundtracks, composing scores for film, television and video games, and while he ended up joining plenty of other acts as well, it’s hard not to feel as though he would have had plenty of other offers coming his way to join some of the most formidable bands in the world.
As it happens, he was approached by one of his favourite bands of all time shortly after the fallout of The Police, and while it would have been one of the most inviting gigs he could possibly have received, he knew that he would be slightly out of his depth filling the shoes of someone he idolised.
The Doors reformed in 2002 as The Doors of the 21st Century, with The Cult’s Ian Astbury replacing Jim Morrison on lead vocals, and drummer John Densmore opting not to join former bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger. Copeland was asked if he wanted to take on the role as their new drummer, and even went in to jam with the other members, but ended up realising that the opportunity was not right for him, and that he wouldn’t feel comfortable trying to emulate someone as important to him as Densmore.
“It was a funny thing where I couldn’t believe it,” Copeland revealed in a 2023 interview with The Big Takeover. “They’re my thing. Like, kids these days, the Foo Fighters are happening for them. The Foo Fighters is the thing. For me and my age group, The Doors were right there, along with Jimi Hendrix and Cream and so on. So to get a call from The Doors is unbelievable.”
He went further to describe how he suggested that they have a jam together, and while Manzarek humorously asked him if they had passed the audition, despite Copeland being the one auditioning, something felt amiss for Copeland, despite being given the opportunity of a lifetime.
“We enjoyed the jam,” he continued. “I was transported playing those songs with Robby and Ray. I couldn’t believe that I was really doing that, but I was the wrong guy. I am no John Densmore. He does trance and he was one of my big influences, but I’m not that guy.”
While the new incarnation of The Doors eventually settled on Ty Dennis as their drummer, who had previously played with the Robby Krieger Band, this ultimately feels like Copeland made a tough but necessary decision, and if he didn’t want to ruin his own perception of one of his favourite drummers of all time, he was better off reluctantly passing up the chance to replace him.
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