The Police bandfic
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[edit] Introduction
The Police bandfic community exists in association, but separately, from the main fandom community for The Police. The bandfic community is primarily active on various LiveJournal communities as well as RockFic, and bandfic is not often posted nor diScussed on other Police communities including official sites (although there have been some exceptions to this.) Much of The Police band fiction is slash in nature and largely Sting/Stewart, although some gen and humor-fic is popular as well.
This page presents a timeline of activity in Police fandom as it specifically relates to bandfic fandom and activities, terminology used in the bandfic community, as well as relevant links.
[edit] Terminology
Below is a partial list of terms used in The Police bandfic community.
- Gong!fic: Stories featuring Stewart's impressive gong from the 2007 tour.
[edit] Timeline
[edit] 1960s
- In 1969, Jenny Fabian released the book Groupie, which was a thinly-fictionalized account of her exploits as a groupie of various rock acts of the 1960s including The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Animals and Pink Floyd. Future Police guitarist Andy Summers appears in the book as "Davey", whose "girlish fair hair and skinny arms really turn (Jenny) on."[1]
[edit] 1980s
- In 1987, Sting was quoted in "Spin" magazine, talking about his relationship with the other band members:
Sting: I still love Stewart very deeply...I really do love him. I miss him. But no way will I return to that situation.
SPIN: What about Andy? You had him play on the new album, and he knocked off these exquisitely beautiful and complex parts in one or two takes at the most. Obviously some of the old artistic chemistry is still there. But personally your relations with Andy were never as polarised as your relations with Stewart were they?
STING: No, no. Stewart and my relationship - he wouldn't understand this - but it had a sexual tension in it that was very strong. And that was never true of Andy. He's a different age from me and a different kind of person.
This quote is one that had some impact in creating a subtext for slash fiction within the community.
[edit] 1990s
- Lady Neha's Tribute To: Sting was a website that featured short-stories about Sting. The website was opened on June 21, 1997 and closed on May 10, 2003.[2]
[edit] 2000
- In the spring of 2000, Revolver magazine published the first group interview with The Police published in many years, titled "I think if we came back..."[3] Interviewed by longtime Police journalist Vic Garbarini, the band talked candidly about the ups and downs of their years recording together and it was another interview that was inspiring to bandfiction writers within Police fandom. A few choice quotes from the interview include:
Sting: "There was this incredible, almost sexual tension between [the band members] - not in the literal sense, but it was charged."
--
Stewart Copeland: "[Synchronicity] was recorded in an unbelievably bad atmosphere. We hated each others guts, and we had no respect for each other. Actually, I did, but I just felt like a piece of shit."
Andy Summers: [sarcastically] "That's odd. I thought there was a lot of love in the room."
Sting: "But Stewart, I did like you..."
Stewart Copeland: "Well, I could hardly play my instrument. I couldn't even hold on to my drumsticks."
Sting: "...it was your guts that I hated." [laughs]
--
Sting: "We actually do love each other, and I have a great deal of respect and affection for my boys. Whatever happened happened. It was a great time, and I'm really proud of it. But... thank God we're not in a band anymore."
[edit] 2003
- sidewinder posted her first Police story, "No Apologies", to livejournal on February 12, 2003.
- In April of 2003, Guitar World magazine published the article "Don't Stand So Close To Me" by Vic Garbarini.[5] The piece examined the failed Police recording sessions of 1986 and the difficult relationship between the band members at the time. While much of this information had been discussed in articles and interviews previously, the detailed conversations and inner thoughts releaved by the band members in the article were startling and left some to comment that the piece almost read like fiction. (sidewinder)
- A livejournal community for Police fan-fiction, twosynchronous, existed briefly in 2003 before being deleted without warning by the moderator.
[edit] 2004
- On June 8, 2004, Ask Uncle Ian forum member George began posting the story "May 2004. Scene : Backstage cafe", which received praise from many members of the board including Ian himself.[6]
- On June 9, 2004, George began his popular "You Never Know Who's Listening" series of humorous tales on AUI.[7]. These stories would continue on the board through 2007.[8],[9],[10],[11],[12]
[edit] 2005
- On January 9, 2005, sidewinder posted "Vertigo" on RockFic. This was the first Police story posted to the archive.[13]
[edit] 2006
- On September 12, 2006, Rockfic Press released Internal Affairs, an anthology collection of Police fiction by sidewinder.[14]
- As of the end of 2006, there were 24 stories featuring The Police on RockFic.
[edit] 2007
- This bandom was represented in the 2007 xmas_rocks exchange, with 1 story posted in January of that year.[15]
- On March 26, 2007, sidewinder began posting Sex and the Single Drummer, which to date is the longest-length Police bandfiction known to be published. This story, a Foo Fighters crossover which concentrated on both the Sting/Stewart and Stewart Copeland/Taylor Hawkins relationship, is widely appreciated within the fandom and credited with popularizing the Stewart/Taylor relationship among certain fans.[16]
- On April 27, 2007, the LiveJournal community bandfic_100 was created. It featured some Police fan-fiction.[17]
- On July 25, 2007, members of the stewartcopeland.net forum began a round-robin story, "The following conversation was overheard backstage"[18], which continued receiving contributions and comments through October, 2007.
- As of November 2007, there were 52 stories featuring The Police on Rockfic. The upsurge in fiction can largely be credited to the reunion tour of 2007.
- On December 3, 2007, the LiveJournal community BandSmut was created. [19] It allowed and encouraged smut based on The Police.
[edit] 2008
- This bandom was represented in the 2008 xmas_rocks exchange, with 3 stories posted in January of that year.[20]
- On October 17, 2008, the LiveJournal community hungry_4_you was created for Police bandfiction and slash-oriented discussion.
[edit] Influential stories
- "Bang A..." by sidewinder[21]
- "No Apologies" by sidewinder[22]
- The "You Never Know Who's Listening" series by George[23],[24],[25],[26],[27]
