WORLD GONE STRANGE

IT’S A VERY good thing being Andy Summers, but perhaps not for the more obvious reason pop fans might surmise. Sure, no one can say it wasn’t colossally awesome to be one-third of a legendary band that was once the biggest act in the world, won a whole bunch of Grammy Awards, sold millions of records, performed in arenas and stadiums across myriad countries and was inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame in 2003.

Believe it or not, Summers’ story has two elements that may be even more astounding than his being a member of the Police.

First — and this is a life lesson for all who dive headlong into the beautiful morass that is the arts — his creative curiosity never slowed. He kept exercising his muse and expanding his chops, and he continued to produce work. In the musical arena, Summers has released 14 solo albums, collaborated with other artists on seven albums, composed or contributed to 10 film soundtracks and guested on more than 16 albums. But wait — there’s more! He wrote his autobiography, One Train Later, in 2006 and has penned essays for other publications. He is currently working on a second book under his own name.

Then there’s the photography career: His magnificent black-and-white photographs have been collected in four volumes to date and celebrated in museum and art gallery exhibitions all over the planet. In 2015, he executive produced, which was directed by Andy Grieve and based on .