>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK!
THANK YOU, EDDIE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JON!
>> Jon: THANK YOU!
>> Stephen: HOPE YOU HAVE A VERY, VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED
ONE.
THE GIFT IS THAT YOU'RE HERE TONIGHT.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS A
16-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER.
HE'S RELEASING A NEW ALBUM TOMORROW CALLED "57TH & 9TH."
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME THE GREAT STING!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪
>> Stephen: WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
>> WHAT A LOVELY WELCOME.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN A FEW YEARS.
>> THAT'S TRUE.
>> Stephen: AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, I
THINK, WAS AT YOUR 60t 60th BIRTHDAY CONCERT, THE
BEACON?
>> THE BEACON THEATER FIVE YEARS AGO.
>> Stephen: YEAH, FIVE YEARS AGO.
YOU'RE 65 YEARS OLD.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> YEAH.
>> Stephen: I'M PROUD.
AS A MAN WHO'S 52, YOU GO TO HELL.
( LAUGHTER ) I WAS WITH MY WIFE ON THE DRIVE
HOME AND YOU'RE WEARING SOMETHING LIKE THIS THE WHOLE
TIME, A MESH KIND OF SHIRT, YOU'RE DRIVING HOME AND MY WIFE
SUPER CASUALLY AS IF SHE JUST THOUGHT OF IT, SHE GOES, HAVE
YOU -- HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT DOING YOGA?
( LAUGHTER ) SO THANKS FOR THAT.
THE ELECTION JUST HAPPENED.
YOU'RE BRITISH.
DO YOU FEEL ALL SMUG?
>> NO, WE HAD A SIMILAR SHOCK IN JUNE WHEN 52% VOTED BREXIT.
I VOTED TO STAY.
>> Stephen: ALL YOU'RE GOING TO DO IS DESTROY THE EUROPEAN
UNION.
>> TRUE, BUT WE'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONSTITUTIONAL
CRISIS NO ONE IS SMART ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS IT?
BECAUSE THE WARLORDS DECIDED PARLIAMENT HAS TO DEBATE THE
TERMS OF LEAVING AND THE PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO LEAVE DIDN'T WANT
THE DO THAT, THEY WANTED TO BYPASS PARLIAMENT.
>> Stephen: SO IT'S NOT WRITTEN, IF YOU WANT TO GET OUT,
PUT SLOT A IN TAB B AND YOU'RE OUT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION?
>> NO, IT'S FAR MORE COMPLICATED THAN SAYING YES OR NO.
IT'S A DIABOLICAL PROBLEM.
>> Stephen: WOW.
YOU HAVE TO GET ALL THAT FIGURED OUT AHEAD OF TIME.
PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA FOR US OVER HERE, TOO.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT YOU DON'T LIVE IN LONDON?
>> NO, I LIVE IN NEW YORK.
I LIVE HERE.
I LOVE NEW YORK.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU LOVE
ABOUT HERE?
LONDON IS A GREAT TOWN.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT HERE?
>> I LOVE NEW YORKERS ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
THEY'RE VERY UP FRONT.
I WALK ON THE STREET A LOT.
THEY SEE YOU, SAY HI, STING, I LIKE YOUR MUSIC. OR YOU SUCK.
IT'S A VERY DIRECT RELATIONSHIP.
STEPHEN> YOUR NEW ALBUM IS
CORNER OF 57th AND 9th.
WHY DID YOU CALL THE ALBUM THAT?
>> I LIVE ON THE WEST SIDE, MY STUDIO'S IN "HELL'S KITCHEN."
I WALK TO WORTH EVERY DAY AND ON THE WAY I HAVE TO STOP AT 57t
57th, BECAUSE IT'S A TWO-WAY STREET, TRAFFIC IS BUSY, CAB
DRIVER IS TRYING TO KILL YOU, AS YOU KNOW, AND I USE THAT TIME TO
DO A LITTLE MEDITATION ON CORNER, THINK ABOUT THE WORK I'M
DOING IN THE STUDIO, MY LIFE, THE PRIVILEGE I HAVE LIVING IN
THE CITY.
CROSS THE ROAD, GO TO WORK, AND ON THE WAY BACK HAVE THE SAME
MEDITATION, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS A VERY USEFUL POINT IN THE DAY
TO TAKE STOCK.
>> Stephen: YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE ABOUT NEW YORK?
YOU CAN WALK AROUND THE CITY AND YOU'VE GOT A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE
OF GOING, HEY, DON'T STARE, BUT THAT'S STING MEDITATING OVER
THERE ON THE CORNER.
( APPLAUSE ) THAT'S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT
NEW YORK.
YOU CAN SEE ALL KINDS OF THINGS HERE.
THIS ALBUM, PEOPLE ARE CALLING THIS, LIKE, A RETURN TO ROCK FOR
YOU, LIKE YOUR FIRST ROCK ALBUM IN TEN YEARS.
>> YES, IT IS.
I PLAY ROCK AND ROLL EVERY NIGHT OF MY WORKING LIFE BUT IN THE
PAST TEN YEARS I HAVE BEEN MAKING MORE ESOTERIC RECORDS.
>> Stephen: HERDIE-GERDIE.
I'M A MADRIGAL FAN.
>> ME, TOO.
BUT I WAS FOLLOWING MY CURIOSITY BECAUSE I CAN.
BUT I LIKE TO SURPRISE PEOPLE.
I LIKE PEOPLE TO GO, WOW!
I DIDN'T EXPECT THAT!
AND THAT'S THE REACTION THE ALBUM HAS RECEIVED SO I FEEL
IT'S ALREADY A SUCCESS.
>> Stephen: PEOPLE SAY, ARE YOU EVER INTIMIDATED BY
CELEBRITIES OR POLITICIANS?
I'M INTIMIDATED BY MUSICIANS BECAUSE YOU DO SOMETHING THAT'S
MAGICAL THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
TO QUOTE YOU, SONG WRITING IS MUCH LIKE TRYING TO CATCH A WILD
ANIMAL.
YOU CANNOT KILL THE BEAST.
YOU HAVE TO SOMEHOW TRICK HIM INTO BEING CAPTURED, AND YOU CAN
NEVER USE THE SAME TRICK TWICE.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TRICKS?
WHAT IS THE MAGIC YOU USE?
>> I WOULD GET HOME FROM THE STUDIO AT NIGHT WITH A SONG
STRUCTURE, ONLY A SONG STRUCTURE, AND ON THE WALK HOME,
I WILL BE THINKING HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE THIS INTO A SONG?
SO I GET HOME TO MY HOME ON CENTER PARK WEST AND LOCK MYSELF
OUT ON THE TERRACE IN THE FREEZING COLD, AND I WOULDN'T BE
ALLOWED TO GO IN THE HOUSE UNTIL I HAD FINISHED A LYRIC.
IT'S MADNESS, BUT -- >> Stephen: YEAH, TRUE.
YOU PUT YOURSELF OUT OF A COMFORT ZONE SO THAT YOU CAN
CREATE.
YOU HAVE TO WRITE YOURSELF OUT OF THE PROBLEM, AND THE SONG YOU
WILL HEAR TONIGHT IS EXACTLY THAT SONG, IT'S ABOUT FREEZING
COLD, ABOUT HUNTING FOR -- HUNTING FOR INSPIRATION IN THE
COLD.
YOU WILL HEAR IT.
>> Stephen: IF YOU LOCKED YOURSELF IN THE CLOSET, WOULD
THE SONG BE ABOUT IT'S HOT AND CRAMPED IS THIS.
>> YEAH, IT WOULD.
HAVEN'T WRITTEN THAT ONE YET ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: WE'LL TAKE A BREAK.
BACK WITH MORE STING.
STICK AROUND, EVERYBODY.