The following article appeared in the October 2005 issue of Rhythm magazine...

The session supremo on landing his dream gig with Sting...

As AC/DC so rightly sang, it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll. And although the world's first-call altrock (for the want of a better term) session drummer Josh Freese has been at the top of his game for years, it has not been an easy route to reach the highest rung of the ladder. Sure, his enviable CV makes for an incredible read today - featuring everyone from Devo to Suicidal Tendencies, from A Perfect Circle to the Indigo Girls - but he's not had a charmed life.

Instead, the brilliance of Josh's professional career is the result of a remarkable work ethic. Not for him the short-term pleasures of lazy mornings getting over the night before or long holidays after gruelling tours. Instead Josh has, and continues, to fill his diary with (almost) every offer of work that comes in, thriving on the variety and challenges that each session brings. Of course his killer groove, ability with odd time and his wicked way with fills are the other contributing factors, but then they are a given...

The way that he pushes himself so hard would be remarkable in any case. But the fact that when we catch up with Josh his diary is as ridiculously over-subscribed as ever is particularly notable. For, just as we thought things could hardly get better for Mr Freese, this year brought him the opportunity to play drums for one of the true musical giants of the last quarter of a century.

Surely, when you land the Sting gig (for it is he who has been recently added to Josh's long list of employers) you can afford to ease off the gas a little? A job like that means, after all, that the eyes of the world are on you like they've never been before. This is proper, big-league stuff that could surely buy you a little breathing space. Do the tour, have a few weeks off, wait for the next round of rehearsals in Europe - isn't that the way it should be?

Evidently not. Despite the fact that Josh is currently Sting's drummer of choice, he continues to pursue a punishing work schedule with a plethora of other bands and artists. In short, he is a fine example to aspiring drummers everywhere.

Not that he'd see it that way, however. Josh remains as modest and self-effacing as he ever was, describing how "surreal" an experience it was to meet Sting for the first time, how playing with him is "a dream come true" and how much he still appreciates each and every one of the work calls that keep his cell phone ringing red hot...

Rhythm: So you're still doing a million and one things at the moment. But what we all really want to know is how you managed to bag yourself the Sting job. So spill the beans...

Josh Freese: "Sting had decided to do a more stripped-down four-piece kind of guitar rock band. The kind of thing that would rake him back closer to The Police than he'd been in a long time. Even in 1993-94 when Sting had a relatively small band there were still keyboards involved, and a lot of the time his band has featured horns and strings and everything. So getting back to a really small band was a big deal for him. Initially I think the plan was to go out for just six weeks with this band. And in deciding who was going to be involved, my name evidently cropped up through his A&R guy at Interscope Records. I got a call inviting me to meet Sting when he came to LA for a show last October - his people suggested that I come out, see the show and hook up with him there."

What was that first meeting like?

"I went to the show and figured that I'd maybe get the chance to say hi and that we'd fix up a meeting after that. But in the end I was taken backstage and Sting and I sat down and talked for about 45 minutes to an hour. That was a pretty surreal first meeting, I must admit. I was always such a huge Police fan that I couldn't quite believe that I was sat there chatting to Sting. When we'd finished talking I got up to leave and Sting said, 'I hope to see you at rehearsals in the spring'. At that point I didn't fully appreciate what was going on, but that was it as far as Sting was concerned - I'd been recommended to him, we'd met and clicked, and he was inviting me to go and rehearse with the band."

So no audition?

"Sting doesn't do auditions it would seem. He relies completely on recommendations from people that he trusts. The way that Keith Carlock got the gig before me was the same - Sting was looking for someone and Vinnie Colaiuta told him he should check out Keith. And that was it, simple as that."

Do you know if Sting checked out any of the albums that you've played on, to at least hear you in a recorded context?

"I've recorded hundreds of albums with different people over the years, so he might have checked out a couple, but I'm really not sure. He obviously knows whose opinions he can trust now, so if someone says, 'Josh would be perfect for this band', he'll take it on trust. You know the coolest thing? Both Sting and Dominic (Miller, longtime Sting guitarist) have kids in their 20s and they both, independently, said to me that when they mentioned to their kids that they were getting Josh Freese from A Perfect Circle in on drums the kids were like, 'Oh man, that's so cool, A Perfect Circle are amazing'. I don't think Dominic or Sting were aware of A Perfect Circle, so that was a great vote of confidence from a younger audience."

You've mentioned Vinnie and Keith Carlock, who are just two of the amazing drummers to occupy the Sting drum throne over the years. So you had some pretty big shoes to fill taking on this gig...

"Every drummer Sting's ever played with has been world class. I mean, look at the list Stewart Copeland, Manu Katche, Omar Hakim, Vinnie, Keith. They're all incredible and it's a very intimidating situation to find yourself in, being asked to step into those shoes. These guys are some of my favourite players in the world. And there were moments when I found myself thinking, 'What in show up and fall flat on my face?' So I really did my homework before I left for the rehearsals. I listened through to everything and wrote out all my little charts. And of course, as soon as we got into the rehearsal room it all went out of the window."

How come?

"The thing with Sting - and this is one of the reasons that working with him is such a thrill - is that he changes things up all the time. So we would be playing songs and he'd drop intros, leave out the second verse, double the length of a solo, and so on. I'd heard he liked to do this, even in soundcheck before an evening's gig. It's great because it keeps everything fresh and exiting, but a lot of my careful preparation was for nothing, He kept me on my toes, that's for sure."

But it does stop gigs from becoming a case of going through the motions.

"That's exactly it. By the end of the last Perfect Circle tour I had started to feel really stale. We'd been playing the same songs the same way for a year and it started to feel really old. With Sting we might play the same set on tour, but the songs will change night to night. He's been playing some of these songs for 20 years or so, so he wants to make sure they don't get stale."

How did you approach the job of learning the songs? Did you try to get them note for note and copy everything that the drummers that have gone before did?

"I'm such a massive fan of both Vinnie and Stewart in particular that I've stolen things from both of them. In terms of the way that I play I fit in between the two of them. I'm not as 'chopsy' as Vinnie but I'm a little more schooled than Stewart and I guess the things I do fit with what Sting wants to do at the moment. The way I approach my parts really depends on the song. There are certain fills and signature grooves that have to stay and I'll play them exactly as Stewart or whoever played them. But Stewart wouldn't play fills the same way every night with The Police, so there's room to play things differently and bring some of how I'm feeling to the song.

"One of the funniest things about preparing the songs for the rehearsals was that I'd try and get all the fills down. So we'd be in the studio going round the tunes and there'd be occasions where I'd be nailing certain fills from the records and feeling pleased with myself and Sting would turn around and say to me, 'Y'know, I always hated what Stewart did there - can you play something else?'"

So you were allowed input into what you played on each track?

"Yeah. Sting's very open-minded, which I was pleasantly surprised about. When we started working together he would ask me what I thought about certain sections or arrangements, and he'd listen to what I had to say. He really respects Dominic's opinion too, so in reality it's far from Sting telling everyone what to do."

It's not a case of him being an authoritarian band leader then?

"Not at all. At the heart of it, Sting's a bassist. That's who he is. You can forget that he's a multi-millionaire celebrity rock star. When he's working in the studio rehearsing with the band, he's a bass player. He's never forgotten that and that's why he's never become lazy and why he still loves to interact with other players and seek their input."

That must be the icing on the cake - not only do you get the chance to play these incredible, legendary songs, but also you have the chance to shape how they're delivered on stage. That must have been a dream for a big Police fan like you.

"There are other big rock legends that might ask me to play with them and I wouldn't always say yes. If I'm not into it I don't always take a gig for the sake of making money. But with Sting I was such a big Police fan that it really is like a dream come true. I loved The Police when I first heard them as a kid, and as I grew as a musician I continued to appreciate them and understand more about what amazing musicians they were. And when Sting started doing his solo stuff I fell in love with the songs too. He's an incredible songwriting talent."

His songs really are a part of the pop music canon aren't they?

"Absolutely. Once it was clear that I was going to join the band, Sting sent me an email saying, 'Here's the stuff you should be familiar with - let's start with these and the ones that sound good we'll keep'. I laughed because I already knew every song on that list. His songs are just a part of a musician's vocabulary now - part of pop history."

So how much have you done with him in terms of playing and touring so far, and what does the future hold?

"Initially we spent about two or three weeks rehearsing in Italy, then six weeks touring the US, then we came to the UK for a while in late June, basically jamming and writing, hopefully with a view to a new record at some point. September and October we'll carry on writing, maybe for an EP or something. I've done the new record by Wes Borland, and the first record by this new band called Summer Obsession which I really like. And I'm still doing stuff with Devo too."

And yet your schedule remains full of other, non-Sting stuff too...

"I'm always busy with other stuff. Let's see - I've got a Vandals show next week, I've just done the drums on a soundtrack to a Sony PlayStation game that Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails guitarist) and Billy Howerdel (Perfect Circle mastermind) have written.

How is it that you manage to maintain not only the pace of that workload, but also the hunger to play drums and make music?

"I really try not to take anything for granted. I've been playing drums professionally fur a long time, but I do try to appreciate every opportunity that I'm given. It does feel normal after all this time and you do get used to working with great people on great music, but I try to keep a perspective on it all and realise that I'm really lucky to be doing what I'm doing. Which is easy to do when you get a call from Sting.

"But of course there are times when it's hard, when you're tired and when things aren't sounding like you'd hoped they would and when I'm away from home and I'm missing my little boy. But the good times make up for all of that."

Talking of the good times, performing at live 8 with Sting must have been a career highlight...

"Live 8 was an incredible experience. It was obviously very busy and hectic from an organizational point of view, but I was amazed at how unstressed and professional everybody was. And I was surprised at how un-nervous about it I was. There were butterflies - I mean I've never played in front of 200,000 people, let alone the billions who were watching on television. But I was more excited than anything else. Besides, in terms of the audience at Hyde Park, you can only really see the first 20,000 or so people, and all the rest just turn info an oil painting."

A lot of musicians would be happy to rest on laurels like that for a while, but it doesn't sound like you're likely to.

"I have friends who are rock stars, like Adrian Young from No Doubt, who have sold like, 35 million records. But I've never been in the situation of being in a band that's sold that much. A Perfect Circle don't sell as many records as Tool, for example (Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan also fronts APC). I think because I've never experienced that level of success, I've never become lazy. I still always feel I have something to prove. It's great that I've received recognition from other drummers and that means a lot to me, but I've got a way to go. I've been close to 'making it' before, but it's never quite materialised, which has been a big motivating factor to me.

"But anyway, it's not all about being mercenary and going after the buck. It's also really important to me to do stuff that I love where I can. Working with a band like Devo, for example, is a big deal to me because, first and foremost I'm a fan, and I love the music. So although Devo are not a huge band, playing with them is really important to me. I love the diversity of everything that I do. And I have worked my ass off to get to where I am now."

That's certainly true, and a big part of the reason that you've enjoyed the career you have so far.

"I'm always surprised at how lazy some guys are. I've always worked really hard, because I've been of the opinion that no one hands you anything on a plate. So if! get a call to do a session at midday and then someone else asks me to do something on the same day I'll try and arrange it so that we do it at 7.30-8 in the morning. I'll get up at six, get my stuff together, be at the studio at 7am, do the session until 1lam, then get across to the midday booking. There's a coffee shop that I visit in the mornings all the time and they always say, 'Hey we thought you were a musician, shouldn't you be in bed until the afternoon?' But I've never been like that. I'll work 16-18 hour days sometimes, just because I hate to say no to gigs, particularly now that I'm lucky enough to be asked to do really cool stuff. I have to remind myself to take a break sometimes.

"There are tons of drummers that I know that really don't work that much. So I know that I'm lucky to be in my position. I'm always flattered that people ask me to play on their records. Even if it's some weird, obscure band that I've never heard of I'm always appreciative of the fact that they wane me to play drums for them."

Finally, what about A Perfect Circle? Any plans at all?

"There are no plans for any APC stuff in the near future. Maynard's going out on tour with Tool for about 18 months so we'll probably take a break for two years before we start on another record.

"I'd definitely like to do another one, but the break's going to do us good I think. We need to be able to come back to it fresh. And I have more than enough to keep me busy in the meantime."

Josh's gear

Drums: DW Collector's Series - 8", 10", 12" and 16" toms, 22" x 18" bass drum, 14" x 5" aluminium snare..."and some fake octobans that I had DW make for me."

Cymbals: Paiste Signature Series - 14" Dark Crisp hi-hats, 20" Dry Crisp ride, 8" and 10" splashes, 18" Full or Power crashes (x2), 192 Full crash.

Plus: DW Pedals, Vater Josh Freese H-220 sticks, Remo heads.

© Rhythm magazine