By Brit McCandless Farmer
April 19, 2026 / 7:00 PM EDT / CBS News
On this week’s 60 Minutes, Stewart Copeland opens the doors of his Los Angeles studio to Bill Whitaker, revealing a hands-on, ever-growing laboratory of sound. Once best known as the drummer for The Police, Copeland has filled the space with custom percussion rigs, tuned bells, waterphones, gongs and a 1920s trumpet that belonged to his father — instruments assembled to explore rhythm and timbre in unconventional ways.
The session ranges from workshop to performance as Copeland walks Whitaker through a guitar gifted by former bandmate Sting, then demonstrates how the project fuses orchestral percussion techniques with textures borrowed from nature. Those textures arrive literally: Copeland has enlisted nonhuman collaborators — hyenas, owls and howler monkeys — partnering with British naturalist Martyn Stewart to create an experimental album titled Wild Concerto. The record pairs animal vocalizations with orchestral percussion and inventive sound design to celebrate what Copeland calls the orchestra of nature.
Throughout the visit he toggles between explaining techniques and playing, showing how custom rigs and field recordings are woven into compositional choices. The interview highlights Copeland’s playful, exploratory approach: part scientist, part composer, and fully committed to expanding what counts as musical instrumentation.
Video produced and edited by Nelson Ryland.