An interesting story

Stewart Copeland delves into his father’s past as a CIA operative.
It was interesting to hear what his childhood was like in the Middle East. I thought it was fascinating to listen to him, his sister and older brother.

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Too much bouncing back and forth in time.

it's a fascinating story but it became repetitive. You know the type. each episode recaps some of the previous for those who didn't hear it.

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Memories of a Beirut childhood

What makes this podcast appealing is the genuineness of the conversation amongst the Copeland siblings. Geopolitics aside, the podcast is an act of a discovery and an attempt to make sense of an unusual childhood and a mysterious parent. For me personally, there were parts that were relatable. While I'm 15 years younger than Stewart Copeland, I attended elementary school at ACS Beirut in the mid-70s. And, yes -- there was a lot of laissez faire parenting in the expat community. We children did run free, even after the civil war started. It's alarming to think about in retrospect, but at the time it was just life as we knew it. I also liked the podcast because the father of my best friend from Beirut days is interviewed, as he knew Miles Copeland.

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In Dave McGowan's Wake

King of Pain swayed me to like rock. I hadn't before: a nerd, not jock. Decades pass, a question, vex: Why are bands so...perfect? It used to be cool, asking "What band ya in?" - Then I read 'Weird Scenes from the Canyon'

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A Story I Always Wanted to Hear

I was a big Police fan in the 80's and of course heard that Stewart's father was one of the founders of the CIA back in those days. Later I became interested in the Copeland family when I saw Stewart's brother Miles being interviewed in a Netflix documentrary about Kim Philby. Needless to say, the Copelands had a singular childhood which produced a group of rather strong-willed, interesting children. And the story of how they got that way is all here, including the story of how the patriarch Miles Axe Copeland toppled governments and invented boardgames. Well worth a listen if you are interested either in the Copelands as part of the music biz, or Copelands as a family of spies (indeed, even Mom was in the game!).

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3 people found this helpful

I definitely recommend this book!

This is the very interesting story of Miles Axe Copeland, a CIA operative in the Middle East, and father of the author, Stewart Copeland, drummer and one of the founders of the rock band "Police." This podcast contained the early years of Steward and his brothers and sister's lives, because of the "job" their dad Miles had. Steward is a superb narrator, and presented the story very well. His brother & sister chimed in at times with their points of view, It helps us understand the reasoning behind the actions of the US from it's agents, the balance of power in the Middle East, and how these actions influenced our relationships with those countries today.

If you are a history fan, a fan of the band Police, or just looking for a good story, My Dad the Spy will fill the bill.

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1 person found this helpful

Interesting and fun read

Stewart is good narrator and a capable writer with a good story, Copeland provides the historical context necessary to give the story a sense of time and space. Could do without the dramatic vignettes but a annoyance in an otherwise good podcast.

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Interesting, but

The historical recollection is interesting. Just leave it at that. The politicizing hindsight at the end marginalizes the efforts of Stewart’s father and many like him doing their best in a difficult time. The 9/11 attacks were ignored.

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Entertaining and informative!

Knew Stewart in different capacity. Didn't know him as an author. Totally entertained. Humorous, informative, well produced, great reflection of fathers legacy and nice to incude brother and sisters thoughts. Love and pride in father and mother weaves throughout recollections. Loved it and highly recommend.

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3 people found this helpful

I enjoyed this

I don’t know how to evaluate this kind of presentation. It’s not like a novel or even a biography or memoir. It’s more like a captivating conversation or a presentation on NPR. I would add that while it was certainly entertaining, it also had historical relevance.

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