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My Dad the Spy

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My Dad the Spy

By: Stewart Copeland
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About this listen

Are our parents really who we think they are?

Drummer with The Police, Stewart Copeland, sets out to uncover the truth about his father, Miles Axe Copeland ll - musician, raconteur, international businessman... and, it turns out, secret CIA operative.

Going back to the 1940s to trace his father's involvement in the birth of the CIA, Stewart enters a murky world of dictators and dirty tricks. He learns about his dad's role in overthrowing governments, assassination plots, and befriending an infamous Soviet double agent.

Helped by his brother and sister, and those who knew his dad's world of politics and espionage, Stewart investigates the impact his spy father had, both on their family and on the world.

A 7digital production for Audible Originals.

This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 9 episodes to your Library now.

©2020 Audible, Ltd. (P)2020 Audible, Ltd. Espionage True Crime Spy Nonfiction
Episodes
  • Ep. 1: At Home With The Copelands

    Ep. 1: At Home With The Copelands
    Aug 31 2020

    Stewart and his sister Lennie remember a culturally rich and pampered upbringing, dragged around the Middle East by an often absent father. It felt like any normal family... until they discovered what dad really did.
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    31 mins
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  • Ep. 2: The Shoot Out

    Ep. 2: The Shoot Out
    Aug 31 2020

    We’re in the company of Miles Axe Copeland II, in a world of lavish parties attended by great writers and mysterious colonels. The dangers of dad’s career become apparent when armed raiders break into the family home in Damascus.
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    28 mins
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  • Ep. 3: Joining Up

    Ep. 3: Joining Up
    Aug 31 2020

    Miles survives the armed raid on his home, but was everything as it seemed? Stewart and his sister Lennie follow dad back to a childhood in Birmingham, Alabama, then into his exploits during the war. Miles meets the man who will eventually recruit him into the CIA, and receives the secret orders which change his life forever.
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    32 mins
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About the Creator and Performer

Stewart Copeland has spent more than three decades at the forefront of contemporary music as rock star and acclaimed film composer, as well as in the disparate worlds of opera, ballet, and world and chamber music. Recruiting Sting and Andy Summers in 1977, Copeland is renowned as the founder of The Police, a band that became a defining force in rock music from the ‘80s through to the present day. His career includes the sale of more than 60 million records worldwide, and numerous awards, including five Grammy awards.
Copeland moved beyond the rock arena in the mid-1980s when he returned to his classical roots with creative pursuits in concert and film music. His concert works include BEN-HUR, A Tale of the Christ, which features Copeland as soloist in a live orchestral score for the 1925 silent film; Tyrant’s Crush: Concerto for Trapset and Orchestra commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Poltroons in Paradise commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; and Gamelan D’Drum, commissioned by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for the world percussion group D’Drum. He has also, in the last two years, written and hosted two extremely successful TV shows for the BBC. Stewart Copeland on Drums and Stewart Copelands Adventures In Music.

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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.

An interesting story

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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.

Too much bouncing back and forth in time.

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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.

Memories of a Beirut childhood

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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'

In Dave McGowan's Wake

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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!).

A Story I Always Wanted to Hear

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what a great, intimate portrait of the inner workings of humanity in American influence over the middle east. thanks for taking the time to do this stewart!

insights to politics family and international relations

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Worth listening to! Will there be a part 2? There has to be more to this story!

Captivating

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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.

I definitely recommend this book!

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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.

Interesting and fun read

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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.

Interesting, but

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