Fame & Fortune: Andy Summers 'Police' guitarist profits with 'Every Breath You Take'
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Bankrate: Did you have any confidence that you were going to see the money from your records?

Summers: It's so weird when you get into that. It's not like you have a hit record and you get paid the next day. It doesn't work like that. It has to go through all of this sort of financial plumbing with the record company until finally you get it. It takes about two years. So it was a long time before we actually felt flush. Clearly, people were interested because we started to become a money machine, we were looked after, but it was a while before it actually arrived at the bank.

Bankrate: One of the great ironies of rock stardom is that by the time you actually feel flush, everybody starts giving you everything.

Summers: Yeah, when you're No. 1, finally you're there and you don't really need it anymore, everything's free. It's sort of the wrong way around.

Bankrate: How much of the friction between the three of you was healthy?

Summers: Well, it got a bit unhealthy toward the end, but generally I'm in favor of friction, at least in rock bands, because it sort of drives the music. I mean, you need music that has a certain amount of tension and aggression in it, especially with a band like ours. We kind of came to power during the punk thing and that was slightly the flavor of the time, so it continued on with us. You need a certain amount of that. We're all really good friends now. I went out to dinner with Sting in London this week, and Stewart lives close to me. We're definitely in touch.

Bankrate: In your book, you are very understanding of Sting's desire to go solo and don't really blame him for the breakup of the band.

Summers: I come at it from all angles. That's the only way you can look at it because it illustrates where we were at the time. It (breaking up) seemed almost like a philosophical concept rather than a harsh reality; it became a harsh reality only after we split. But I've never felt like getting really bitter about it, getting crazy about it, because I love those guys. I just think about what we all did together, it was so incredible and it's not given to very many people in this world. I don't feel like bathing in a sea of bitterness about stuff like that.