Since Clark Kent is the secret identity of Superman, it was no surprise when
Klark Kent turned out to be an alter ego as well.
Kent was actually
Stewart Copeland, the drummer for
the Police. In 1980,
Copeland donned the
Klark Kent disguise, even creating a false biography. The fictional story line portrayed
Kent as a computer programmer who had sued IBM for stealing a mysterious invention; in reality,
Copeland merely wanted to record songs he wrote for
the Police that
Sting didn't like.
Copeland sang and played percussion, guitar, bass, kazoo, and piano on
Klark Kent: Music Madness From the Kinetic Kid, a solo LP credited to
Kent.
Klark Kent's goofy, eccentric tunes were in contrast to
the Police's considerably more weighty oeuvre, at least lyrically. The single "Away From Home" received airplay on new wave radio stations, but it probably would've been unnoticed -- and largely forgotten -- if it hadn't originated from a member of
the Police. Once
Kent's true identity was revealed,
Copeland retired the character and returned to
the Police. In 1995, the
Kent material was compiled onto a CD as
Kollected Works.
–
Michael Sutton, Rovi