Sting questions if toxic masculinity is caused by decline of manual jobs: “We’ve lost something there”
Sting has questioned whether toxic masculinity has risen due to a decline in manual labour jobs.
The former Police frontman made the comments after announcing plans to take a break his world tour for a run in the West End to star in his musical, The Last Ship.
The production is set to begin at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane in London between September 22nd and October 3rd. Sting first developed The Last Ship in 2011, which was initially inspired by his 1991 album The Soul Cages, and later became a studio album itself in 2013.
In The Last Ship, which is set in the north east of England, where Sting was brought up, Sting takes on the lead role of Jackie White, a shipyard foreman who is attempting to balance his work commitments while struggling with health woes.
In a statement, Sting shared, “I grew up in the shadow of the shipyard, I’d watch thousands of men walk to work each morning, but I dreamed of something else… I dreamed of escaping, and I did everything in my power to get away from that life.”
He poignantly continued, “But the farther I got, the more I realized I needed to understand where I came from and felt I had to give something back. The Last Ship is my tribute to the people and the place that shaped me.”
To coincide with the announcement, Sting spoke to The Guardian, and said of manual labour, “I work with my hands every day as a musician, and I’m lucky. It’s a rare thing for modern men to actually use their hands and use their strengths to do anything. We’ve lost something there.”
He then posited, “I don’t have any answers, but maybe the toxicity in society at the moment is [a result of the fact] that we’ve lost that direction for our energy, that male strength. It’s rare we have to use it.”
However, as much as he mourned the loss of what the shipyard industry meant to the people of his area, he didn’t want The Last Ship to romanticise the poor conditions, stating, “They were working in asbestos, all kinds of toxic chemicals. At the same time, I’m nostalgic for the sense of community that I was brought up in.”
Before taking The Last Ship to London, it will have a run at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York from June 10th to June 15th.
Then, he’ll hit the road this summer with his Sting 3.0 live show, set to begin in Zagreb, Croatia, on June 17th, which will traverse through mainland Europe and conclude in Cluj, Romania, on August 6th.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.