No doubt, he would rather be spending this time at one of his five sprawling estates spread conveniently around the globe. Maybe he would rather be with one or all of his four picture-perfect kids. Then, of course, there is his wife, Trudie Styler, with whom Sting shares his love and mastery of tantric yoga.

Sting's latest album is called Brand New Day, and the title is meant to be taken literally. Giving his tired, coffeehouse jazz-pop formula a jumpstart, he tries his hand at French rap, Algerian chants, country and western, and, on "Tomorrow We'll See," temporarily becomes a transvestite Brazilian prostitute.

Well, that's part of the challenge, to constantly throw surprises at people. Basically, there are no rules. You're cruising around in one genre, and suddenly you're in another. That amuses the hell out of me.

I tried to kid myself that I wasn't making a record. I just phoned up my musicians saying, "Come over for a few weeks, the sun is shining, have some good wine." I didn't really look on it as doing a record until I started mixing the tracks.

The lyrics do tend to have an organic shape and a thread running through them. That was my intention.

Do you feel marginalized?

That's the problem with being celebrated. Sometimes it's much easier to be unknown. But this is a problem I'll deal with, and I'm fine with it. Actually, it's your problem.

[Laughs] Well, I have enough failures in my closet to remember. I have enough memory of pain not to have to manufacture it anew. One of the things about this record is that it's not biographical; it's not confessional. It's me putting myself in other people's shoes and looking out through their eyes at the world. I enjoyed that process. There's a level of maturity in being able to do that instead of constantly gazing at your own navel.

Um, no. [Laughs] That song is not about me. I actually know one, but it's far removed from my own experience.

My wife made a documentary about them. What interested me was, it's not just commerce in these group of people. It's a branch of show business. These people care passionately about how they look. There's a pride in the way they look and behave that I find quite compelling. I actually admire them.

Why should I?

Well, I'm perfectly willing to give a good answer.

[Laughs] I think that would take more of a practical lesson. With your girlfriend.

No, please. [Laughs] I'm always amused by the rock star as messiah, so it was really a dig at that and not the man himself.

No, but I'm not sure how many people live on that island. I was pretty flattered by that. It's quite rare.

The young Sting was absolutely certain about himself. Someone who was certain about many ideas and opinions already. The Sting of today knows much more about life and music but is less certain about himself. That is the paradox as one becomes older: The more you find out, the clearer it comes to you that certainty is an illusion.

Yes, I do feel more mature. I've never been happier in my life. I've finally come to realize that all I need is my wife, children, and friends to be a happy man. Nothing else really matters.

He's a nice bloke. I think he is what he seems to be. He's an interesting man; he's funny and doesn't take himself too seriously.

No, I'm not a Buddhist or Hindu or anything. I'm a devout musician.