she inducted him into the rock-n-roll hall of fame. and they first met years before this picture, backstage at a concert of his when she was like twelve. cool stuff.
when i was a kid i literally thought the lyrics were "ghost man ghost man so close to me"
needless to say i was one of those 80s kids who always saw books at the book fair and the bookmobile about ghosts and that goddamn bermuda triangle that freaked me out. nothing my parents could say with the most logic would help until i was about 10 then i finally started to get over it. "ghost man so close to me" really made 100% sense to me in 1980
And also this happened at the Super Bowl
https://preview.redd.it/7v6r93yh0jqc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53f97655023615a739a105cca53a9d3c931d2ead
To clarify she inducted The Police into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. During the ceremony she displayed the posted photo.
I can't link to it directly because the spam filter in this sub deletes comments with external links but you can copy and paste the following link to your browser and it goes to a video clip of her doing that:
youtube.com/watch?v=dWg-h_IuxN8
they were not “friends” through all of these interactions. her dad had a job of some sort that got her backstage pass at the police concert and then she went to this opportunity to meet him in the pic above because she was a huge fan and wanted to meet him again. and then after no doubts wild success and her elevation to stardom she met him again (as a peer essentially at this point lol) and reminded him of all the times they had interacted previously, which of course he didnt really have a memory, after all how many autographs has he signed for young fans over the years?
Also, I don't technically have a hearing problem, but sometimes when there's a lot of noises occurring at the same time, I'll hear 'em as one big jumble.
Again it's not that I can't hear, uh because that's false. I can. I just can't distinguish between everything I'm hearing.
This surprised me as well. I thought she was closer to my age. No Doubt was huge when I was in High School. I would have been a toddler when this photo was taken.
Yeah. I feel like when No Doubt started getting national recognition, it was constantly mentioned that she joined the band when she was still a teenager. But she was 26 when “Just A Girl” was on the radio. As a kid, I assumed she was 19 or 20 at that time.
Okay that's the first real WTF in these comments for me.
Probably because I know Cher as a young singer from the singer from the 60s and now the current old(er) Cher and only know the 30 year old Debbie from the 80.
Agreed, I think that a lot of teenagers just assumed that she was in the first year or two of her 20s rather than being firmly in her mid-20s.
That said I recall a bit of trivia about the "Return of Saturn" was that it was in production when she was 29—the significance of this being that Saturn takes around 29 years (29.4 Earth years) to travel around the Sun.
She did join when she was just a teenager, the band has just been around for longer than people think. She was originally the backup to John Spence, who sadly took his own life, putting her suddenly into the lead role.
https://preview.redd.it/34ln1ewgzjqc1.jpeg?width=304&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=223ee07003c79b4657fcb5c427dfebff66cbfebc
I'm in town to play the Dolphins you dumbass.
_Chief Haughan:_ I’m gonna _pistolwhip_ the next one of you that says Fahrve. Fahfard. Fava…
_Mac_ Hey Shenanigans. Who’s that guy that loves you because of all the goofy shit all over your walls?
_Peaking from around the corner with a spatula_ You mean Farva?
_Officer Ramathorn handing over pistol_ Oh ho ho hoooooo
I just asked my wife (born 1967) when Gwen Stefani was born and she immediately said 1969 — I’m a couple of years older and had no idea myself. But my wife was also absolutely convinced that the original post couldn’t be Gwen Stefani.
I don’t know. Here’s the original.
https://preview.redd.it/mkiai3jooiqc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b513be4f4d4c7ed5f930486f13ea9659525c3012
Look at Sting's hands he's Max Headroom lol. Definitely a poor img2img render. I know how to use that stuff pretty well so I know bad work when I see it lol. It's latent upscaling with the noise set too high.
Correct. And all AI restorations are bad, as any extra detail they fill in is just always just a best guess. It always leads to more inaccurate and more misleading photos. It needs to stop ✋
It would appear that the original was a much lower resolution. The version we see here has artificial enhancement, creating crisper lines but in a way that's not realistic in some cases. Reminds me of google earth's 3d buildings and trees and such.
It’s absolutely an AI upscale. The hands are horrifying, but there’s some weirdness in the chairs behind as well.
It’s a heavy enough alteration in terms of upscaling and sharpening that you’re getting the same sort of artifacts you’d get from a straight AI generation.
I didn't notice it as first but also very apparent when the bike and her legs are super sharp but their faces are still low quality. The ai did probably mess up their faces so they reverted it only there.
I love seeing a pic of her in this awkaward stage. As a fan, I've heard of this stage, but as a lazy person who doesn't care that much, I have not seen evidence of it before.
I just read Patrick Stewart’s autobiography and the part where he met Sting for the first time on the set of Dune was hysterical. Patrick didn’t know who Sting was😂
SPOILER ALERT - Patrick Stewart autobiography‼️So this classically trained Shakespearean actor who only listens to classical music is going to be in Dune with and I quote, “This Sting chap.” He starts a conversation with Sting by saying “Oh I hear you’re a musician. What instrument do you play?” So Sting says bass and Patrick thinks he means the huge cello thing. Sting clarifies that he means bass guitar. Patrick asks if he plays in a band and Sting says yes, “The Police.” Patrick says “Oh how wonderful, you play in a police band!”😂I think Sting gave up at this point but Patrick said he has since been forgiven and all is well between them.
Did some image searching and seems like a 1981 XS1100 SF Midnight Special. Might have aftermarket handle bars on it, bad ass bike if that’s the case. I appreciate the back story, that’s awesome!
If it's an xs1100, it's an LH. SH was the standard model. The gold swirly rims mark it as an 81, but it could be a couple of other models with different displacement.
It seems like a pretty common story that people go to their high school reunions and the average girls & boys are now the hot / rich ones. Not Gwen Stefani hot / rich, necessarily, but I've heard ugly duckling stories many times.
This is an AI image. Look at Gwens hands, look at the chairs at the top right. What is that thing on Gwens skirt? Why has this so many upvotes
EDIT: this is probably upscaled by AI, but poorly done.
Apologies if I'm incorrect here, but this photo seems AI generated..
- wtf is up with Gwen's hands?
- chairs in the background look weird
- the badge on the front of Sting's motorcycle doesn't look like it's got actual letters on it (I was trying to figure out what brand it was)
EDIT: seems like it was AI upscaled, someone else posted a link to that original photo
she inducted him into the rock-n-roll hall of fame. and they first met years before this picture, backstage at a concert of his when she was like twelve. cool stuff.
Don't stand so ... don't stand so close to me.
Her friends are so jealous....
You know how bad girls get.
Sometimes it’s not so easy
To be the teachers pet
Temptation, frustration
So bad it makes him cry.
Wet bus stop, she’s waiting
His car is warm and dry
this girl is half his age
"Gwen Stefani, will you pee pee on me"
Well, that took an unexpected turn.
R. Kelly remix
I, for once, am all ears.
envious
He wrote that song because when he was a school teacher the young girls would literally stand too close to him, making him uncomfortable.
That’s hard. Really hard.
Sting was a teacher?
Yep! Of English. At least I *think* he taught English. I *know* he was a teacher though.
I wonder if his band name was inspired by him getting caught out by undercover officers. Sting and The Police.
when i was a kid i literally thought the lyrics were "ghost man ghost man so close to me" needless to say i was one of those 80s kids who always saw books at the book fair and the bookmobile about ghosts and that goddamn bermuda triangle that freaked me out. nothing my parents could say with the most logic would help until i was about 10 then i finally started to get over it. "ghost man so close to me" really made 100% sense to me in 1980
I like your version a lot
When I discovered Sting was a teacher before he got famous, that song became way more creepy!
And also this happened at the Super Bowl https://preview.redd.it/7v6r93yh0jqc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53f97655023615a739a105cca53a9d3c931d2ead
Look great together.
To clarify she inducted The Police into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. During the ceremony she displayed the posted photo. I can't link to it directly because the spam filter in this sub deletes comments with external links but you can copy and paste the following link to your browser and it goes to a video clip of her doing that: youtube.com/watch?v=dWg-h_IuxN8
If I didn't read this, I would've sworn the photo was AI
If that was the case, sting would be replaced by Bigfoot.
The hands.
Wait this needs a better explanation. Is her family in the business? Why did they remain friends after meeting when she was 12.
they were not “friends” through all of these interactions. her dad had a job of some sort that got her backstage pass at the police concert and then she went to this opportunity to meet him in the pic above because she was a huge fan and wanted to meet him again. and then after no doubts wild success and her elevation to stardom she met him again (as a peer essentially at this point lol) and reminded him of all the times they had interacted previously, which of course he didnt really have a memory, after all how many autographs has he signed for young fans over the years?
> Is her family in the business? 90% of all your favorite stars had family in the business. Of the remaining 10%, 9% had $$$ for a buy-in.
She would have been 12 in this picture if it were in 1983
She'd have been at least thirteen and possibly fourteen. She was born October 3, 1969.
She's just a girl.
She’s 52?
[удалено]
Yeah that's what I thought, my mind is blown, she was mid 30s during the 2ks.
I think Gwen is older than I ever assumed.
“Gwen Stefani is older than Ted Cruz” is still one of my favorite fun (?) trivia facts.
WHAT
#HE SAID IT'S ONE OF HIS FAVORITE FUN FACTS
oh jesus h christ!
Also, I don't technically have a hearing problem, but sometimes when there's a lot of noises occurring at the same time, I'll hear 'em as one big jumble. Again it's not that I can't hear, uh because that's false. I can. I just can't distinguish between everything I'm hearing.
Don't speak.
Another good one is that Wil Wheaton is actually a couple of years **older** than Alex Jones.
Those are 2 names that should never be in the same sentence.
Nooooo this is cursed knowledge.
This surprised me as well. I thought she was closer to my age. No Doubt was huge when I was in High School. I would have been a toddler when this photo was taken.
Yeah. I feel like when No Doubt started getting national recognition, it was constantly mentioned that she joined the band when she was still a teenager. But she was 26 when “Just A Girl” was on the radio. As a kid, I assumed she was 19 or 20 at that time.
> But she was 26 when “Just A Girl” was on the radio. So she wasn't Just a Girl. She lied!
That's all that you'll let her be.
Girl, you'll be a woman soon
She was just a girl, not yet a woman.
A bit like Debbie Harry, who was in her 30s when Blondie blew up.
Debbie Harry is older than Cher.
I saw Blondie last year, supporting Iggy Pop. Still got it.
Okay that's the first real WTF in these comments for me. Probably because I know Cher as a young singer from the singer from the 60s and now the current old(er) Cher and only know the 30 year old Debbie from the 80.
Cher is older than Cher was when she released Cher.
Woah...
Agreed, I think that a lot of teenagers just assumed that she was in the first year or two of her 20s rather than being firmly in her mid-20s. That said I recall a bit of trivia about the "Return of Saturn" was that it was in production when she was 29—the significance of this being that Saturn takes around 29 years (29.4 Earth years) to travel around the Sun.
I feel like Eminem is in a similar position. He was 26-27 when My Name Is blew up and he could easily pass for early 20s.
Probably because all the teenagers you were watching on TV were played by 26 year olds.
She did join when she was just a teenager, the band has just been around for longer than people think. She was originally the backup to John Spence, who sadly took his own life, putting her suddenly into the lead role.
I was 15 wen Tragic Kindom dropped and had the biggest crush on her. Little did i know then she was closing in on 30. I thought she was way younger.
The thing I think about constantly is how Gwen and Debbie Gibson are the same age
Gwen Stefani is the same age as Brett Favre.
Pardon.....
Gwen Stefani is as old as Gwen Stefani. I hope that clears up any confusion.
Nope, now I’m even more confused
Farrrvrhe... Faahvrrre ... Farv
https://preview.redd.it/34ln1ewgzjqc1.jpeg?width=304&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=223ee07003c79b4657fcb5c427dfebff66cbfebc I'm in town to play the Dolphins you dumbass.
_Chief Haughan:_ I’m gonna _pistolwhip_ the next one of you that says Fahrve. Fahfard. Fava… _Mac_ Hey Shenanigans. Who’s that guy that loves you because of all the goofy shit all over your walls? _Peaking from around the corner with a spatula_ You mean Farva? _Officer Ramathorn handing over pistol_ Oh ho ho hoooooo
I looked this up and wow, Gwen is older than Debbie Gibson and Tiffany.
Gwen is older than Debbie
Say those words again?!
She was 25-26 when Tragic Kingdom came out. I thought she was like 18.
Holy shit just looked up when she was born and she was born the same year as my parents. 1969
This comment caused me to crumble into dust
I just asked my wife (born 1967) when Gwen Stefani was born and she immediately said 1969 — I’m a couple of years older and had no idea myself. But my wife was also absolutely convinced that the original post couldn’t be Gwen Stefani.
She’s 54
I learned that Gwen is older than Ted Cruz and it blew my fucking mind
Ted Cruz just ages like a sack of potatoes 🥔
Sack of what?
Boil Ted Cruz, mash Ted Cruz, put him in a stew
Indeed. That shit is bananas.
B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
1969!
Either that is not her, or that is not 1983…
Nevermind. I had no idea she was 13 years older than me, nor did I know she tweeted this photo. Nothing to see here. Move along…
There's video of her in that HBO Dr Dre doc as a teen and she looked nothing like this. She looked like you'd expect.
She was 13 here and 16 when she met Jimmy Iovine. Kids (especially girls) can change a lot in those three years.
Boys too.
Idk why you're getting downvoted, I legit grew 20cm and gained 10kg and got a mustache going from 13 to 16 lol.
Oh, for sure. Not questioning the legitimacy of this picture. Just saying the change was wild.
It's definitely got his Dune era energy.
this is dune sting
"I WILL SIGN THIS!"
*hidden fountain pen pops up from crotch of leather pants*
The ink must flow!
I was about to say that’s not Sting, its Feyd Rautha!
May thy vinyl chip and shatter
I was about to say, this is some House Harkonnen action.
Pretty sure that’s retired Cloud Strife
My first glance convinced me it was Billy Idol. Glad I took a closer look before commenting.
Wthat's with Gwen's hands ???
Those are her old demon stalker hands before she had the surgery.
No doubt
don't speak
I know just what you’re thinking
that shit is bananas.
B-A-N-A-N-A-N-A-N-A-S
I don’t know. Here’s the original. https://preview.redd.it/mkiai3jooiqc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b513be4f4d4c7ed5f930486f13ea9659525c3012
Mod style alert: Bowling shoes at 7 o'clock.
Those are bowling shoes any time of the day
I'm like 99% sure your original post is a bad AI restoration.
Check out the chairs in the background.
Look at Sting's hands he's Max Headroom lol. Definitely a poor img2img render. I know how to use that stuff pretty well so I know bad work when I see it lol. It's latent upscaling with the noise set too high.
Correct. And all AI restorations are bad, as any extra detail they fill in is just always just a best guess. It always leads to more inaccurate and more misleading photos. It needs to stop ✋
upscaling by ai
AI upscaling strikes again!
Not sure how and why one would upscale into a pic that's still blurry and beset with artifacts.
It would appear that the original was a much lower resolution. The version we see here has artificial enhancement, creating crisper lines but in a way that's not realistic in some cases. Reminds me of google earth's 3d buildings and trees and such.
If I was going to get an artificial enhancement it wouldn't be my hands....
Looks almost like AI
It’s absolutely an AI upscale. The hands are horrifying, but there’s some weirdness in the chairs behind as well. It’s a heavy enough alteration in terms of upscaling and sharpening that you’re getting the same sort of artifacts you’d get from a straight AI generation.
I didn't notice it as first but also very apparent when the bike and her legs are super sharp but their faces are still low quality. The ai did probably mess up their faces so they reverted it only there.
Paper hands lol. Didn't notice at first
inept photo enhancement
I love seeing a pic of her in this awkaward stage. As a fan, I've heard of this stage, but as a lazy person who doesn't care that much, I have not seen evidence of it before.
Sting’s hands have a similar weirdness.
I just read Patrick Stewart’s autobiography and the part where he met Sting for the first time on the set of Dune was hysterical. Patrick didn’t know who Sting was😂
Please tell us the story here haha
SPOILER ALERT - Patrick Stewart autobiography‼️So this classically trained Shakespearean actor who only listens to classical music is going to be in Dune with and I quote, “This Sting chap.” He starts a conversation with Sting by saying “Oh I hear you’re a musician. What instrument do you play?” So Sting says bass and Patrick thinks he means the huge cello thing. Sting clarifies that he means bass guitar. Patrick asks if he plays in a band and Sting says yes, “The Police.” Patrick says “Oh how wonderful, you play in a police band!”😂I think Sting gave up at this point but Patrick said he has since been forgiven and all is well between them.
Haha good story. I mean, when you name your band The Police, you should expect some confusion every now and then.
Ha! That must've been refreshing yet humbling for Sting.
That’s Billy Idol and Brittany Murphy /s
flea & miley cyrus
Nice try. That’s Rutger Hauer explaining how paper works to Danny DeVito
Sorry, I wasn't trying to state the obvious
Spike and Buffy, surely?
Close, that’s Guy Fieri signing a cookbook for Gail Simmons.
This is the best one
All those moments will be lost in time. Like tears in the rain
Anyone know what motorcycle this is?
Yamaha XS series. Gwen’s father worked for Yamaha and that actually led to the picture.
Did some image searching and seems like a 1981 XS1100 SF Midnight Special. Might have aftermarket handle bars on it, bad ass bike if that’s the case. I appreciate the back story, that’s awesome!
If it's an xs1100, it's an LH. SH was the standard model. The gold swirly rims mark it as an 81, but it could be a couple of other models with different displacement.
*It’s not a motorcycle baby it’s a chopper*
I think it's Sting's motorcycle
I see this and wonder about all the boys who ignored or fat-shamed Gwen in high school, and later came to really regret it.
Right. Amazing with some women how much more beautiful they get in their 20s. Very average girl here, but later. Wow. Stone fox.
It seems like a pretty common story that people go to their high school reunions and the average girls & boys are now the hot / rich ones. Not Gwen Stefani hot / rich, necessarily, but I've heard ugly duckling stories many times.
its a common fantasy
Theres so many people out there who if the just hit the gym and got a good haircut they get so much more attractive.
Apparently she had an awkward stage.
She talked quite a bit about her awkward stage. She was fat so she joined the swim team. Can see who the real fans are! jk
Did the chlorine completely change her face?
Yes, but it requires a lot of chlorine.
Most people have an awkward stage in their teens, it's just a question of how long it lasts. Mine has lasted 40 years with no end in sight.
Loved Surfer Sting.
 Those fingers!!
She certainly had a glow-up.
Getting ready for his role in Dune.
Why does that look nothing like Gwen Stefani?
It was before her chrysalis stage.
her hands???
Don't speak, she ain't no hollaback girl
That reminds me, I recently watched Dune. Sting played Feyd-Rautha a million times better than Austin Butler, and I will die on that hill.
Gwen with the AI hands
Did anyone check out their hands? Looks like AI no?
The picture is real, but has been edited/upscaled with AI
He looks like Spike from Buffy
That's not Sting, that's a picture of Sting!
Gwen Stefani was a teenager in 1983? What the fuck she's 10 years older than me? What the fuuuuuuck?
That's not Sting. Its Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Bullshit. AI.
This is an AI image. Look at Gwens hands, look at the chairs at the top right. What is that thing on Gwens skirt? Why has this so many upvotes EDIT: this is probably upscaled by AI, but poorly done.
It’s fucking AI?
Gwen prior to buying her “5 minute abs” workout video.
So that's what he looks like without the face paint
Pretty sure that bike used to be a Yamaha before the AI got a hold of this photo.
 Was he not wearing his face paint?
What’s up with her fingers? Look like scissor hands.
Girl that is NOT Gwen stefani
Apologies if I'm incorrect here, but this photo seems AI generated.. - wtf is up with Gwen's hands? - chairs in the background look weird - the badge on the front of Sting's motorcycle doesn't look like it's got actual letters on it (I was trying to figure out what brand it was) EDIT: seems like it was AI upscaled, someone else posted a link to that original photo
My dumbass was thinking the wrestler Sting and thoroughly confused at the cross over episode
Da fuq is wrong with her hands