Songs from the Cold War #10: The coffee-house Sophocles

Now that the 90s are long gone is it okay to admit I was never really a fan of Sting?  To be sure I liked a few of his songs, but his stuff with The Police was a lot better (some of it anyway).  And when he went on his own he just seemed to have this annoyingly superior and condescending attitude, and to this day I picture him dressed all in black and sitting in an overstuffed armchair in a basement coffee-house where they're having one of those weird poetry readings and everyone snaps instead of applauding.  (I don't know if he's ever done that, but it's what I imagine.)  At any rate, he always came across to me as one of those people who think very highly of themselves and very little of anyone whose views aren't as enlightened.  Nevertheless, "Russians" might have sounded weird as pop music, but I can't argue with the (not-so-subltly overbearing) message.