Why do people call Sting pretentious?

I have read tons on Sting's music, and the one word almost everyone uses is "pretentious." I listen to his music and I see barely any traces of pretentiousness. Why do people use that term to describe him?

Because they haven't listened to enough progressive rock and post-rock to know what pretentious really means.

edited 4th Dec '11 1:36:06 PM by Erock

I believe they’re not referring to his music but his offstage persona (see also: Bono).

Because he has pretences. But then, as Erock said, so do many other artists, to an equal or greater extent. He just happens to be famous and somewhat self-absorbed, too.

Honestly, I couldn't care less either way. Some of his music is good, some isn't. So it goes.

Same music critics fail to realize that Radiohead's The Bends sounds almost exactly like Pablo Honey (an album they trash, unlike the former, later album).

Since public opinion is usually the opposite of reality, then Sting mus be the most modest person in the biz today.

Immodest musicians are simply more fun than modest ones. Example:

Amusing immodesty was kind of Ian McCulloch's entire schtick back in the early '80s. For a while, at least, he was pretty much right, too... though that passed, in time.