What happened to Phil Collins?

[faginsgirl]

Does anyone know what happened to Phil Collins?



Buster is one of my favorite films and has he retired from music now? There was arumour that he had gone deaf. I may have posted asking his whereabouts before, I can`t remember, but where is he?



xx

[DB7]

Switzerland I think.



The tax hissy fit did him no favours, then looking an idiot on Brass Eye and the divorces probably finished him as a marketable actor.

[Windyridge]

He's an incredibly generous benefactor to many charities and individuals and as such I've a lot of respect for him. Not for his music, however!

[billy bentley]

I agree with windyridge on both counts. I once had a friend ask me "Where in the world can I go on holiday, where they don't play Phil Collins ?" - "My home" I replied !

[Freddie Freeloader]

name='DB7']



The tax hissy fit did him no favours, then looking an idiot on Brass Eye and the divorces probably finished him as a marketable actor.

Not to mention all those post-Gabriel Genesis albums !



At the present time he's recuperating from surgery and is unable to play.

This is the ultimate nightmare for any musician and I wish him a speedy recovery.



He's a great drummer.



Here's what he had to say via the official Genesis website..



"There isn't any drama regarding my 'disability' and playing drums. Somehow during the last Genesis tour I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands. After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can't function normally. Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano. I am not in any 'distressed' state, stuff happens in life."

[pelam123]

I think BBC4 are repeating last years interview with Mark Lawson tonight. There was an excellent chat with Imelda Staunton last night.

[christoph404]

I suppose what music you like is a matter of personal taste,but there is no doubt about his talent and success,he has sold over 100 million albums as a solo artist and the same again as part of Genesis, lots of people like his music, I quite like some of his tracks, very much of its time I suppose, each to their own , I think everyone has universally popular music or bands they love to hate...mine is "Dire Straits"....ughhh

Wasn't Phil Collins a child actor? I thought his performance in "Buster" was pretty good, I thought he might have made a few more films after that.

[waldo_lydecker]

He was in 'Calamity the Cow' as a kid. The story goes that, after arguing with the director throughout, the director got his own back by cutting almost all of his scenes. He was also an extra in A Hard Day's Night.

[Ray]

At 13 he played the Artful Dodger in the stage production of Oliver.

[Freddie Freeloader]

I seem to remember an appearance on Miami Vice in a typically '80s suit of dubious style.

[faginsgirl]

name='Freddie Freeloader']I seem to remember an appearance on Miami Vice in a typically '80s suit of dubious style.

The contrast in accents was off putting in that. Too strange!





xx

[lovegod]

did phil actually write any of the stuff ?

or is Mike Rutherford the songwriting genious behind Genesis.



Phil was a brilliant drummer and an awesome vocalist...

but Im wondering...did he write any of their big songs ?

or when he went solo ?

[waldo_lydecker]

He certainly wrote most of his solo stuff, and co-wrote quite a bit, I think, for Genesis, but, funnily enough, he seems pretty forgetful of his own work! I saw one of those Sky Arts programmes on him recently, where they chat and play snatches from old songs, and he needed the lyrics and music in front of him and still played very hesitantly, as though he was trying it for the first time.

[lovegod]

yes but can you point to one particular song or songs and

say... Phil wrote that !.... melody I mean not just the lyrics.



Can you hear me running



I heard that and thought. .. wow , wot a song... great vocals

by phil too...

in fact Mike Rutherford I believe wrote it

and the vocals isnt phil atall its the guy brought in to

replace him.

[christoph404]

name='lovegod']did phil actually write any of the stuff ?

or is Mike Rutherford the songwriting genious behind Genesis.



Phil was a brilliant drummer and an awesome vocalist...

but Im wondering...did he write any of their big songs ?

or when he went solo ?

Well yes, over a hundred songs! He wrote the lyrics for 90% of his own songs as a solo artist,certainly all his massive hits from the 80s, don't know about his time with Genesis, I assumed he co wrote with Mike Rutherford.

Fore example, all penned by Collins: Take a Look at me Now, Don't Loose My Number, I Missed Again, In the Air Tonight, One More Night.

Easy Lover was co-written by Nathan East, Philip Bailey and Collins.

[faginsgirl]

name='Ray']At 13 he played the Artful Dodger in the stage production of Oliver.

Phils mum June spotted Jack Wild playing football with his mates and persuaded him to go for the part in the film musical



She asked him if he wanted a job and he told her that he already had one....working for the milkman.



xx

[Dragonman]

Phil Collins has always been a bit of a favourite of mine, but as I turned 40 last week, then I suppose his brand of 'adult orientated rock' will appeal even more to me now!



As regards acting, following Buster he appeared in Hook as a police officer, but I've never watched that mess of a film long enough to look out for him! Also, he did appear in a significant role in the Australian film Frauds, and was ciritically praised for his performance, but this is not a film I've ever seen personally.



Basically, I think his style of music just fell out of fashion, and as an actor he was always slightly stereotyped as a cheery cockney type (which worked in his favour with Buster).



He talked for years on chat shows about making a live action film of Goldilocks, with Bob Hoskins and Danny DeVito as the other two bears. Apparently, it fell to the wayside as none of them wanted to be the mother bear (as if being dressed as a male bear isn't already embarrassing enough!)

[DB7]

name='christoph404']Well yes, over a hundred songs! He wrote the lyrics for 90% of his own songs as a solo artist,certainly all his massive hits from the 80s, don't know about his time with Genesis, I assumed he co wrote with Mike Rutherford.

Fore example, all penned by Collins: Take a Look at me Now, Don't Loose My Number, I Missed Again, In the Air Tonight, One More Night.

Easy Lover was co-written by Nathan East, Philip Bailey and Collins.

I think with Genesis he wrote more as they moved away from prog-rock into MOR/AOR. He seems one for a simple ditty or ballad.

[lovegod]

ITS not always easy to figure out just who is the real

power behind the throne in song writing.

Artists often have an agreement to pool their credits.

Like with the Bee Gees... my theory is that Barry.. the elder

brother is the real song writing genius ... but thats just my theory.

In Blondie I used to think, wow, Debbie Harry writing all those

cool hits... Heart of Glass, Sunday Girl etcbut in fact I think she has contributed lyrics more than anything and the real power (melodically ) is Chris Stein her boyfriend.



Lets face it, the lyric writer is secondary... without Bjorn there would still have been fabulous songs.... but without Benny

there would have been nothing and no Abba.



Even Elvis gets song writing credits on many songs... but of course that was contractual so he could share in the lucrative money that writers get.

Ditto the Spice girls who bragged that they wrote the songs

of course it was the professional songwriting team brought in

and again, contractually the Spice Girls got song writing credits and a nice share of the dosh.

[TomDaws]

No-one's mentioned Tony Banks, who was/is the real driving force in Genesis. When the band's lyrics became more to do with love and romance, that's the point where Collins started to write much of the material. I remember an interview in the 80s when he said he wasn't prepared to sing some of the earlier (non - girl and boy) songs any more.