Phil Collins, ’80s icon and former Genesis frontman, proved he can be painfully honest about the more taboo subjects from his highly public life, and still toss out jokes like Halloween candy.
Dressed in a zip-up hoodie, dark jeans, sneakers and sporting a fedora, Collins addressed some of the boldest revelations from his new memoir, Not Dead Yet, to a crowd of fans in New York City.
“I’m a person who bears a lot of guilt,” Collins told interviewer, columnist journalist Anthony Mason. But, beyond this type of soulful declaration, Collins also had funny comments about Donald Trump, erroneous critics, and his opinions of the music industry. Here are some of the best moments:
Collins regrets not joining the band The Who.
“I was just a cheap slut,” Collins said while remembering his conversation with Pete Townshend. Collins offered to be The Who drummer, even though he was still a member of Genesis (he had also thought about joining Yes). He loved their “raw energy.” Unfortunately for Collins, Kenney Jones had already taken up the job.
“I would have left [Genesis],” said Collins. “And I think I would have done the job very well.
Collins’ first divorce inspired him to write “In the Air Tonight.”
Collins wrote “In the Air Tonight” after failing to win back his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli. Mason further prodded, asking if he would have been able to write the famous track without experiencing heartbreak.
“I never thought of myself as a songwriter,” Collins said. “So in my instance, it took a divorce to kickstart [song writing].”
Eventually even his “doodles” became songs.
“There was no real thought behind it,” said Collins about adding the sound that would make “In the Air Tonight” famous. He said it wasn’t until he started playing it for Hugh Padgham, a recorder producer, that they realized it was going to be hit. According to Collins, when Padgham first heard the song he yelled, “What the hell is that?!”
“I don’t claim divine intervention,” added Collins. “I just claim right time, right place, a bit of luck.”
Collins compared watching Donald Trump to watching a kids’ movie.
A fan asked Collins what inspired him to work on the Tarzan soundtrack (which eventually won him an Oscar). Collins explained that because he has five children, he understands the importance of Disney movies. To him, they’re “little works of art.” He also admitted he watched an animated kids’ movie the previous night.
When Mason asked him why, Collins said, “There was nothing good on Donald Trump, so I thought I’d have a laugh at something different.
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