Drummer First

[BertKoor]

Social media these days, they cut up things in short segments, small bites, easy to digest. My wife showed me this short clip of what I thought would never happen: Phil Collins being helped onto "the throne" behind his drum kit. The audio was some drivel, Spanish captions across, just gross.

But I wanted to know where this was cut from. That turned out easy to find. His son Nic Collins did an interview with Phil, discussing his whole carreer and discography. I found it a joy to watch.

Phil Collins: Drummer First.

[eLawnMust]

That's NOW Phil Collins?... Guess I'll have to watch... Most haven't really heard what he can do if you had not ever listened to his early work with Brand X... in that period & everyone in the band being a genius it was great work then Collins split off to 'simplify' his music & go commercial success bullshit...

Here they are on back of album 'Morrocan Roll' (More Rock An Roll) smoking a joint Collins on bottom left looks like Charles Manson-



i remember the description of Morris Pert - 'Percussion, and a vast number of things he hit while the tape was running including the QE2, Idi Amin & Undiscovered parts of Scotland'...

Percy Jones still my favorite fretless bassist, very musical & percussive...

[pekbro]

Geeze he got old, happens to the best of us though, and is better than the alternative.

[BertKoor]

That's NOW Phil Collins?

Yes, it is. Well, I think it was recorded in 2022, he was 71 at the time.

including the QE2

As a non-Brit I had to google that

[eLawnMust]

Amazingly frail I haven't made it all the way through but I am only 6 years younger & I still go out & cut loads of firewood, shovel gravel on the driveway, weedeat, do mechanical work... No it's not as 'cool' as 10-20 years ago getting crankier about it...

At 71 I'll STILL be doing same thing>>>

[Bombadil]

Drumming screwed up his back. He self-medicated with alcohol and whatever else, fell into a very dark depression. Afaik, he's in a lot of chronic pain. I've had a vertabrae feel like it was going to wander out of my spine, and it was immediate agony.
He is one of my favourite drummers. He was good. I saw Genesis 4-5 times. He killed it when he took the drums in tandem with Chester Thompson.
Don't care for his solo stuff or 'pop' Genesis.
He's also a bit of a dick. When asked about the drummer in The Musical Box, he said something like 'he's ok. I'd do it better.'

[eLawnMust]

Yeah well, cutting firewood, shoveling gravel & much other will do same... I know of tons of other drummers who don't have problems at old age...

Probably from too many drugs, drinking & gae sects...

[vurt]

gae sects...

you're doing it wrong if it's putting your back out.

[Bombadil]

Yeah well, cutting firewood, shoveling gravel & much other will do same... I know of tons of other drummers who don't have problems at old age...

Probably from too many drugs, drinking & gae sects...

Everyone is different. My understanding is it was his posture sitting on the drum stool over many years that did it. It's also bad form to rag on someone who is suffering from depression, or any other mental health illness.

[crimsonwarlock]

My understanding is it was his posture sitting on the drum stool over many years that did it.

^^^^^^^
THIS.

Andy Edwards (If you don't know him, Google...) said that Phil had his snare set extremely low. I recently watched a Genesis concert on YT, and indeed you can see that. In addition, he had his snare at an extreme angle as well.

In the picture on that video above, you can see that his posture is now somewhat hunched over.

[Bombadil]

Yup. I've seen pics of him, circa Selling England, hunched on his stool.
Again, I think he was one of the best, most innovative, drummers of my time. Except for a few songs, my Genesis fandom basically ends with Wind & Wuthering, after which Hackett left.

[seangm]

Amazing drummer and musician, too bad about his physical state though.