Phil Collins Unable to Make New Music: “I’ve Been Very Sick”
Originally published by Consequence News
In a rare interview, Phil Collins said he has considered recording new music, but is unable to do so because he’s been “very sick.”
The iconic Genesis member and solo singer-drummer offered the health update to MOJO as part of the UK magazine’s new cover story on Genesis coinciding with the release of a new Lamb Lies Down On Broadway box set.
Collins, whom Consequence named one of the 100 Best Drummers of All Time, explained that both his health and his waning desire have prevented him from creating new music. “I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens,” remarked the rock legend. “But I’m not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I’ve been sick, I mean very sick…”
While he didn’t specify his current health condition, Collins suffered nerve damage stemming from a 2007 spinal injury. During Genesis’ farewell tour that wrapped up in March 2022, he sang while sitting down, as his son Nic handled drums.
Collins’ interview with MOJO follows a recent documentary on Drumeo, in which he sat down for a lengthy conversation and attempted to play his drum kit for the first time in years. However, it turns out that the Drumeo feature was actually filmed a couple years ago.
Former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel was also interviewed for the cover story. While Gabriel didn’t perform at Genesis’ final concert in 2022, he did attend the show at O2 Arena in London.
“Phil wasn’t in as great a shape as he used to be, but they did a great job,” Gabriel told MOJO of seeing the concert. “Me going was a rite of passage, really. I’d been part of the creation of Genesis so I wanted to be there at the end.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Collins said he was unsure of taking over lead vocals in Genesis after Gabriel left the band in 1975. “I honestly thought we could just carry on and be an instrumental group. Of course, the others didn’t!”
Gabriel, meanwhile, continues to make new music. He disclosed that his upcoming album will be titled O/I, following up 2023’s I/O.
