Phil Collins is speaking out about the “shock” of no longer being able to play the drums.
The singer and musician, who began playing professionally in the late ’60s, is the subject of a new documentary called “Phil Collins: Drummer First.” Filmed in late 2022, the documentary covers Collins’ lifelong love of music, including his decision to give up performing.
“It’s still kind of sinking in a bit,” he admitted of his 2022 retirement. “I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock.”
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Collins, 73, shared in the documentary that he received his first drum as a gift when he was only three years old, and said that he instinctively took to it. As he grew older, he continued playing, and he spent decades touring after joining Genesis in 1970. As time went on, the physical strain of playing turned out to be too much.
“The drumming has taken a toll on my hands, legs,” he admitted.
Nic Collins, his son and a drummer in his own right, explained that back in the ‘70s and ’80s, musicians felt like they were “invincible,” citing The Who and Led Zeppelin as examples of other rock acts that pushed themselves hard for the sake of a good show.
“So, I think that’s really what it is with my dad, this kind of sense of ‘You’re a drummer, you’re invincible, you just do what you do,’ but you don’t know it’s going to take a toll in the long run,” he said.
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Nic described back problems that Collins has had for years, some of which he attributes to aging, but he said the problems have been exacerbated by drumming and “bad posture.” He also said that he has “drop foot,” also known as “foot drop,” which has left him with “no sensation” in one of his feet.
That’s why Collins now walks with a cane, and a big part of why he can no longer play drums – he can’t use that foot to control the pedals.
“If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything,” Collins said in the documentary. “If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I will have a crack at it.”
He added, “I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.”
In 2009, Collins told the Daily Mail that he had to stop playing drums then, explaining, “My vertebrae have been crushing my spinal cord because of the position I drum in. It comes from years of playing. I can’t even hold the sticks properly without it being painful. I even used to tape the sticks to my hands to get through.”
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Leland Sklar, a prolific musician who worked with Collins on his solo music, said, “All of us, in our heart of heart fantasies, always hope we’ll get that call and [hear Collins] say, ‘Let’s just do one more. Just one more time.'”
On March 26, 2022, Collins performed his last show in London at the 02 arena.
“Tonight is a very special night. Of course, we’re playing in London. It’s the last stop of our tour, and it’s the last show for Genesis,” he said during the show. “It’s difficult for us to believe that you still came out to see it. I guess after tonight we’ve all got to get real jobs.”
