As an
impressionable young boy in the summer of 1985, fully discovering my personal
musical tastes, I distinctly remember purchasing Genesis’ self-titled release,
on cassette of course, and probably due to the fact that local-Philadelphia
radio station WMMR was, as it was quite known for doing, playing the album to
death. But more than the familiarity of certain songs, the opening track of
“Mama” was magical. The drums’ rhythm, the hard guitar, the spooky synths. And that
evil laugh. Captivating. Thirty-plus years later, I still find that laugh, and
the man responsible for it, just as captivating.
Phil
Collins presents in his memoir Not Dead
Yet plenty of tales. Some known, such has when he became the frontman for
Genesis as well as his own successful solo career, to the unknown. Three
divorces and rampant alcoholism? News to me. Through it all, Phil never comes
across as preaching, or bragging, or self-indulgent. Instead, he’s telling you
telling tales. Maybe from across the bar at the pub. Maybe at an AA meeting. But
great tales.
Yes,
personally, I would have liked the addition of more Genesis details, but Phil
does spend a large portion of his novel to his time with the band, as they were
a large part of his life, but he has obviously done plenty outside of the band.
I very much remember him flying between stadiums for Live Aid, but completely
forgot, as I’m sure Phil would be thankful for, that he played second drummer
in the Led Zeppelin “reunion”.
Hey. Phil
was, and still is, a huge, driving force in music. His book definitely has
major fan appeal, but contains enough of the personal, the human, element, that
even the casual fan, who might only be familiar with Tarzan or “In The Air Tonight” to be completely accessible and
enjoyable. Not Dead Yet makes Phil
relatable. And you want to meet him all the more.
And for
that merely casual fan, I highly recommend Genesis
by Genesis. If just for that laugh.
As Always,
theJOE
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