Mariam Schaghaghi
Thursday, March 18, 2004
I became probably grown-up: Phil Collins over film music, family and the reasons for its parting

Mr. Collins, Sie already for "Tarzan" the Songs wrote and now also the music for the film of "bear brothers" from the house Disney. Is the film music your new passion?
I try gladly new things out. With "Tarzan" I had still strong doubts whether I can such a thing at all. I am there rather naively hineingestolpert, but it functioned! With "bear brothers" was again everything different: Only once the Story, then should be the sound more ethnical and to the time at that time adapted. In addition I wrote the complete film music - there thus again each quantity was to be learned. I work completely alone at home and had to teach itself everything only once.

They worked for the first time with a computer!

Before this job the music boss of Disney took me aside and said: "Phil, create you now better a computer on, otherwise you the hair up EN" with "Tarzan" I on volume took up yourself everything - I am rather old fashionable, which concerns technology. That was called, with each change had I the Song to completely again take up. If I something to now change should - and therefore I was often asked! - could make I the change directly at the computer. One has more liberties and can better experiment. The Songs must I still write, compose and in-sing - however such a thing makes the rework many simpler.

For the music you could not live no more without computers, how it stands thereby privately?
Privately I so which into my life will never leave. I do not know times, how one sends enamels away. I rather telephone or write a message with the hand.

With the Disney projects plumb bobs it thus new borders of your Koennens out.
I am egoistic exactly, there: To me it concerns to grow as artists. These films are for me more than only child fun, it are timeless works of art, classical authors. Therefore we look at ourselves today also still gladly "Schneewittchen". I write straight ones at a musical version of "Tarzan" for Broadway, with completely new Songs. There I can use everything that I learned with the last sound TRACK, again. I do not want to be simply only a Songwriter, I want everything to write be able. For the "Tarzan" musical I wrote a kind ballet, which has the Choreografen terribly well fallen. And directly with the first time!

Their Filmsongs sings you in several languages, which was most heavily?
Japanese was not simple. The most difficult was to bring the Japanese so far that they actually said "no", if I were not good enough. But that was not all anything in the comparison to the French version.

How that? They live for ten years in French Switzerland. Don't you speak French?
But - at least so that the plumber understands me. But when singing one must be completely accurate, otherwise nobody understands you! Therefore I angeheuert specially the French singer David Halliday than coaches. However the French word for "you", "do" - thus this "ue" drove me to the despair!

Which influence does the life have here to Geneva lake with your wife and your son on your music?
I came here, because I had fallen in love with a lady, who comes from here. I receive here more from the European music and hear no longer only English Songs. There are mad French musicians, like Jean Jacques Goldman. My album "Testify" is a large success in France - I ask myself whether there already influences in-crept with me. Perhaps I have no longer completely so much success therefore in England and also in America.

They go this year on tour - to the last mark the parting has to do somewhat with your health?
Since three years has I problems with my left ear I have many physicians consulted, the latter asked me then: "why do you want still routes? You do not need the money nevertheless any longer, or?" "however that is my occupation!", I answered. He said to me: "hearing it with the concerts up. The risk is too large. They could get even problems with the healthy ear "Okay, imagined I, then that is probably the end. But so many people asked, whether they would never see me again live, and so arose the thought of the parting tour. Whereupon I am pleased much.

Why is she called so laconically "The roofridge finally far-waves route"?
That is my ill English humor. Thus it sounds itself, as if it would not be the only parting tour. But I will make a Show also in the future always times again. I do not go into pension. But I love appearances before the public too much.

The hearing to lose is probably the worst, which can happen to a musician. What happened exactly with your ear?
After a virus infection I heard ever less on the left ear. The illness is called "sudden deafness". The virus destroys the nerve cells between ear and brain. Many more does not know the physicians also. If one has luck, regenerate after nerves a few months, but with me in three years nothing did. The brain gets accustomed with the time to it.

Now do you have itself accustomed to it, also with the Songschreiben?
No problem! I play schlagzeug, work in the studio, my musical life did not change. At the beginning I could not use headphones, but goes also again. And I had to get accustomed to telephone always also right because I heard left only noise.

Had you never despaired? They sound nearly unencumbered, if you speak about it.
It may sound strange, but also an easement was to be experienced that I must change my life. I could say in former times so badly no. Now I am forced to do less. I am not religious, but possibly a higher power gave to understand me:

"Mach times something else" and which would be that?
Not to do times nothing at all. To enjoy the life. To experience, how my small son grows up. Nicholas is given first schooling to 2006, and also that is for me a reason, in order to step more briefly: I want to be for him there, drive him each day to the school and fetch again. It is talentiert so, jumps loosely between English and French around and plays schlagzeug even already. If he asks: "where is Daddy?", it is not to mean: "thus everything is to make better than with your other three children into Tokyo" you wants.

Yes. The family had also in former times always priority, nevertheless I worked too much. I am still industrious, but at six o'clock I stop in the evening, play with my son, make me happy on my Mrs. Orianne, instead of somewhere unpacking in a hotel the suit-case. That does to me for the moment very good. I became probably adult.

The discussion led Mariam Schaghaghi.

Translated from Original Source: Copyright © 2004 Berlin Online