Sound of ME
November 1993

So much it also against it resists (and so frequently he to try may embody as filmschauspieler bad types): Its image as Mr. Nice Guy will not be able to strip PHIL COLLINS probably so fast - just as few as the prejudice, it is the general-purpose talent with the golden Haendchen, which it for money counting just as gladly use as to impact things plays. With the interview of sound of ME in the master English country house Collins's gives his critics against.

SOUND OF ME: I was not safe me whether I should begin our discussion in such a way; after you told however on the way from the studio to the house of renewed jet set agitation by Concorde, I decided to begin with the most fundamental question from all to: Why?
PHIL COLLINS: Why? (laughs) in moments like this I often ask myself this question, and sometimes also my wife is surprised at it. On us constantly such a quantity of information sizzles down that it can umhauen easily. But I do simply, what is to be done. - last end it counts only that I produced an album, which strong I consider; and therefore I must settle all the things, which such a plate brings with itself.

SOUND OF ME: I asked, because you reliably know, what the people behind your back say: Why does the type remain not simply at home, does count its money and does play with its dogs? Why does it have trouble still with the music off?
PHIL COLLINS: If they ask themselves, because they do not like my music, my answer reads completely simply: Fuck them - my job is it to write Songs. I am not a businessman, who wants to earn still another quantity more money. I have enough of it - I could already myself have set in the year 1985 to the peace, if I had not wanted that however that am the point. As said, I am Songwriter, me make that for fun, and I take up only every four years a solo album. I do not think that this too much is occasionally gives it albums of genesis, in which I am involved to a third only.
I know that genesis and I are very successful in Germany; and I am grateful for it. But this popularity brings it naturally also with itself that there are many people, which not on it which I make. Perhaps on 1.000, which like it, comes 100, which it does not please. If one multiplies a few millions times, a quantity is people, which would have it dearest, if I would disappear from the scene.

SOUND OF ME: Does that disturb you?
PHIL COLLINS: A little. - I actually thought, this was an attitude, which is limited to England. The Zyniker in the English press says exactly the same: Why does it count not its money and does strike off? But that is not it, for which I am.

SOUND OF ME: Your critics do not remove it from you probably that the music makes really so large fun for you.
PHIL COLLINS: I can imagine that I astonish the people, because I simply never give peace. For me this looks a little differently - there are quite periods, in which I do not do too much. But the genesis and the solo albums swings itself mutually highly; and therefore lie only until two years between the publications, which have then also still another very long life.

Michael Jackson wrong did to me, when he published THRILLER. After one while all said: I cannot hear Michael ' bloody ' Jackson any longer thereby it nothing had done to publish than a plate which was constantly played in the radio and bought by all. At the end it looked in such a way, as if the shot would loose-go to the rear, because all had the lip fully. Also I can do against it nothing - I take up simply only one plate.

SOUND OF ME: Were there moments in your career, how you described her evenly in connection with Michael Jackson?
PHIL COLLINS: Yes - I believe, this was around ' 85, ' 86 the case. I had a hit with Against universe Odds, produced an Eric Clapton album, whereupon NO JACKET followed REQUIRED, and finally I then still was with Philip Bailey in the studio. Easy Lover was world-wide number one, and with NO JACKET I had two number unity and four Top Five hits in America. We had luck: It was played simply everything that we brought out, in the radio.

At this point there were a few stations, which said along-gone and: On the next weekend not one PHIL COLLINS plate runs as soon as I of it heard, thought I me with us guarantees that the saturation point was reached; and I withdrew myself a little from the image plane - until we brought INVISIBLE TOUCH out then after a rather long production period.

SOUND OF ME: You spoke particularly over the Business. How have you this time personally felt - I can imagine that the Concorde flights become boring in the long term. Did you suffer from stress?
PHIL COLLINS: No, it has me fun made it is beautiful, if such plates are successful. I did not feel myself as gestresst - that am I only a little for the moment. (laughs) at that time only the reaction of the media gene

FFS, which said, has me: How can we miss you, if you simply never disappear?
I would not have had a problem continue constantly. Sometimes it is fatiguing; but I am asked again and again stop whether I want to go through in projects, which interesting I consider or which something represents, which I did not make ever. It is a challenge - one asks me: Could you read yourselves once this film script and think about it whether you want to go through in this film? I read it and ask myself whether I such a thing probably draufhabe. And I do it simply

SOUND OF ME: If one does somewhat gladly, it is probably no matter, how much one works.
PHIL COLLINS: Is correct. - if people ask me, what my hobby is, I answer: Songschreiben I has naturally also still my model railway, but my work makes fun real for me. I do not work in a bank or in a shop, about which I must escape then on the weekends. And the more I work, the more clearly become clear me, which I otherwise still so draufhabe - and it leads again to the fact that I work still more...

SOUND OF ME: Do you create it to by-watch from time to time times in the Pub?
PHIL COLLINS: Oh. My local Pub is not far from here - I meet there in until twice per week with friends.

SOUND OF ME: Does it happen already times that the name of the Pubs is passed on and people from London there hinpilgern?
PHIL COLLINS: No, the people rather come equal to my house and make from outside photos; there is rather many Germans under it some from them meets I personally, because they ring at the entry door...
Recently something funny happened. I was above in the children's room and on the floor with my daughter played. When I rose, I saw three men, who anstarrten my house walls. I became rather furious, ran downward and said in a rather decided clay/tone: What want you?? If at the door want to ring to it, it does gefaelligst - however here not simply ' rum stands and glotzt my house at it finds you on private reason and soil I had before no notion that they were Germans. They tuschelten with one another on German, twitched with the shoulders, turned and pulled from dannen. I cried afterwards, her to them should somewhat hurry.

After I had made myself air in this way, I returned upward. My four years old daughter asked me, what the types would have wanted. As I meant: Probably only one autograph, answered it: Then war's nothing bad that became me then also clearly... I ran again ' down and ran the three on the highway afterwards. I apologized, gave them autographs and posierte for a photo.

The people seem to have no shyness at me unfortunately - they seem to consider me accessible; and they expect from me that I will be friendly. - actually that is positive. It is more pleasant, if people think in such a way of one and do not assume that one will fall them brutally into the back.

For this reason my house is real a kind Pilgerort, if you want to call it in such a way. (laughs) at the Pub they do not dare themselves however near. If nevertheless times someone clean-comes there ' and asks for an autograph, all maintenances grow silent, because one does not do such a thing simply. This is our place, where we give ourselves normally.

SOUND OF ME: How did the three Germans create it to by-smuggle itself at the 20 ex-KGB-agents who guard your house?
PHIL COLLINS: (laughs) the answer to it is: We do not have Bewacher. We lock the main gate, because the people clean-drove and stated in former times simply ' that they went past coincidentally. But there is still another side entrance, that at all no gate has...

SOUND OF ME: When did you ask the last mark someone for an autograph (if you at all ever did that)?
PHIL COLLINS: I cannot remember exactly, but I SAM LCL actually autographs. I have a photo album with signatures of Tony Bennett, SAM of moorlands of SAM & Dave - which are now a good friend of me -, Audrey Hepburn. There is people, which made a large impression on me. I am still a fan of some people - and to it nothing is wrong, or?

SOUND OF ME: Are there also people, in whose present you are moved by reverence still?
PHIL COLLINS: Wave... although I Eric Clapton already since 1978 know, I imagine with our meetings still: That is Clapton that is the type, over which I put on various souvenir albums and whose plates I collected, as it still with the Yardbirds and in Cream went through and now I play schlagzeug behind it... One pinches oneself and asks themselves: Are real that I? Behind it surely is a certain Naivitaet; but it is beautiful to feel still in such a way.

I am also a large fan of David Crosby, which is since Another Day in Paradise a good friend of me. He is a very modest man; and it it is embarrassing each mark, if I it legend, as very much I loved its music, since he began with the Byrds.

SOUND OF ME: Does that mean that you can remember still the attitude of the twelve-year-old boy fan PHIL COLLINS, who began at that time as a schlagzeuger?
PHIL COLLINS: - however only, if I can respect these people. It occurs for example that I think: Wow, I sits here and talks with George Harrison... or with Paul McCartney unbelievable you in former times the world for me meant, but with them I no longer absolutely solidify in reverence.

SOUND OF ME: George Clinton meant sometimes on the subject star's cult: my shit just stinks like those of every other...
PHIL COLLINS: This votes - but although our shit just stinks, there are still people who are more gifted than ourselves (laughs)

SOUND OF ME: in the press citations of you are to be read often, denenzufolge you defend yourself against your Mr. Nice Guy-Image. What do you make to stand there already as a real ass hole?
PHIL COLLINS: I become regular against German journalists tätlich ... (laughs), unfortunately, examples never occur to Me what probably signifies that I am really a nice type - I do not believe that I am one day in the position to conjure up something which will change this image overnight.

I want to express, actually, only one: I do not think that I am so miraculous as the people think. This is everything. And although I already do things which hold other for nice - lend money to give donations for beneficent purposes -, I can also snarl other. I not always hold out only other cheek.

SOUND OF ME: is there near the just described Nice Guy image still other points in which you see yourself wrong approximated?
PHIL COLLINS: No, it everything goes, actually, to the identical direction - attributes like Mr. Nice Guy, Middle-of-the-Road-or average music... I can do of course nothing against it; if the people see this in such a way, that is her opinion. I do not see it of course in such a way because I myself no Middle-of-the-Road-Musik may be interested only the things which are differently or originally. If I did not see myself as different or originally, I would probably change my style

The critics suppose in view of my success that I have a certain prescription to which I keep always without entering any risk. They call me The One with the Golden air - and then I must point at the end always even to my flops: the John Martyn produced by me album, both Eric Clapton LPs and the albums of Philip Bailey and Frida was all no particularly big success Sometimes I have the feeling that I overcompensate for this - while I talk towards the people who emphasize my success more about my pure cases than about my hits.

SOUND OF ME: Where do you see the difference between improvising and smashing to pieces without draft?
PHIL COLLINS: It is, actually, the identical. Sometimes it happened that I pressed impulsively the recording head, without I had considered what I wanted to sing. Instead of stopping again the volume, I have simply tried to shudder something from the sleeve. Many of the texts arose virtually by itself, while I sang them. This has to make nothing with inspired genius; it simply is connected with the fact that I work already for many years exactly so. If I write texts, I simply sing drauflos - all the same what comes to me just to the head. I am not timid in this respect because I am always alone, besides; there is nobody, with which I mic could disgrace.

SOUND OF ME: These must already probably be a few centuries here, there rock music still had to act with rebellion. Nowadays there is Acts like genesis which rise with groups like Volkswagen in the bed. If you look at this from the point of view of the taking a bearing on collies who got as a youthful music fan into the scene, do you have then one day problems with this kind of liaison?
PHIL COLLINS: Wave, I see this with a little distance ... - What it really depends on, is the following aspect: the genesis tour has cost a lot of money; what one can answer of course to: you have earned in it also a lot. A lot it was not Sooo also again; although we would have earned of course less if Volkswagen had not helped out - in the exchange for the fact that Volkswagen Presents stood on the program and that we were driven by the hotels to the appearance kinds with Volkswagen. With it I can live - it does not disturb me particularly.

If I had had to announce against it even in Volkswagen-advertising spotlights: this is the best carriage which I have ever gone Why sold to her not your Mercedes and does this part buy You?, then I would hold it, indeed, for sellout.

Nevertheless, I have in the matter of Sponsorentum generally a peculiar feeling because there is of course always cynic who say: how much money do you have really urgently? On the other hand, one must think that only the video-canvases have cost us six million dollars. If one can hold the prices of tickets low with a small logo and a little hands shake, I find by all means in order. Our tickets do not lie in price in the top category, but our production costs makes this absolutely.

SOUND OF ME: What signifies to you genesis, actually, nowadays generally still?
PHIL COLLINS: at the moment purely nothing at all (laughs) You must keep with eyes that I have finished at the moment just a production which the most personal is whom I have ever done - and I feel yet the elation linked with it. Hence, genesis is completely insignificant in my life. If the current intensity of the solo project has burned out if the sheet has finished her life cycle which is a tour past and I have done maybe one more film, then I can imagine that I will say: Hey, I am ready for a new genesis album - does somebody have of You also desire? This would be the right time to think again of genesis.

During the last tour genesis stood of course in the center of my life; now, because my album is ready, I look at this as the most important in my life. - It is already an insanity as I prostitute myself. I am nothing as a tart, which so much herumschläft that she has no notion what for them in soaked to most important ones is (laughs)

SOUND OF ME: can you introduce yourself to work on any point only as Hollywood whore?
PHIL COLLINS: Hollywood whore? Bitch ... does not (laugh) exclusively... I would not above all also become in Hollywood want to live; although I have there a house in which I live rather as at the hotel. I am in Hollywood also always as on it as here - I will no more change.

I think, I will write always schauspielern, sing and, and probably also live appear. Besides, to actors is the almost most unproblematic - you can work up to your death as an actor

Translated from Original Source: Copyright © 1993 Sound of Me