Lorenzo Agius/Crown ArchetypePhil Collins has spent the last few years re-examining his life: reissuing his solo albums and writing Not Dead Yet, a revealing and honest memoir. As he puts it, “I have owned up.”
While Colllins says that his ex-Genesis band mates and family haven’t read the book yet, he hopes there’s “a positive reaction.” He tells ABC Radio, “I think I’ve dealt with things quite delicately. When I messed up, I have owned up that this was my problem.”
In the book, Phil’s brutally honest about everything from his three divorces to the alcoholism that nearly killed him. “I didn’t think it’s a bad thing that people see that I’m like everybody else,” he says of that chapter of his life.
Collins says in writing the book, he realized how much he worked during the ’80s, juggling Genesis, a solo career and collaborations with dozens of artists. In fact, he spends a lot of the book apologizing for being inescapable that decade.
“There was that line in Entertainment Weekly, which said, ‘Even Phil Collins must know we’re growing weary of Phil Collins,'” he recalls. “So there was a backlash…and…when I apologize, I’m really just saying, ‘I understand why.'”
Collins also clarifies what he calls “Faxgate”: the persistent rumor that he divorced his second wife, Jill, via fax.
“[It] really hurt my career, or my public persona,” the 65-year-old musician admits. “And it was based on an untruth…So, I just thought it would be an opportunity just to lay it all out, and if I say it didn’t happen, I’m trusting that people will believe me.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer recently announced he’ll be touring for the first time in 10 years, and he just released The Singles Collection, a three-CD set of all his hits, to go along with Not Dead Yet.
Collins appeared on The Tonight Show Tuesday to promote his autobiography, and also performed his classic hit, “In the Air Tonight,” backed by his band, as well as members of the Tonight Show house band, The Roots.
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