Rolling Stone Article

I read an article yesterday in a Rolling Stone dated sometime last year about Phil Collins. There was some rubbish about people creating all sorts of downer nonsense about him.

I came up in the 80's. By this I mean I experienced my adolescent years during that decade. Like most youth of the time I listened to the radio, watched MTv, and was impacted by what I heard and the videos I watched.

I have this very vivid memory of watching a video on MTv for the Genesis song which goes something like this: "I could leave but I won't go, It'd be easier I know...." When you listen to a song and you can remember where you were and how you felt when you first heard it and saw the video you know that the song had something special going on.

A number of years later in 1986-87 timeframe I heard another song by Genesis that goes something like this: "You keep telling me you're gonna help me, you're gonna help me, but you don't. Now I'm in too deep, this thing has got me so that I just can't sleep, ooooh get me out of here, please, get me out of here...." If I could name an anthem that would fully speak to the suffering and misery of my teen years, this song would be it, hands down.

I've heard the Phil Collins detractor speak quite a few times over the years. I just don't get it. Here's an artist who's music instantly takes me back. Not just one or two songs, we're talking the majority of the greatest hits album (aside from the Genesis years which are magical). I watched this show on TV once many years ago where they had Phil Collins on there singing songs out of his catalog that were being requested on the spot by the audience. I was just impressed because the guy was a spot on professional and could really perform his music in the live setting with feeling.

I'm not one of these screaming, over the top fans of the guy. I'm actually a metalhead (I like the genre of metal music) primarily but I'm stopping on here to say that Phil Collins is one of the few outside of my primary genre that has actually directly impacted the last 30 years of my life with his music. The guy is an artist and I'm here to say that I appreciate what he's done. It means something to me.

If you read these posts Phil please accept my heartfelt thanks for all these years of helping me through and giving me excellent music to remind me of days gone by, days that weren't all bad mind you. I don't care what anyone says. You're a true artiste.