Frail Phil Collins, 73, makes emotional return to his drum kit in moving scenes from his new documentary Drummer First – after being forced to retire due to health issues
A frail-looking Phil Collins is making an emotional return to the drum kit after being forced to retire due to long-standing neck and back issues.
The former Genesis frontman, 73, known for his iconic drumming and powerful vocals, features in a new documentary, Phil Collins: Drummer First.
Premiering next week, the documentary will see the music icon recount his life story in his own words, focusing on his passion for drumming rather than his singing career.
‘I’m not a singer who plays the drums,’ Phil said in one clip from the trailer.
‘I’m more of a drummer who sings a bit.’
In one emotional scene, Phil is seen walking toward his drum kit with the help of his son Nic, 23, who stepped in as Genesis’ drummer during their farewell tours.
A frail-looking Phil Collins is making an emotional return to the drum kit after being forced to retire due to long-standing neck and back issues
The former Genesis frontman, 73, known for his iconic drumming and powerful vocals, is set to open up in a new documentary, Phil Collins: Drummer First (pictured with son Nic)
Premiering next week, the documentary will see the music icon recount his life story in his own words, focusing on his passion for drumming rather than his singing career (pictured in 1980)
Holding the drumsticks for the first time in years, a visibly overwhelmed Phil admitted: ‘It just feels so strange to hold a pair.
‘If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I will have a crack at it,’ he said.
‘I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.’
The documentary, created by the online drum education platform Drumeo, features tributes from other drumming legends, including Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater.
While Chad praised Phil for his unique sound, saying ‘Phil Collins’ drumming has such a unique sound and style that you know immediately when you hear it,’ Mike claimed he is ‘really criminally underrated as a prog icon.’
But the most striking tribute comes from the late Dom Famularo, who poignantly said before his death: ‘The fact that we’re living in the time of Phil Collins is almost equal to what it was like when people were living in the time of Mozart.’
Phil’s health problems began in 2009 when a serious vertebra injury sustained during a performance led to debilitating nerve damage.
In 2009 he told the Daily Mail he was unlikely to ever play the drums again, as he revealed: ‘After playing drums for 50 years, I’ve had to stop. My vertebrae have been crushing my spinal cord because of the position I drum in.’
Holding the drumsticks for the first time in years, a visibly overwhelmed Phil admitted: ‘It just feels so strange to hold a pair’
The documentary, created by the online drum education platform Drumeo, also features tributes from other drumming legends
‘It comes from years of playing. I can’t even hold the sticks properly without it being painful, I even used to tape the sticks to my hands to get through,’ he said.
Despite his struggles, and after two break-ups and a reunion tour, he managed to reunite with Genesis for The Last Domino? tour in 2022, marking a bittersweet chapter in the band’s history.
And in August, a close friend of Phil revealed the musician has been working on new music, despite his ongoing health issues.
Phil last released original music for the 2003 Disney film Brother Bear, and his last solo album of original material was Testify in 2002, followed by a cover album of R&B standards in 2010, Going Back.
Phil Collins: Drummer First is available to watch on Drumeo’s YouTube channel from Wednesday December 18.
