Phil Collins appeared on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored this week, and the hour-long interview delivered a man who has seen the top of the charts and the bottom of the hospital talking about both without much filter. The discussion covered his health troubles, his feud with Oasis, a reconciliation with Paul McCartney, and his thoughts on Donald Trump.
Collins spoke openly about his physical limits. “I haven’t really tried,” he said of playing drums again. “The last time I tried was on the Genesis ‘The Last Domino?’ tour when Nicholas, my son, was playing drums. I got the drums set up in a room just to see if I could play. As soon as I sat down and started playing, I couldn’t. I couldn’t really hold the stick properly.”
The reason is physical. “I’ve got drop foot in my right leg from the knee downwards, which means I can’t really do much with it,” he explained. He also suffered through five knee operations due to infection or broken spacers, spending a long time in hospital during that period.
Trump’s Unattractive Problem
Collins was blunt about the president. “His whole manner is unattractive, even when he’s saying he did nothing,” he said. He added that historically, presidents have been eloquent and elegant, but Trump is different. “When someone like Trump is as nasty as he is, you end up feeling dislike for him.”
He described Trump’s approach to politics as purely business-minded. “He plays politics like a businessman, and it’s not a business at all, it’s diplomacy. Sometimes you can lose but still come out winning. But he sees everything as a deal, won or lost.” He also warned that Trump might try to overrule the two-term limit for American presidents.
Oasis Gets the Jagger Treatment
Collins compared his feelings toward Oasis to something Mick Jagger famously said about U2. “Mick Jagger once said when someone asked him, ‘What do you think of U2?’ He said, ‘I don’t think of U2.’ And that’s really what I think about Oasis.”
Reconciliation With McCartney
The story of his feud with McCartney is a familiar one, told with new details. Collins was the house drummer for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, with McCartney and Brian Wilson each bringing their own bands. He was given a rare first-edition Hunter Davies Beatles biography by Jill, Lily’s mum, and took it to the rehearsal so Paul could sign it.
“I said, ‘Paul, could you sign this?'” Collins recalled. Paul came up with Heather Mills, and his response was awkward. “He said, ‘Oh yeah, yeah.’ And he probably didn’t mean it like it sounded, but he said, ‘He’s a big Beatle fan, is our little Phil.’ And I thought, ‘You asshole…’ I couldn’t help it; that’s what I thought. I felt patronized…”
Collins wrote about it in his book, and a journalist brought that quote up to McCartney. “Paul sent me an email saying it was a bit sanctimonious, which I didn’t reply to,” Collins said. Years later, videos on YouTube asked why Paul McCartney hated Phil Collins. Then, a month or two ago, Paul asked Collins’ office for his number. He called, and they reconciled.
“I said I wish I’d never said it, Paul. I wish I’d never said it,” Collins recounted. “So we kissed and made up. I said I was sorry. He likes to be liked, as we all do.”
Hearing Loss and Other Troubles
Collins wears hearing aids. He said his ears have taken a lot of beating over the years, and around the year 2000, he suffered sudden deafness. “Now my hearing has deteriorated. When you get two or three people talking over each other, you can’t hear them.”
Morgan’s Iran Stance
Collins is a fan of the show, and he agreed with Morgan’s stance on Iran. “I enjoy the show!” he said. “I am behind you 99% of the time in terms of your attitude towards what’s happening in Iran, whether it’s Harry, the royal family, or whatever. I find myself agreeing with you.”
Seven Takeaways
The interview covered seven major revelations:
- He cannot sit behind a drum kit anymore, and he admits it.
- He insulted Oasis in the most straightforward way possible.
- He reconciled with McCartney after years of bad blood.
- He called Trump unattractive and warned of a constitutional fight.
- He suffers from sudden deafness and wears hearing aids.
- He found Trump’s manner unattractive, even when he denied wrongdoing.
- He supports Morgan’s position on Iran.
Collins has spoken freely throughout his career, and this interview continues that pattern.
See the video the story is built around at Consequence.
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