Which name floods your mind first when someone mentions Genesis? Is it Mike Rutherford or Tony Banks? Perhaps, it might be Peter Gabriel if you’re way into the band’s early works; but I think it would be safe to bet that the first figure that would appear in your mind could be the one and only Phil Collins.
The drummer has made such an impact that even after former frontman Peter left the band in the 70s to pursue a solo career, Genesis carried on unaltered, as Collins took the creative vessel into his hands and went on to release some of the act’s most commercially successful works.
The band already had a cult following by the time Phil and his buddies took matters into their hands, but it seemed that as the drummer became more involved with Genesis’ sound, they started appealing to the mainstream audience more, and from this point, I’ll simply let somebody else took the narration here to tell you all about why the Collins-led-act was the greatest of all time.
Patrick Bateman, the all-time Sigma male and your favorite ‘American Psycho,’ had an entire monologue dedicated to emphasizing Phil’s achievements in the 2000 film and how Genesis became one of his most listened bands of all time after they started becoming more commercial and grasped the mainstream audience.
The imaginary serial killer’s speech about Genesis became one most cult scenes of the film, as Patrick started discussing all about Genesis’ 80s era and why the drummer’s solo career was much more satisfying while getting ready to have a threesome with two different women. (Such a sigma move.)
The anti-hero’s monologue on how Collins-led-Genesis was an all-time great:
“Do you like Phil Collins? I’ve been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, ‘Duke.’ Before that, I really didn’t understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on ‘Duke’ where Phil Collins’ presence became more apparent. I think ‘Invisible Touch’ was the group’s undisputed masterpiece. It’s an epic meditation on intangibility.
At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. [Christy, take off your robe.] Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins, and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. [Sabrina, remove your dress.] In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism.
[Sabrina, why don’t you, uh, dance a little?] Take the lyrics to ‘Land of Confusion.’ In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. ‘In Too Deep’ is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is incredibly uplifting.”
Bateman carried on by discussing how he found Phil’s solo career more commercial and, therefore, more satisfying:
“Phil Collins’ solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like ‘In the Air Tonight’ and ‘Against All Odds.’ [Sabrina, don’t just stare at it; eat it]
But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is ‘Sussudio,’ a great, great song, a personal favorite.”
Well, all I needed to say was poured into words by Patrick, as he found Collins’ solo career more satisfying since it received more popularity than any of Genesis’ earlier or later work. Bateman’s fascination with Phil, of course, was to reflect how the character found consumerism and materialism appealing, as he was trapped in a world where only money and having the most luxurious suit spoke for him.
So, when Action Bronson asked Phil on a chat with Stereogum in 2016, what he thought all about Patrick’s obsession with him and Genesis, the rocker laughed and recalled the first time he ever received the book and tossed it aside as another cliche serial killer story. However, years later, when he was living in Switzerland, somebody approached him and asked whether he’d seen the film and his interest sparked.
Collins discussed how he’d seen the movie after that and liked it, and when it came to Patrick’s obsession with him, it was all good. Still, Bateman’s fascination with the drummer’s solo career was a bit ironic since the character was a psychopath who only viewed things materialistically rather than actually feeling them, as he belittled Genesis’ early period, so it was a bit of a shade at Phil’s commercial success; it didn’t bother the rocker, though.
Phil on whether ‘American Psycho’s views of him and Genesis felt correct:
“I don’t know. We were all sent the book at the time. I kind of thought, that’s just what we need, another serial killer movie. I was living in Switzerland, and someone said to me, ‘Have you seen ‘American Psycho?’ You’ve got to go see it because they do lots of things to your music.’ So I watched it, and I kind of enjoyed the film, and I have to watch it again to see if I was offended or not.”
It might be surely complex to receive positive reviews from an imaginary narcissist/serial killer who only viewed things commercially rather than seeing art for what it was. Still, Collins didn’t bother the ‘ironic’ obsession Patrick had with him, though he said needed to watch the film again before reconsidering whether he liked those ‘compliments’ or not.
