Genesis drummer Nic Collins recently appeared on the Percussion Discussion Podcast, where he opened up about his relationship with his father, Phil Collins, and his wish to have known more about his dad’s past before embarking on the Genesis tour.
The younger Collins expressed his admiration for his father’s incredible career and how much he learned from him, not only as a drummer but also as a musician, and the interviewing period was a big part of that mutual understanding.
Nic revealed that the series of interviews his father had given in 2014, focusing on his Genesis career up until 1980, was an eye-opener. It was during these conversations that Phil shared personal stories about his songs and experiences as a drummer, which Nic said he wished he had known beforehand. The insights from these interviews would have given Nic a deeper understanding and appreciation for the music they performed together on tour.
Nic Collins’ words about The Genesis Tour interview period read:
“This was just purely based on his career as a drummer, so I think for him to be able to talk about that and even some really old because I was so surprised on, you know, my dad’s the kind of guy where sometimes he’ll tell you this crazy story that you’ve never heard before, and sometimes you know like some of the songs he may not have much to say about it. He’s, you know, and some big songs, which is funny, like I’m trying to think whether it was ‘Watcher of the Skies’ or something where you know not much to say about he’s just like yeah, it just kind of happened, and we played.”
He added:
“I remember the first one we went over the ‘Musical Box’ and, you know, kicked off the whole interviewing period of two days with this 30-minute story, and I was like, ‘This is going to be great; what have I been kind of worrying about.’ So I think he really enjoyed it on that front for sure, and you know. But also just for me too, it felt really nice after we finished to be like, ‘Wow, we just went over your whole career as a drummer,’ and this is stuff that’s like, way before my time, so to go over it and talk about it with him taught me a lot.
Honestly, at some points, I was like, ‘Man, I wish we would have had this conversation before we went out on the road,’ you know what I mean because there’s like some things that you would take in, and it changed your perspective on certain drum parts, but you know overall it was a really good experience.”
This heartfelt conversation highlights the unique bond between Nic and his legendary father, Phil. Nic filled his dad’s shoes beautifully on the final Genesis tour in 2022, and it’s evident that the experience has not only brought the father and son duo closer together but has also given him a newfound appreciation for his dad’s legacy and the music they share.
