So the music world has been rocked-ROCKED, I say!!-by the announcement that Phil Collins is retiring from touring and releasing new albums.
OK, so I’m being a little sarcastic. Considering Phil hasn’t made a better-than-average record in a decade and a half (some folks would say more, some would even say he’s *never* made a better-than-average record), I don’t think a whole lot of people are wiping away tears at Phil’s retirement. Actually, his decision to bow out now should probably serve as sort of a guideline for most rockers who find themselves north of 50.
That said, I’m far from a Phil Collins hater. Over the past thirty-five years or so, Phil’s established himself as not only one of rock’s best drummers, but also s a fantastic pop craftsman. Even if you’re not a pop fan, you’ve gotta admit that through the Eighties, he ranked as one of the decade’s best singles artists-and he’s certainly one of the better blue-eyed soul singers the world has produced. I’ll even admit that about four years ago, I dragged my then-boss to an intimate concert Phil held in New York City that was filmed for a VH-1 special that I don’t think ever aired. Anyway, I even made my boss (who DETESTS Phil Collins and Eighties’ pop in general) stay after the show and wait in line just so I could shake Phil’s hand and tell him how big a fan I was. I’m surprised I didn’t get fired afterwards.
I really wanted to include the clip of Stewie Griffin singing “In The Air Tonight” to pay tribute to Phil, but Youtube doesn’t have it, dammit.
So instead, you get one of my favorite songs of the decade: “Sussudio”. Enjoy. We’ll miss you, Phil. Enjoy skiing in the Swiss Alps and boinking hot chicks young enough to be your daughter. And take Tony and Mike with you so they don’t try to reform Genesis with some lameass lead singer again.
