Phil Collins is the subject of a new documentary titled Phil Collins: Drummer First, which will focus on the drumming talents of the longtime Genesis member and solo star. The film will premiere on December 18 exclusively on Drumeo, a website dedicated to drum education.
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The movie features new interviews with Collins, as well as conversations with various other respected drummers and musicians. They include the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy, Whitesnake’s Tommy Aldridge, Pearl Jam/Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron, Styx’s Todd Sucherman, ex-Billy Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto, acclaimed session bassist Leland Sklar, and longtime Genesis touring guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer.
[RELATED: Phil Collins Working on His First New Music in Over Two Decades, per Report]
Collins’ son Nic, who played drums with his dad on his most recent solo concerts and on Genesis’ farewell tour, also is interviewed in the doc.
The first trailer for the film has debuted on Drumeo’s YouTube channel. The clip includes emotional footage of Phil, whose ability to play drums has been impaired by spinal issues and nerve damage, sitting down at his kit for apparently the first time in a long while.
More About the Phil Collins: Drummer First Trailer
The trailer begins with a clip of Collins commenting, “I’m not a singer that plays a bit of drums. I’m more of a drummer that sings a bit.”
We then see Smith, who says, “Phil Collins, his drumming has such a unique sound and style that you know immediately when you hear it, that’s that guy.”
Portnoy then appears and says of Collins, “He’s really criminally underrated as a prog icon.”
The trailer also features a clip of late drum educator Dom Famularo, who enthuses, “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.”
In another interview segment with Phil features him sharing a recollection of auditioning for Genesis. “Peter Gabriel said as soon as he saw me sit down on a drum stool, he knew that I was a drummer,” Collins recalls. Later on, he also remarks about how impressed Eric Clapton was by his drumming when he was working with Eric.
Nic Collins also appears in the trailer, and says about his dad, “I’m really excited to learn about the creative process, not only with his writing, but just, like, the drumming.”
Nic also shares that he excitedly agreed to play drums with Phil when his father told him he had decided to start touring again a few years ago.
Collins on Whether He Might Play Drums Again
Later on in the trailer, Phil talks about his difficulty playing the drums now and whether he might try playing again.
“If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I will have a crack at it,” he says. “[I] just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.”
As the video nears its end, we see Collins sitting at a drum kit with drumsticks in his hands. He comments, “[It] just feels so strange to hold a pair,” but the scene cuts before we see him actually play the drums.
Drumeo’s Brandon Toews Shares Details About the Documentary
In a recent Facebook post, Drumeo content director Brandon Toews shared some details about the Collins documentary.
“Over the last three years, I’ve been working with the Drumeo team on a documentary about Phil Collins – one of my drumming heroes,” Toews wrote. “I spent a few days in Switzerland with Phil and his son, Nic Collins, and we filmed a series of brand-new interviews shortly after Phil and Genesis officially retired.”
He added that he conducted interviews with “over 100 musicians about Phil” for the project. Toews also described the movie as “the first documentary about Phil Collins told from a drummer’s perspective.”
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