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Available
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Music. Nonfiction. HTML:Phil Collins pulls no punches�about himself, his life, or the ecstasy and heartbreak that�s inspired his music. In his much-awaited memoir, Not Dead Yet, he tells the story of his epic career, with an auspicious debut at age 11 in a crowd shot from the Beatles� legendary film A Hard Day�s Night. A drummer since almost before he could walk, Collins received on the job training in the seedy, thrilling bars and clubs of 1960s swinging London before finally landing the drum seat in Genesis. Soon, he would step into the spotlight on vocals after the departure of Peter Gabriel and begin to stockpile the songs that would rocket him to international fame with the release of Face Value and �In the Air Tonight.� Whether he�s recalling jamming with Eric Clapton and Robert Plant, pulling together a big band fronted by Tony Bennett, or writing the music for Disney�s smash-hit animated Tarzan, Collins�s storytelling chops never waver. And of course he answers the pressing question on everyone�s mind: just what does �Sussudio� mean? Not Dead Yet is Phil Collins�s candid, witty, unvarnished story of the songs and shows, the hits and pans, his marriages and divorces, the ascents to the top of the charts and into the tabloid headlines. As one of only three musicians to sell 100 million records both in a group and as a solo artist, Collins breathes rare air, but has never lost his touch at crafting songs from the heart that touch listeners around the globe. That same touch is on magnificent display here, especially as he unfolds his harrowing descent into darkness after his �official� retirement in 2007, and the profound, enduring love that helped save him. This is Phil Collins as you�ve always known him, but also as you�ve never heard him before.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member gpangel
Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins is a 2016 Crown Archetype publication.
My luck with rock memoirs this year has been lukewarm at best. I’ve been disappointed, or unimpressed or bored to tears for the most part, with only one or two exceptions.
So, being a huge fan of Genesis and Phil Collins, I was a
Well, this one wins best rock/music memoir of 2016 award from me!
Phil told his story with so much humor and honesty!! This is a very refreshing approach to take with a memoir and Phil is incredibly personable and despite his fame, he seems to have a self-deprecating manner, especially when speaking of his foibles. Only once or twice was there a hint of snark, but it was so light it hardly counted.
My favorite segment of this book was about ‘Live Aid’. This was a crazy adventure for Phil, who participated in both shows, with mixed success. I ended up laughing out loud about some of the absurdities of that day.
Once the nineties rolled around and Phil left Genesis, I lost track of him, except for the scandal involving his divorce from his second wife. But, here in America, I don’t recall it being such a big thing, but, apparently, it was a pretty big deal in the British tabloids. His reputation took a big hit and his career started to slow down during this time as well, which led to a slow downward spiral.
He did, while describing this tumultuous period, did do a little whining, and of course I did not approve of his decisions, but he doesn’t gloss over his misdeeds or make excuses either. He was a cad and he knew it, and owned up to it, for the most part.
I was lucky enough to have attended a Genesis concert, as well one of Phil’s solo performances. Both shows were outstanding and I am thankful I got to experience the wonderful musicianship and talent Phil brought to the table. Reading this novel brought back so some wonderful memories and reminded me of the wealth of material Phil was involved with. I’ve been revisiting a lot of this wonderful music while reading this memoir, and am amazed by the quality of work, the immense talent, and depth much of this music showcases, whether with Genesis or with his solo material.
The details he provided about the physical torment drummers can go through, especially on tour, was riveting. I never imagined the toll it takes on the drummer’s hands and body, and the extreme measure they go through to make it through a tour. Not only that, Phil had to preserve his voice too, which was another struggle altogether.
Phil has led an interesting and colorful life and I so enjoyed hearing him tell this story in his own words, and appreciated his approach to the memoir and his mesmerizing way with words that made me feel as though he were speaking to me directly and personally.
It is sad to hear his health has been so bad recently, and that he’s suffered through a great deal of pain, both physically and emotionally.
However, he’s back now…. Like he never went away.
This is one of the very best memoirs I’ve read, and is an absolute must for Phil’s fans. But, even if you weren’t a huge fan, you will still find his story to be a fascinating read, will enjoy his humor and respect his candor.
5 stars
My luck with rock memoirs this year has been lukewarm at best. I’ve been disappointed, or unimpressed or bored to tears for the most part, with only one or two exceptions.
So, being a huge fan of Genesis and Phil Collins, I was a
Show More
little wary about reading this one, but noticed the book has had a very favorable response from readers, so I decided to give it a try. Well, this one wins best rock/music memoir of 2016 award from me!
Phil told his story with so much humor and honesty!! This is a very refreshing approach to take with a memoir and Phil is incredibly personable and despite his fame, he seems to have a self-deprecating manner, especially when speaking of his foibles. Only once or twice was there a hint of snark, but it was so light it hardly counted.
My favorite segment of this book was about ‘Live Aid’. This was a crazy adventure for Phil, who participated in both shows, with mixed success. I ended up laughing out loud about some of the absurdities of that day.
Once the nineties rolled around and Phil left Genesis, I lost track of him, except for the scandal involving his divorce from his second wife. But, here in America, I don’t recall it being such a big thing, but, apparently, it was a pretty big deal in the British tabloids. His reputation took a big hit and his career started to slow down during this time as well, which led to a slow downward spiral.
He did, while describing this tumultuous period, did do a little whining, and of course I did not approve of his decisions, but he doesn’t gloss over his misdeeds or make excuses either. He was a cad and he knew it, and owned up to it, for the most part.
I was lucky enough to have attended a Genesis concert, as well one of Phil’s solo performances. Both shows were outstanding and I am thankful I got to experience the wonderful musicianship and talent Phil brought to the table. Reading this novel brought back so some wonderful memories and reminded me of the wealth of material Phil was involved with. I’ve been revisiting a lot of this wonderful music while reading this memoir, and am amazed by the quality of work, the immense talent, and depth much of this music showcases, whether with Genesis or with his solo material.
The details he provided about the physical torment drummers can go through, especially on tour, was riveting. I never imagined the toll it takes on the drummer’s hands and body, and the extreme measure they go through to make it through a tour. Not only that, Phil had to preserve his voice too, which was another struggle altogether.
Phil has led an interesting and colorful life and I so enjoyed hearing him tell this story in his own words, and appreciated his approach to the memoir and his mesmerizing way with words that made me feel as though he were speaking to me directly and personally.
It is sad to hear his health has been so bad recently, and that he’s suffered through a great deal of pain, both physically and emotionally.
However, he’s back now…. Like he never went away.
This is one of the very best memoirs I’ve read, and is an absolute must for Phil’s fans. But, even if you weren’t a huge fan, you will still find his story to be a fascinating read, will enjoy his humor and respect his candor.
5 stars
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LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
I'm impressed. Phil Collins is a better writer than I would have guessed. Even if it was partially ghost-written—I honestly have no idea—Not Dead Yet is a beautiful autobiography. There's some dirty laundry being aired when the topic is his personal life, but still it's quite enjoyable.
LibraryThing member JaredOrlando
Phil Collins. Musical juggernaut, impassioned family man, now memoirist.
He is a household name and multi-hyphenated talent (not to mention a personal favorite of mine). With Not Dead Yet, Collins reveals himself with one part unbridled charisma, one part self-deprecation. He is clearing the air,
He is a household name and multi-hyphenated talent (not to mention a personal favorite of mine). With Not Dead Yet, Collins reveals himself with one part unbridled charisma, one part self-deprecation. He is clearing the air,
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defending and accepting his mistakes along the way, while sharing the difficulties that come with international successes. Show Less
LibraryThing member MHStevens
Phil is one of my all-time favourite composers/singers/drummers. I was a big fan in the 80s. The book got to be a little boring when it became clear that he feels badly for neglecting his wife and children (giving priority to his career) and losing his wife and children, over and over again.
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Apparently there is indeed a price for success. But Phil makes it seem as though he is surprised by it, each and every time. So, after a while, one stops feeling sorry for him. Show Less
LibraryThing member nicolewbrown
Born on January 30, 1951, in Middlesex, London, Phil Collins had drumming in his blood from the age of three when his parents gave him a drum to play with for a Christmas gift. When he was older, his brother Clive and his sister Carole would design a drum kit for him until his mother and he could
But drumming wasn't his only interest. His mother was an agent for young actors (actually she became one after he became an actor and she saw a need in the area for one). He played the Artful Dodger in Oliver! on West End. That wouldn't be the only character he'd portray in that play. When his voice broke he'd have to give up playing the Artful Dodger, but he would go back at different times in his youth and play various parts. It was a way to make money to afford a way to see acts of the day and to buy equipment. Later in life, he would act again for television and for the movies (He was even considered for the part of The Master on Dr. Who).
He would join bands that went nowhere except for the band Hickory that became Flaming Youth once the brilliant producers Howard and Blaikley get a hold of them. They write them an odd concept album Ark 2 that does so well that Melody Maker picks it as album of the month for October 1969 over Led Zepplin II. But performing the album live proved difficult and writing new material also proved difficult so the band broke up.
With nothing to do he gets a fateful chance to play on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. This isn't his first time meeting a Beatle. He was an extra in a scene in the movie A Hard Day's Night. But don't look for him in the concert scene. He got cut. The song is "The Art of the Dying" and they need a bongo player. He's never played bongos in his life but that's not going to stop him. He gets his check in the mail and waits eagerly for the three-sided album to come out. He isn't in the liner notes and then he can't hear himself in the song. All he can think is that they went in another direction. He finally gets a chance to ask George but he says he can't remember much of making that album. Then George plays a dirty trick on Collins and tells him they found his tracks. He sends him some atrocious bongo playing with George at the end saying can we try it at the top without the bongo player.
Now he's looking for a new band and on a fateful day, he would answer the advertisement for Genesis who were looking for a drummer and a guitarist. Genesis would go through drummers like Spinal Tap, though none went up in spontaneous combustion. Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford were private school boy chums as were the members of the band that had quit. Now they need someone to take their place. He wins them over and gets the gig and becomes the comic relief in a band where Tony and Peter are often going at each other with Mike playing peacemaker. The guitarist is Steve Hackett.
That lineup would continue for several albums until the fateful Lamb Lies Down on Broadway that didn't do so well when Peter announces that he is leaving the band while they are on tour. He is convinced to stay for the tour, but now Genesis needs to find a new lead singer. Eventually, they'll realize that they have a lead singer with Phil Collins and what they need is a new drummer. Bill Bruford, the former drummer from Yes would drum for them for a year then they'd get Chester Thompson who'd stay with them till the end.
While Genesis is going on Phil reconnects with an old girlfriend who is living in Vancouver and has a daughter, Joley. The two get married and move to England, but the stress of his life of making albums and touring put a strain on their marriage and she cheats on him with the man who is supposed to be helping her fix their house up. Still, he tries to save his marriage as Genesis takes a break so the guys can do their own personal projects. By this time they have a son, Simon and she's moved back to Vancouver, but there's no saving the marriage. He pours his heart out into some songs that would end up on his solo album Face Value, such as "In the Air Tonight", "I Missed Again", "If Leaving Me Was Easy" and one that ended up a single "Against All Odds". But one of the songs on the album was a love song based on his new romance with Jill Tavelman "This Must Be Love". At this time Genesis would put out Duke and will have a real breakthrough with the song "Misunderstanding" that Phil wrote.
Genesis is a juggernaut that keeps going and when Genesis isn't going he is on solo projects or he's doing producing with others such as Eric Clapton and Robert Plant. His marriage is strong and he has a daughter named Lily from it, but not strong enough to withstand him running into a former girlfriend whom he still has feelings for. He has an affair and they make plans to leave their spouses but she backs out and the short-lived affair ends with him writing an album about it, Both Sides. On top of that, he meets a woman with whom he falls in love with in Switzerland named Orianne.
This book also talks about the mistakes made at Live Aid and what happened. Phil Collins was the only person to play at both stadiums in London and Philadelphia during the concert. How Sting told him before going on that he sometimes changes the words to his songs which left Phil who had learned the words to the songs for the concert at a loss and singing the wrong words. And the "Led Zepplin" debacle. At least Eric Clapton went well.
Collins takes you behind the scenes into his life and his songs and his time with Genesis and his time spent with other famous people and his medical problems and his addiction problems. He really puts it out there and holds nothing back. Sadly, this wasn't a well-written book. There were many times I wanted to put it down because of its writing but the stories kept me coming back. In the end, I'm a huge fan of Phil Collins and Genesis and the book was worth reading for that alone. I give this book three and a half stars out of five.
Quotes
People hate a break-up, but they love a break-up song.
-Phil Collins (Not Dead Yet: A Memoir p 186)
But wisdom comes with age, and I now feel I have a master’s degree in divorce and people management. I will come to view my adult life as forty years of negotiation.
-Phil Collins (Not Dead Yet: A Memoir p 220)
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combine their money when he was ten and buy his first real kit.But drumming wasn't his only interest. His mother was an agent for young actors (actually she became one after he became an actor and she saw a need in the area for one). He played the Artful Dodger in Oliver! on West End. That wouldn't be the only character he'd portray in that play. When his voice broke he'd have to give up playing the Artful Dodger, but he would go back at different times in his youth and play various parts. It was a way to make money to afford a way to see acts of the day and to buy equipment. Later in life, he would act again for television and for the movies (He was even considered for the part of The Master on Dr. Who).
He would join bands that went nowhere except for the band Hickory that became Flaming Youth once the brilliant producers Howard and Blaikley get a hold of them. They write them an odd concept album Ark 2 that does so well that Melody Maker picks it as album of the month for October 1969 over Led Zepplin II. But performing the album live proved difficult and writing new material also proved difficult so the band broke up.
With nothing to do he gets a fateful chance to play on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. This isn't his first time meeting a Beatle. He was an extra in a scene in the movie A Hard Day's Night. But don't look for him in the concert scene. He got cut. The song is "The Art of the Dying" and they need a bongo player. He's never played bongos in his life but that's not going to stop him. He gets his check in the mail and waits eagerly for the three-sided album to come out. He isn't in the liner notes and then he can't hear himself in the song. All he can think is that they went in another direction. He finally gets a chance to ask George but he says he can't remember much of making that album. Then George plays a dirty trick on Collins and tells him they found his tracks. He sends him some atrocious bongo playing with George at the end saying can we try it at the top without the bongo player.
Now he's looking for a new band and on a fateful day, he would answer the advertisement for Genesis who were looking for a drummer and a guitarist. Genesis would go through drummers like Spinal Tap, though none went up in spontaneous combustion. Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford were private school boy chums as were the members of the band that had quit. Now they need someone to take their place. He wins them over and gets the gig and becomes the comic relief in a band where Tony and Peter are often going at each other with Mike playing peacemaker. The guitarist is Steve Hackett.
That lineup would continue for several albums until the fateful Lamb Lies Down on Broadway that didn't do so well when Peter announces that he is leaving the band while they are on tour. He is convinced to stay for the tour, but now Genesis needs to find a new lead singer. Eventually, they'll realize that they have a lead singer with Phil Collins and what they need is a new drummer. Bill Bruford, the former drummer from Yes would drum for them for a year then they'd get Chester Thompson who'd stay with them till the end.
While Genesis is going on Phil reconnects with an old girlfriend who is living in Vancouver and has a daughter, Joley. The two get married and move to England, but the stress of his life of making albums and touring put a strain on their marriage and she cheats on him with the man who is supposed to be helping her fix their house up. Still, he tries to save his marriage as Genesis takes a break so the guys can do their own personal projects. By this time they have a son, Simon and she's moved back to Vancouver, but there's no saving the marriage. He pours his heart out into some songs that would end up on his solo album Face Value, such as "In the Air Tonight", "I Missed Again", "If Leaving Me Was Easy" and one that ended up a single "Against All Odds". But one of the songs on the album was a love song based on his new romance with Jill Tavelman "This Must Be Love". At this time Genesis would put out Duke and will have a real breakthrough with the song "Misunderstanding" that Phil wrote.
Genesis is a juggernaut that keeps going and when Genesis isn't going he is on solo projects or he's doing producing with others such as Eric Clapton and Robert Plant. His marriage is strong and he has a daughter named Lily from it, but not strong enough to withstand him running into a former girlfriend whom he still has feelings for. He has an affair and they make plans to leave their spouses but she backs out and the short-lived affair ends with him writing an album about it, Both Sides. On top of that, he meets a woman with whom he falls in love with in Switzerland named Orianne.
This book also talks about the mistakes made at Live Aid and what happened. Phil Collins was the only person to play at both stadiums in London and Philadelphia during the concert. How Sting told him before going on that he sometimes changes the words to his songs which left Phil who had learned the words to the songs for the concert at a loss and singing the wrong words. And the "Led Zepplin" debacle. At least Eric Clapton went well.
Collins takes you behind the scenes into his life and his songs and his time with Genesis and his time spent with other famous people and his medical problems and his addiction problems. He really puts it out there and holds nothing back. Sadly, this wasn't a well-written book. There were many times I wanted to put it down because of its writing but the stories kept me coming back. In the end, I'm a huge fan of Phil Collins and Genesis and the book was worth reading for that alone. I give this book three and a half stars out of five.
Quotes
People hate a break-up, but they love a break-up song.
-Phil Collins (Not Dead Yet: A Memoir p 186)
But wisdom comes with age, and I now feel I have a master’s degree in divorce and people management. I will come to view my adult life as forty years of negotiation.
-Phil Collins (Not Dead Yet: A Memoir p 220)
Show Less
LibraryThing member ghr4
In Not Dead Yet: The Memoir, Phil Collins provides a candid look at his life and career, from humble beginnings in an “end-of-the-line” London neighborhood to drummer and then frontman/vocalist for the progressive rock band Genesis to international superstardom as a solo performer and
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songwriter. Collins demonstrates a sharp wit in tracing the trajectory of his career, dropping many familiar names and recalling some terrific behind-the-scenes stories from recording sessions and the seemingly endless run of concert tours. He also recounts with evident sadness and regret his inability to balance the touring demands with his family obligations, his three failed marriages, extramarital affairs, battles with alcohol abuse, and the profound effect all of this had on his children. The combination of humor and pathos makes this an intriguing memoir. Show Less