Phil Collins has to tape his hands to his Drum Sticks

After the last Mega Genesis Tour
Phil found out he had Nerve Damage,
to play on his new Atlantic CD 'Going Back' out in Sept.
In todays UK paper Mail On Sunday
with a Free CD of hits picked by readers,
he says how he tapes his hands to the sticks to play.

"More recently he was diagnosed with severe nerve damage to his hands, making drumming extremely challenging. During recording sessions for his new album he was forced to tape his sticks to his hands."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1269213/Phil-Collins-People-used-think-I-musical-evil-Now-Im-cool.html#ixzz0mlSgKbsw


And this Ad
he was asked he he minded the Goriilla palying his Drum Intro.
He said Good Luck.

It s become a big Hit as a Ad.


Phil still in Switzerland.
I wonder if he meets Billy Cobham
any time.


____________________________________

Outtasight
Colin.

I must say that I really love what Phil has done on the drums.

Sadly though, his injuries are a result of beating them instead
of playing them.

Same thing with John Blackwell. He hits the drums so hard that
he actually changes the way the tones are projected.

I just don't see the benefits in hitting the drums that hard.

Having to tape sticks to your hands to play.... What a price.

Maybe that's reason enough to say that drummer, Chester Thompson was the stick if the tape adhesive from Colin's hands would peel off. Colins' live performances during that time was playing drums and singing at the same time. So it could be probable why Chester played long side.

Just a thought,

rac

Liked the monkey thing except it seems he was missing a few beats in the intro. That was fun and glad Colin's is finally acknowledged in some way musically. He should count his past as well as long awaited successes a blessing.

Long awaited successes??? In the 80's and 90's Phil was pumping out hit after hit and then some more hits...
What long awaited successes are you referring to?

Love this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G82VUCzrhQo&feature=related

Iggy Pop came over to me to pay his respects and I'm thinking, "Iggy Pop!? The Godfather of Punk! This wouldn't have happened ten years ago." I guess after all this time a lot of people are finally shaking off their prejudices about me and feeling OK about admitting they like my music. If so, that's a wonderful thing.

Phil Colins

He should count his past as well as long awaited successes a blessing. Or should I say; 'acknowledged successes.'
rac

BTW D, Is that another kit of yours? That's a beautiful blue I might add.

Yes Great Version
Don

Phil Collins & Chester Thompson both on Drums
for "In The Air Tonight"
I wish that was on a CD as a Alternate Live version.

Has so much power.


________________________________

Outtasight
Colin.

I think Phil is just being (or is just trying to sound) modest, Rac. His musical successes with Genesis and as a solo artist have been acknowledged and documented more times than I'm sure even he can remember.

Yes, Rac, that is the newest kit to my drum set family. $400.00, couldn't pass it up. ddrum, thin birch shells, black chrome diecast hoops & lugs, aqua satin finish, sounds great. A few small blemishes but for $400.00 you can't beat it. The interesting thing is that last tom is a 20" Ludwig that I picked up a few years before I got married, so it's over 30 years old at least.

It had a black diamond wrap on it that I took off down to the mahogany wood, sanded, filled and painted it to match that kit. The floor that came with the kit is a 16". If I can find a 14" floor to match it, I'll convert the 20" tom to a bass drum. I already have the hoops, hoop clamps and bass drum tension rods. Just need to get the spurs. I'll try and put up some pictures of it.

Thank you for the compliment.

Colin,

Yes, that's a great tune and that was a great rendition of it.

D.

That U.K. article is exaggerating a bit to make a splashy story.
He may have done that, but I doubt for the whole recording of the album.
Try doing that yourself and you will see how ridiculous it is.

Phil has a lot of money...I mean a lot of money!
I am sure he has access to good doctors to help him with his problem,
he is not without means, that is for sure.

I have always loved Phil's
playing, with Genesis and
especially, with Brand X.

I have seen a lot of players
over the years. Many of them
played really hard and many
of them soft. It always amazes
me how each do what they do.

I know that, for myself, playing
hard does not help but as a
sound-engineer told me, over
the weekend, it is not always
the drummer deciding to hit
the drums harder on a live set.
Sometimes, he is not high in
the mix and unconsciously
makes up for the difference in
velocity and impact. Phil came
from the monitor era, where
it was worst.

In my case, I actually have a
genetic condition, which actually
predisposes me to pain etc. I
can do nothing except change
the way I play and distribute
the sensations.

Playing on hard pads has not
helped either. You all know
about that.

I feel for Phil and hope the best
for him. He's given us a lot and
I thank him.

Regards,

Sorry to hear about Phil and hope he'll benefit from therapy, especially natural ways of healing. I'm not a huge fan of his solo material (except the drumming), but I love his work with Genesis, especially the early stuff like Nursery Crymes. But I gotta say I think his work on the Disney Tarzan film is outstanding. And a bit of lore: his mother was an agent who discovered people like Jack Wild: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4766430.stm
(Collins himself first held the role of Artful Dodger)

Phil uses hard drumming to great effect even late in his career.

"He is not high in
the mix and unconsciously
makes up for the difference in
velocity and impact. Phil came
from the monitor era, where
it was worst."

Pete

Would it be fair to say that contributing to that situation are the open-end shells coupled with type of woods used in those days? Personally, back in the day, I used shells like that out of vogueness, but I found it restricting projection. Having said that, I had to either play harder or having a better sound/miking arrangement.

The technology and engineering in shell production and audio these days will compensate his injury where lot less pressure on the down strokes would deem unnecessary.

Oh, BTW Pete...It's good reading you - mis you.

Aloha,

rac

Hey, Rac.

Not sure but I do remember
playing in that exact situation
and the truth is I was always
unhappy, with the monitors.

I mean ALWAYS.

Sound HAS come a long way.

I tend to think that we have
less pressure, now, to play
hard but it is a cooperative
effort, as always.

Always nice to see you, Rac
and I hope to be around more.

Regards,

Phil's problems did not come from playing hard, but from poor posture resulting in spinal cord injury:
http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/blog/2010/04/20/phil-collins-overcomes-challenge-of-drumming-after-spinal-cord-injury/

This is why I've been thinking of trying a new throne like a Roc-N-Soc and see if I can get used to it. Saddle thrones are probably most healthy, but I'm not sure how they affect drumming as you're no longer playing "on top" but a bit sunken down. Better for balance though.

That's why I've always remain committed to sitting where the lap of my legs are near leveled and strattling my snare at waist level - In fact, it was observing Tony Williams during the seventies that influenced sitting position as well as setting up gear. Think of it like those diagrams you see in chiropractic clinics; the person sitting straight up with his viewing a computer monitor positioned slightly below eye level. Although these may seem awkward to some, never the less it's fundamentally healthy for good spinal condition. The great Tony Williams sat similar in that the legs, laps, are near leveled and snare high, right about waist line or tad
higher. Positioned in this way allows for proper oxygen intake and greater muscle mass contact on the downstroke without the strain to spinal regions. In other words you achieve a much more oraganic and natural way for optimum performance.



I notice many a young folk tend to sit very high where the snare being so low, nearly touching their knees with the hh low as well. As we know, Boomer sits ontop but is not lowering his back when going into a role ( as evident with Collins). In fact, he keeps his posture straight up and drums are high enough where stick contact is at it's maximum on those power downstrokes. Thus you have the drums having to obsorb the impact and not your body.

Just my observation though some may think otherwise.

Shalom,


rac

Phil Collins when he was with one of my favorites, the fusion band, Brand X.

Audio
Nuclear Burn, nice drumming in this classic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrN4_Eg2Zx4&a=0XRuTYjvUnE&playnext_from=ML

They remind me of RTF here
The Poke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlHtvbCTfmA&a=0XRuTYjvUnE&playnext_from=ML

Malaga Virgen, is one of my favorites, saw them play it live in 77, but when I saw them Phil had stepped out of the group for a minute, and his replacement was Kenwood Dennard of Pat Martino's group, this cat could really get off. As I remember now, he had only a few rehearsals with them then, but he was great and was smoking the whole show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGj6_iwmb_A&NR=1

video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmP8NC2EOLE

audio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqrrJ9Ma8k8

I like sitting with a slight downward angle on my legs. My personal experience is when I lift your legs and my knees raise above my waist, that's a lot of extra stress on the quads and hip-flexers. I like to sit in such a position that the legs are parallel with the floor with knees raised. For me, there is considerably less fatigue and a longer period before fatigue begins to occur.

Another possibility on fatique leading to injury is our BD position. I personally have it slightly angled as to the natural angle of the feet when sitting. Notice the feet is naturally at a 1:00 position. That's the angle my BD is position along that path - not tucked in straight foward.

This is a good running thread in that it leads to a drummers awarness hightened to how our physical aspects have adverse effects in performance, more less careers. Over the past few months, as you know, I'm cautious on how my body is reacting to playing the drums. It must be age

rac

funny Rac, I just bought a Roc N Soc throne with the back rest . very solid and comfortable as I used it on the gig thursday.






Peace, TED

Ted, would you say that the Rock'n'Sock thrones with the back rest was an improvement of the other without it?

I'm also considering the Tama saddle-type chair with the back rest. Know anything about that one that may help my decision?

rac

D. Slam wrote:I like sitting with a slight downward angle on my legs. My personal experience is when I lift your legs and my knees raise above my waist, that's a lot of extra stress on the quads and hip-flexers. I like to sit in such a position that the legs are parallel with the floor with knees raised. For me, there is considerably less fatigue and a longer period before fatigue begins to occur.

I resonate, with Don.

Regards,

My personal experience is when I lift your legs and my knees raise above my waist,

That should have read: When I lift my legs....

Sounds like I'm gettin freaky with some site members.... Sorry about that.

Rac,

I have the Rok n Sok without the back rest and the Tama throne with the back rest.

I like them both. I fine that pressing against the back rest stabilizes me when doing some
double bass patterns.

Rac, I would suggest going to your local music store and sitting on what they have available which is what I did. I tried seats from Roc n Soc, Pearl Roadster, Gibraltar, Ludwig and the Tama , all with back rests. I had never used a back rest in the past but since I have a number of herniated discs there I wanted to give myself some more support.

I picked the Roc n Soc mainly because the back rest was the most comfortable of all of them to me. It was also the largest, as far as coverage of the back goes. I chose the spindle seat, though it is also available for all their hydraulics called the Nitro series.

I had priced them all before I went so I would have an idea what they would run, and the Pearl was the most expensive coming in at around $280. I spent extra time with that one thinking that the most expensive one would likely be the best, as is sometimes the case. The seat and base were by far the most stable of all of them, as it uses a 4 leg system. It is also the heaviest of all the ones that I tried. But the back rest has a weird shape and only supported a small section of my back, so I had to pass on it.

The roc n Soc with backrest came in at $198.

But the most comfortable seat in the store was none of the above , and the only reason I didn't buy it was because it does not come with a back rest. It was a Pork Pie . It is the thickest seat I've ever sat upon, and felt just like sitting on a firm couch. If that thing had the back rest, it would have been no contest. LOL


The only drawback to this seat [Roc n Soc] is that it does not fit in my trap case. The base and spindle does but not the seat itself, nor the backrest. I had been using a thick Tama all these years which I was able to fit alongside my snare in that section of the trapcase. That's no knock on the seat, as I don't think any of them would fit either.

So I used the box it came in when I gigged with it. But I am looking for something a little more protective and gig-worthy. It won't fit in my hardware case either. LOL

Hope that helped, Rac.

Peace, TED

Yes Ted that helps me very much for when I'm ready to purchase a throne. Your critique on these thrones tells me they are weighty and large which make it seem like logging furniture around to the next gig You know if I could afford that rock n sock, I would probably go with that one. But my wife is my book keeper and holds the wallet. Not to say she tells me what socks to wear, but will tell me what color socks to wear....but I love her anyway.

Thank you for the insight on drum thrones.



D, I hear you. Being that you play a double-pedal I can see how that makes sense to have a solid back support. For me it would be mainly as lower lumbar support (health reasons).


thank you both,

Rac

i really recommend the roc n soc because of the hydraulic shock absorber and the seat is very comfortable. it can take alot of stress off the lower back. i notice certain things i play i'm bouncing and imagine the stress that my back would be taking without it. it also has easy height adjustment. It's totally worth the shlepping. you can get it without the back rest and add it later for 55$. seriously consider this option. the back rest is a plus but the shock absorber is a lifesaver. i was lucky to find one used but they aren't that expensive, and really worth the cash. trust me on this one.

Yes, I'll concider that, thank you Kenny