Enough with the Phil Collins Bashing!

Phil Collins recently announced that he is retiring from the music business. This was later disputed by his publicist who said that Phil has no intention of retiring at all. Either way, this has drawn some sharp reactions from music fans from all over. Over the last decade or so, Phil has been the recipient of some of the harshest criticism any musician would live to avoid, like he doesn't deserve to have a pulse or something. Somehow, Mr. Collins went from being one of the most beloved entertainers of our time to one of the most viciously hated.

Frankly, I think all the Phil Collins bashing needs to stop. Not just because it upsets him so deeply, but because he deserves more respect than he has been given since the 1990's. Phil has been a prolific song writer for decades and has left us with one memorable tune after another. Even if you can't stand him, he left us with a plethora of great tunes like "Sussudio" and "In The Air Tonight." This is not to mention all the great work he did with Genesis before and after he took over as lead singer of the group.

Phil's music has been with me ever since I was kid with a boombox. While the first song which introduced him to me was "No Reply At All" which he sang with Genesis, he didn't really come into my consciousness until Genesis' self-titled album. With songs like "Mama" and "That's All," I soon became a big fan of his work. One song in particular, "It's Gonna Get Better," was for me one of the most inspiring songs from my childhood. Listening to it made me want to do great things in my life. Of course, I was 9 or 10 years old at the time, but it lifted me up out of whatever rut I was in.

As for Genesis, I grew up on the version of the band he was lead singer for. I'm a huge Peter Gabriel fan, but I never became fully aware of who he was until he became a solo artist. With Phil, it was never a question of whether or not he was better than Gabriel. Comparing the lead singers became pointless after a time because they version of the band stood on its own. Other songs like "Abacab" and "Turn It On Again" were the kind of up tempo songs I lived for in the 80's.

Granted, he lost me in the 90's when he went on to more self reflective tunes such as "Dance Into The Light." Phil was entering a period of music where the majority of the listeners didn't want to be made to feel good by what they heard. This decade brought us the advent of grunge and alternative rock which enthralled us more in making us feel depressed about the world which we began to realize really sucked. Suddenly, his music felt seriously out of place, and we became utterly distrusting of artists who had the best intentions in using music as a weapon against the ills of society. Songs like "Another Day In Paradise" and "No Son Of Mine" confronted issues of homelessness and child abuse, but it felt like many were treating Phil as if he were the abuser himself.

Then there was his Oscar win for "You'll Be In My Heart" from his soundtrack to Walt Disney's "Tarzan." From there, peoples' hatred of Mr. Collins spread like a wildfire. Trey Parker and Matt Stone never let it go that they lost to him as they were nominated as well in the Best Original Song category for "Blame Canada." I agree that their song was more deserving of the win as was "Save Me" by Aimee Mann. "You'll Be In My Heart" is not really representative of Phil's best work, and the title alone indicates that could have been written by anybody. Still, even at his worst, his music could never be called terrible. Lame maybe, a little too light for pop music, but never terrible.

C'mon folks! Right now, the man has hearing problems, vertebrae problems, and he can't even hold drum sticks anymore. If he is retiring from music, that is not a cause for celebration. In fact it's truly tragic that his body has given out on him in this way. I also don't think he should NOT be apologizing for his success. This man gave us one of the greatest pop albums of the 1980's with "No Jacket Required." "Sussudio" always puts me in a good mood, "Who Said I Would" does the same thing, and "Don't Lose My Number" had a hilarious music video.

What about "In The Air Tonight?" Used to great effect in "Risky Business" and "Miami Vice," I have no problem with filmmakers overusing this song even today. Then there's "I Don't Care Anymore," one of the most defiant break up songs ever recorded. Keep in mind also the contributions he made to Genesis and that he was a band member even when Peter Gabriel was the lead singer. "Mama" served as my real introduction to the band, and it's a wonderfully creepy listen. "That's All" quickly became one of my dad's all time favorite tunes, and "Land Of Confusion's" lyrics are timeless as our world is as screwed up then as it is now.

This is not to mention that he is a fantastic drummer, or was. I don't care if he screwed up the Led Zeppelin "reunion" back at Live Aid in 1985, his work was consistently terrific and at times sensational. Few I can think of pounded on a drum set the way he did. Of course, that pounding has left him in the condition he is in today. We're not just talking about "In The Air Tonight" but other classics like "No Reply At All" or when he wrapped up Peter Gabriel's "Not One Of Us" in furious, propulsive fashion.

Now look for those of you who think that Phil Collins' music is an affront to our society and world peace, then I got two words for you: boy bands. There's plenty of musicians shilling for the corporate world that are creating stuff that supposedly passes as music, but Collins has been and always will be the real deal. There's a strong reason why, through thick and thin, he's been around in this business for 30 plus years. Stop bashing the guy because he didn't fit in with the grunge scene back in the 90's, celebrate his work because artists come and go, and he's stayed around.

And Phil, if you are reading this (you're probably not), stop apologizing for your success. In fact, don't apologize for any of your work. That's what I have to keep reminding myself on a daily basis.