Phil Collins Suffering From Severe Back Problems

Phil Collins says he is completely unable to work as a musician. He appeared briefly this past Thursday night (July 21st) at Britain's MOJO awards show, to present an award to Ringo Starr. He was in so much pain that he had to leave the ceremony early, being supported by a couple of aides. He told the Daily Mirror earlier in the evening, 'I'm on my last legs. I couldn't come back to music even if I wanted to.'

Collins underwent spinal surgery in 2009 to repair damage in vertebrae that were basically crushing his spinal cord. His last album, a collection of soul standards DID feature him on drums, but he had to tape the sticks to his hands with gaffer tape, because of nerve damage which wouldn't let him physically grip the sticks. The press has been unkind to Collins over the past couple of years, even suggesting that he might be faking the severity of his problems. Some articles were downright cruel, chastising him for his 'soft' hits at the end of his career with Genesis and on into solo albums, and saying that he was feigning disability to avoid the bad press and stay out of the spotlight.

After the scene witnessed at the MOJO awards last week, it's obvious that the man is in severe pain and unable to even comfortably go about day to day activities. Collins said at the awards show that he spends most days 'lying down, watching daytime tv'. He said he made a special effort to be there for Ringo. I for one wish him well. He was brilliant on the Genesis albums. You might remember that Phil Collins was actually in the Abilene area this past January, dining at Clyde's 'Bonterra Blu' restaurant. He is an avid collector of memorabilia from the Alamo, and was conferring with historians at the Buffalo Gap Historic Village. You can see a photo of Phil's Big Country visit here on my previous post at TrueOldiesAbilene.com/philcollins.  (via UltimateClassicRock.com)