'I'm Lucky To Be Alive' Phil Collins on Oasis and McCartney Feuds, Family, Divorce & More

Interview Overview

Phil Collins joins Piers Morgan for a wide-ranging, often candid interview about fame, family, illness and old musical grudges. Morgan opens with a rundown of Collins’s extraordinary career, including the unlikely image of him being portrayed by a gorilla in a chocolate ad, before asking what it feels like to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Collins says he feels lucky. He began wanting only to be a drummer, never learned to read music, and expected a much more ordinary musical life.

Health and Recovery

Collins’s drumming career has been cut short. He describes struggling to hold his sticks, dealing with “drop foot” and repeated knee problems, and spending months in hospital. At his most seriously ill, he was on dialysis, and his family was warned that things looked grim. He remembers little of that period but says he wanted to do whatever might help him survive.

He also explains that his drinking happened outside work rather than onstage, and that retirement gave him more time to drink than was healthy. He says he no longer drinks.

Family and Relationships

Collins recalls bringing his five children together for a rare family gathering after his illness. His daughter Lily became emotional at the thought that her child might never meet his grandfather.

Morgan also asks about Lily’s open letter describing hurt over her father’s absence. Collins acknowledges that he treated her mother badly and understands why Lily felt that way, while saying he had tried to be there for his children.

Looking back on his three marriages, Collins regrets that they ended, but says he also wouldn’t have his five children without those chapters of his life.

Music and Career

Music remains a source of warmth and humor. Collins says he misses drumming and talks about songs that emerged almost spontaneously, including “In the Air Tonight.” Asked what he would play if he had only five minutes, he chooses “I’ve Forgotten Everything,” a deeply personal song.

He praises Genesis’s sprawling “Supper’s Ready” and is pleased that Taylor Swift covered “Can’t Stop Loving You”—though he clarifies that he didn’t write the original song. He also reveals that he has a song idea called “Fat Men with Guns,” inspired by America.

Musical Grudges

With Oasis due to be inducted alongside him, Morgan brings up Noel Gallagher’s infamous wish to see Collins’s severed head in his fridge. Collins says Gallagher never directly apologized, but suggests the remark came from being “out of his mind.” He says he’ll be perfectly nice when they meet. Collins is “not particularly” an Oasis fan, adding that he’d rather listen to the Beatles.

A separate Beatles-related feud with Paul McCartney began when McCartney called him “little Phil.” Collins admits he took the remark badly, later called McCartney a fool in his book, and eventually apologized when the two spoke by phone.

Other Topics

Collins criticizes Earl Spencer’s claims about King Charles and says he finds Donald Trump off-putting. He also jokes that he wants Morgan to use the show’s mute button more often because overlapping voices are hard to follow with hearing aids.

On football, Collins says he supports Manchester United and thinks Manchester City should be relegated if the charges against them are proven. He adds, “it couldn’t have happened to better people”—then clarifies that he isn’t saying so just as a United fan.

Closing Remarks

At the close, Collins thanks his longtime assistant Lindsay, saying her help with his health was essential to his survival. He says he is happy and grateful to be alive, and is supported by an assistant, a physical therapist and a 24-hour nurse.

Personalities Appearing

• Phil Collins
• Piers Morgan