As soon as you start making a record, things start getting lined up: the promotion, possibly even a tour.
Drummers get bored. You tell them to play something simple, and it gets more complicated as they do it. If they're not a composer, if they don't have any kind of investment in the music, they'll just add a bit there and another bit there, and you think no! Don't do that. So you end up using a drum machine.
As a composer I approached the drums differently than a non-composing drummer. I embraced drum machines.
I just figured if I'm going to call myself a songwriter throughout my life, then writing for most genres of music is something I should at least attempt.
I do miss things about Britain. I think there was a misconception, there definitely was, that I left because of bad press, and being pilloried. I left Britain because I fell in love with someone who lived in Switzerland - that was the main thing.
My only saving grace is that I actually collect things that nobody else is interested in.
They're the only ones brave enough to give me these opportunities [on being offered a soundtrack!]
I know it shouldn't make a difference, but crossing the dateline, we weren't sure what day it was - it was very strange. Now, I seem to cope with it better.
I usually hang around the room listening to a bit of last night's show. If there's one available, I go to the steam room every day for my voice. I spend half an hour there and then I eat, because I can't eat later than four o'clock. Then I go for a soundcheck. That's my day.
I suppose Phil Collins offers something for everybody, and in hipdom that's not cool. But in the real world, there's no shame in that at all.
I'm not trying necessarily to become a movie star; that wouldn't be bad but that's not the aim. I'm just trying to do interesting things and go into areas where I've not been before.
When we're touring America or Europe, we use our own plane and a great advantage of that is it cuts out an awful lot of time checking in. You literally drive up to the plane, get on and then drive off at the other end.
I'm writing new songs for a Broadway version of Tarzan, which is very interesting. I think what I learned from the Brother Bear score side of things, I've brought into the new Tarzan songs. Thinking outside just guitar, bass, drums and keyboards.
We stayed in some pretty shabby places in Europe.
Many people think of me as a perfectionist, someone who polishes and shines each song and performance. I've always been bothered by that assumption.
I can't remember much about the early flights, except that it was ages before we got into First Class.
Everyones a hypercrit and if you don't agree you're a liar as well
The whole having records and selling records and being on TV, that was something that I didn't ever think would be for me. I thought that would be for other people. All I wanted to do was make a living playing the drums.
I just don't think of myself as a star. This is what I do for a living; I'm fortunate that I make ends meet.
Like last night I had a sequence with a gun and, to be honest, for me to be threatening with a gun and not be comical is quite hard.
I never said I was at the Alamo. Someone else said I was at the Alamo. Now I'm a nutter. I don't think that's fair.
I'd love to work with Disney again.
I very rarely listen to the in-flight stuff.
I suppose you can't take kids into consideration all the time, but I just wish there could be a bit of flexibility.
I prefer black music in general.
