Phil Collins accepted his personal Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame honour – and vowed his career wasn’t over yet.
Leading up to the ceremony, which follows his induction in 2010 as a member of Genesis, the 75-year-old speculated that it might be a good moment to draw a line under his artistic endeavours.
When he took the stage for his induction speech – to be broadcast at a later date – he was using two walking sticks for support. But he told the audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles: “Thank you so much. I’m really not as bad as it looks.”
Collins thanked his manager Tony Smith for years of support, and late Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun, saying: “They took me under their wing and saw something that was worth nurturing.”
He also namechecked his friends Robert Plant and Eric Clapton, and added: “I grew up just wanting to play the drums. That’s always what I wanted to do. Everything else has been a really happy accident.” Then he insisted: “You haven't heard the last of me. I can promise you that.”
In recent interviews Collins mentioned that he still has a top-quality studio at home and an amount of finished and unfinished songs stored there. “I can’t believe that I’m not going to do something,” he said after the ceremony.
“I’ve got to get back in there, because that was fun – it wasn't work. For a few years I walked the long way around so I didn't walk past it.”
He also noted: “It’s not beyond the realm of possibilities of doing some shows. It’s a work in progress. The door is not closed.”
Collins was accompanied by his daughter, actress Lily Collins, and inducted by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, who refenced classis track In The Air Tonight in his speech: “I remember hearing those drums for the first time and being blown away. That sound changed everything.”
He added: “Thank you, Phil, for inspiring me and so many others to pick up a pair of drumsticks and never stop.”
