I was seriously intimidated. But he still had that American stuff; it was a big part of his background, and we just hit it off immediately. Wed just sit in a side room because all they really wanted was the three guys. I said to those guys, I dont care if you use another drummer on parts of the album. What are your goals over the next few years? I played every weekend from eighth grade until I graduated high school. Show more 8:40. I saw online that Phil said in some interview he was quitting the band. Neal Peart: great drummer, lyricist, and sometimes composer of the music in Rush. A couple of the Drum Duets were released as singles in several places in South America and some countries in Europe, which is kind of cool. I have no memory of that whatsoever. And much less, a black American. We crossed paths several times [after that] and there were never any weird vibes about it or anything. He would have subdivisions within a bar. I started thinking, Now what did I do? And so I kind of froze. What was he like? Phil Collins is a top ten drummer, a good backing vocalistr, an average lead singer and a lousy songwritter, that's my opinion. None of the other members really knew how to communicate in a funny way with their audiences. Probably not. [Laughs] Again, Im loving what Im doing with my band. How did you manage to bridge that gap culturally? Was that a challenge for you? We learned how to deal with it. He's a good drummer. They had some really nice material they were promoting at the time [from their album One]. Playing that stuff from the Seventies was full of charge. A lot of well-known names. I kind of fell in love with the flute. Im always very aware of whats going on. That was Ralph Humphrey on drums. Later on he became tourmanager for Genesis. Phil releases "My favourite Genesis tracks from the 70`s" - rerecorded with old friends. It is an impressing line up. Reading the book I get the feeling that he only felt really involved in Selling EnglandFirst he says he had a slight inferior complex as a composer, his ideas were not well recieved, his marriage ended etc. In Europe, everyone in the audience knew all of their catalog. Oh, goodness. Thats where I started. At the very beginning, did they make it clear that youd be playing on the tours but not the albums, because Phil does all his own drumming? And its fine. It was a much bigger band. Its very rewarding and Im involved with an organization here called the Nashville Jazz Workshop. I could track one guy, kind of, but then somebody else would jump in. How was your experience in the Pointer Sisters touring band after that? Other than that, Id go back to the hotel. He made the comment at his press conference to announce his Not Dead Yet European comeback tour, which kicks off with a five-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall in June 2017. This is why I don't think they sold out or did it for any other reason than that is what they wanted to do. But when that whole tour was announced, Phil was very insistent that it was not going to be a big tour. I think he got a little annoyed since I had done an interview and they asked which I enjoyed [Genesis or Collins solo] more. We want to hear it. One tour, he bumped it up by bringing in this guy, Jeff Simmons. I hadnt done that. Most surely he didn't made s much money as Phil Tony and Mike, but he has a wealthy positiobn and artistic respect, something that Genesis lost. Then it got weird because they got comfortable with two drummers playing. It was kind of like asking your buddy to come cover your band because suddenly youre doing something different. It really was. His work ethic was just phenomenal. Alphonso and I had a real swing thing between us, real 16th, triplet bass feel, which is really the core of the whole funk thing. He was brilliant. After that, I went back to Baltimore to a community college for a couple of years. Its amazing what you can get used to. I was pretty well into music and so I started going to every single show. Thompson called up Rolling Stone to explain how he rose out of the Baltimore housing projects, his early days with Frank Zappa and Weather Report, the ups and downs of life as a Genesis member who never played on the studio albums, and why he hasnt spoken to Phil Collins once in the past 10 years. I don't subscribe and I sat and read it for a good 20-25 minutes. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Chester Thompson took to the drums at an early age.James Harris, a family friend and jazz drummer, first introduced Chester to the drum kit at age 11, and by the time he was 13, Thompson was already doing club gigs in the greater Baltimore area. If you listen to the title track, there are two different drummers on two different days of recording. Phil Collins says he lost his ability to drum during 2007's Genesis reunion tour. What happened with the Calling All Stations period with Genesis? They had presented him with this amazing gift. Well, he was a little different from me. Unfortunately, it really took off, so I dont think it worked as a tax write-off. You could hear that it was something special. -Ballads in Prog Rock are underrated, because Prog Rock is not "romantic". He was a virtuoso, no question, but most of his stuff was straight 16ths. I have a big MS Word file with interviews about the "Union" album of YES. Why? Thompson believed hehad landed a short-term job when Collins asked him to join Genesis without an audition in 1977, but he went on to take part in every road trip until 2007 and was also a stalwart of Collinssolo group fromthe initial Hello, I Must Be Going tour in 1982. It was Phils gig, obviously. He said they were going to be doing something totally different and they werent interested. No. You did well enough that he hired you. "This album is dedicated to Richard MacPhail who left April, 1973.". It ended up being a little awkward since they were going to be down there for seven weeks. All three members of the trio Genesis played a part in the decision to simplifiy their sound, with Banks being the most in charge. The difference being I wasnt so much into the English drummers, like Keith Moon, and he was. Getting the gig was no walk in the park. How much did you know about his music before the audition? World of Genesis - Chester Thompson Biography This is the live version of Inside Out, recorded in Berlin in 1990. That wasnt going to work. George shared with me that [violinist] Jean-Luc [Ponty] didnt enjoy it so much because he couldnt stand being silly. Enjoy! But hed get more comfortable with it and be really involved with putting it together. He wasn't the only member of the band, and it wasn't a chnage that happened overnight. Phil was not sure family-wise and he hasnt had the easiest of times there. I just love the adventure of life. I watched it a couple of times, but Bob hung out with us the whole time. They did some concerts and demos and then the real story started with Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel joining Ant and Mike 1967. How were the Phil solo tours? That's All. I mean to be keep in the background in their importance in the bands. Not even Peter made an album with all Genesis tracks, only Steve. I was playing with adults. That's pretty much the zest of it. You were there to see what he did with your own two eyes? It was an incredibly difficult piece of music that we actually nailed in the studio. But with Phil, youre one of a cast of thousands. In fact, most of the names of the drummers appear almost always at the end of the credits in the album covers. Wed do eight-hour rehearsals. They just edited in that other day of his recording. Chester's performance and recording experiences have influenced over three decades of music and musicians. I think that Bruford said that in 1992-93 for the "Notes of the Edge" website. And I dont want to ever only play one thing. Ive got a studio here. Phil Collins open to Genesis reunion with son, Nic, on drums The last solo thing I did ventured a little outside that format. Alan White studied a bit of piano, but he is mainly self-taught as a drummer. -Guitarists/vocalists/bassists/keyboardists "heroes" are the most important members in a band . The problem is that after a couple of albums Tony lost xcontrol and Phil decided what path to take, making a parallel solo career that is comonly mistaken with Genesis later albums, that's what I blame him for.Actually I havent heard Hacketts Genesis revisited - is it good? It may not display this or other websites correctly. I dont think that far ahead. Before one tour, we sat there and listened to all the previous tours and everything we did. Drummer reacts to Phil Collins, Chester Thompson & Luis Conte - YouTube