
About this episode
Today we're diving into one of the most underrated careers in rock history—Phil Collins, a guy who turned his own devastating heartbreak into a commercial empire, while simultaneously fronting one of the world’s biggest bands, Genesis, from the back of the stage. Haters call him vanilla… but digging into his catalog, Phil Collins is anything but ordinary. And we’ve got some insane stories to back it up. Including the future #1 hit classic Against All Odds Phil Collins refused to put on.. not one, but two of his own albums… because he thought it sucked—but after it soundtracked a box office bomb, it somehow became his first chart-topper. Then there's the deeply personal track If Leaving Me is Easy that he banned himself from performing live after audiences refused to give it any respect…. It’s one that caused his ex-wife to flip out on him when he was settling his divorce across radio… And we’ve got a couple urban legends to address… like how one upbeat pop anthem Something Happened on the Way to Heaven secretly tells the story of a ghost who skips the afterlife so he can stay behind and haunt his lover. And also the In the Air Tonight legend about how Phil saw a man who murdered a man and later called him out in concert. Let’s go.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Professor of Rock publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Professor of Rock

#1 in Our Hearts: The Greatest Songs of 1988 That Should’ve Been #1
Professor of Rock

Top 10 Songs of 1975 That Should Have Hit #1: Styx, ELO, Bad Company & More
Professor of Rock

Young MC, Patty Smyth & Gary Numan: 3 Wild Stories Behind Their Biggest ’80s Hit...
Professor of Rock

Top 5 Rock Meets Sci-Fi Stories: KISS, Michael Jackson, The Who, Sting & More
Professor of Rock