Recent reports that Phil Collins is working on his first new solo material since the 2003 Brother Bear soundtrack are unfortunately seemingly more and more difficult to believe. In a rare Genesis interview with Peter Gabriel in honour of the release of the 50th anniversary The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway box set, Collins explained that he's "not hungry" for making music anymore amid his health struggles.
In a conversation with journalist Mark Blake for the new issue of Mojo Magazine, which may have been the musician's first interview since recording last year's Drumeo documentary in 2022, Collins said, "I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens. But I'm not hungry for it."
He explained, "The thing is, I've been sick. I've been very sick."
As we know, Collins suffered nerve damage after sustaining a spinal injury in 2007 and his mobility has further deteriorated in recent years; during the Genesis farewell tour, he sang sitting down while his son Nic took over for him on the drums.
Gabriel, however, is still very much working. He released i/o (at long last) in late 2023, and told Blake that he's working on a follow-up: "It'll be called o/i." Gabriel clarified, "That's i/o backwards."
He likewise revealed that he was in the audience when Genesis played their last-ever show in London. "Phil wasn't in as great shape as he used to be, but they did a great job," Gabriel said. "Me going was a rite of passage, really. I'd been part of the creation of Genesis, so I wanted to be there at the end."