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Artist News
Collins sets record straight on retirement
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 9 March 2011
Phil Collins isn’t retiring from music because he’s ashamed of his success, or for any of the reasons he apparently gave in a recently published interview with FHM. All those things he said were jokes, he just wants to be able to look after his two children properly. So said the musician in a message to fans earlier this week.
As previously reported, FHM quoted Collins as saying: “I don’t think anyone’s going to miss me. I’m sorry that it was all so successful. I honestly didn’t mean it to happen like that. It’s hardly surprising that people grew to hate me”.
However, in a message sent to fans via his mailing list this week, the musician wrote: “I’ve decided to write this in response to the articles that surfaced last weekend regarding my retirement. Why they were printed at all is a mystery, as I haven’t spoken to anybody in the press for a few months”.
Explaining his reason for his departure from the music world, he went on: “I’m not stopping because of dodgy reviews or bad treatment in the press. I’m not stopping because I don’t feel loved, I know I still have a very large fanbase that loves what I do. Thank you. I’m not stopping because I don’t fit in, this was proved with ‘Going Back’ reaching number one in the UK, and doing incredibly well worldwide. I’m not stopping so I can dive full time into my interest for the Alamo. I am stopping so I can be a full time father to my two young sons on a daily basis”.
He added that many of the comments used in recent articles were said jokingly, but have “ended up sounding like a tormented weirdo who thinks he was at the Alamo in another life, who feels very sorry for himself, and is retiring hurt because of the bad press over the years”.
Adding further confusion to this story, Collins’ rep told People magazine yesterday: “He is not, and has no intention of, retiring”.
