Phil Collins is an impressive drummer, great songwriter and iconic stage personality. What he is not, judging by this book, is either an interesting storyteller or a man of good judgment. "Not Dead Yet" consists mostly of recountings of life events in the style of "This happened, then this happened" (not having read many celebrity autobiographies, I suppose this is standard), and there are only few reflections about the events that really seem to mean something (the early death of Collins' father stands out). Mostly, Collins just talks about how time and again he had a hard time getting his priorities straight and always buried himself in work and more work to the detriment of his private life, without noticing it until much later. In the book, this oscillates between self-flagellation and self-pity, which is seldom interesting or insightful. The four life partners that Collins has had don't gain any profile as people beyond being difficult (Andy), beautiful (Orianne) or caring (Dana).

What is most disappointing to me personally, is how little he talks about the process of making and producing music. I understand that there's no discussion of the nitty-gritty bits, which are too arcane for a wide audience, but Collins doesn't even seem to be willing or able to reflect on how songs emerge inside him, how his collaborative process works, what fascinates him about sounds, rhythms, songs, ideas. Since he seems to be a very intuitive musician, who plays things mostly by ear (according to accounts, for example, in [b:Genesis: Chapter and Verse|1751787|Genesis Chapter and Verse|Phil Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317064400s/1751787.jpg|1749590]), this is understandable, but I would have been much more interested in Phil Collins' musical mind than in the play-by-play of his love life.

Audiobook version: yeah it was good. Well read and presented by Phil. I'd have liked more about the early genesis days but it's understandable that's not as prevalent.

[4.5 stars]

Loved this book. It took me back to approaching high school, straight thru all those memories and into my marriage. I loved Genesis and Phil then and still. Some of his stories come off a little bit victim-ish, but human. We're all human regardless of success, or money life can hurt and make you feel insecure. Phil Collins tells his version of all that he feels and I completely enjoyed every story.

Overall I liked it, even though it took me months to read. The beginning was very tedious. It seemed like I was reading an encyclopedia. Lots of names, dates, places, bands who played that he saw, things he did as a child, plus throw in some British word choices that I am unfamiliar with and I just wasn’t into it. When it finally got to a point in time that I actually knew about Phil Collins and Genesis it got much better. Maybe because I did know that music and was a big fan of it or maybe it just got better.

I can’t say there were any great revelations or juicy bits that you might think you’d find in a musician’s memoir. He wasn’t a druggie or cheater (for the most part). This was not sex, drugs, and rock n roll. Just rock n roll. I’m glad. What it was seemed more like a telling of all the good in his life, mainly his career and, even though he was married and divorced 3 times, his kids and his family really mean the world to him. Funny how it wasn’t until he decided to retire in his mid-50s that having so much time on his hands he became an alcoholic. As well, his body began falling apart. Deaf in one ear, no feeling or strength in one hand, back surgery, fractured ankle, brittle bones, plus pancreatitis from drinking. It actually amazes me that he is out touring right now. I just can’t imagine he has much left to give.

I hope Phil Collins gets the happy ending he is looking for.

My expectations were low. And yet there were very few pages I did not enjoy. So, it gets a 5! There are some great - and funny - stories about Tony Bennett, about Cher, Disney. There are some great -- and touching -- stories about Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney. And a bunch of good intell on Genesis/Peter Gabriel/the solo career. A great read!

3.5 stars. Phil Collins' memoir won't win any awards for great writing, but the voice is humble, honest and intimate, which was refreshing. The beginning was a little slow for me but things picked up once Phil joined Genesis and moved swiftly throughout the rest of the book. I learned a lot and enjoyed it, and it also gave me pause when listening to his songs again.