Phil Collins has had an extraordinary career, first with Genesis, then as a solo artist. What he says carries weight - plenty of it. Per faroutmagazine.co.uk, he seems to have a special respect and admiration for the remarkable, shape-shifting David Bowie. Per the outlet, Collins said, "Bowie was heralded. Everybody seemed to like David. He was always interesting. He was always doing something that was not inside the box, always reinventing himself. You never knew what to expect and that made him one of a kind ... Surprising."
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According to the outlet, he left his mark everywhere - on how we view androgyny, on fashion, on integrating technology with pop, and on punk's evolution. There really is no one like him. Bowie was thoroughly unique.
Phil Collins On Popularity
Collins' views on mass cultural popularity were equally fascinating. Per the outlet, Collins told David Sheff, "There's a tendency for people to be cynical about popularity, like you're appealing to the lowest common denominator, which is another term for trash. It's an insulting attitude—insulting to the audience. I mean, sometimes I feel it. Like, God, I wish I were David Byrne, with this small, tight group of fans. The critics would like me."
If you re an artist who is "too" popular, does that make you exempt from being "cool"? Is it better to appeal strictly to a limited, elite, cerebral group? Maybe!
Musician Johnny Marr Agreed With Collins On Bowie
Marr, who was once a member of the Smiths, said 12 years ago per the outlet via NME, "David Bowie is easily the most influential and important artist to come out of the UK, for so many reasons - there are musicians who are influenced by him who don't even realise it."
He stressed Bowie's huge degree of impact on other artists. "Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory liberated so many people from the straight sensibility in the suburbs. People who I grew up admiring, like Pete Shelley from the Buzzcocks or Ian Curtis, were hugely influenced by Bowie. No Bowie, no John Lydon - or lots of other people."
David Bowie died in 2016 at age 69. No one can ever replace him. He was triumphantly original and refreshingly spectacular.
