Phil Collins Hints at Potential New Music After Health Battles: 'Maybe Life in the Old Dog'

Next week marks a milestone for '80s pop icon Phil Collins, as he turns 75. While fans have eagerly anticipated new material, original songs have been absent since his work on Disney's Brother Bear soundtrack in 2003.

In a candid interview with Zoe Ball for a BBC Two film and podcast special, Collins delves into his life and career, alongside insights from fellow music legends like Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, and Bob Geldof. The fifth and final episode, airing January 26th, features Collins reflecting on a "difficult, interesting, frustrating last few years."

He elaborates on his recovery from multiple knee surgeries, stating:

> It's an ongoing thing. I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication, as I should do. I've had challenges with my knee. Everything that could go wrong with me did go wrong with me. I got COVID in hospital. My kidneys started to back up. Everything seemed to converge at the same time. I had five operations on my knee. Now, I've got a knee that works, and I can walk, albeit with assistance, crutches or whatever.

Collins also addressed past struggles with alcohol, which further complicated his health issues. He reveals he's now two years sober, thanks to the support of his assistant, Lindsay.

However, the glimmer of hope for fans lies in his admission that he's been tinkering with unfinished musical ideas.

> The things that are ahead for me would be, apart from just being back to being totally mobile and healthy, is maybe go in there and have a fiddle about and see if there's more music. You tend to sort of feel, That's it, I've done that. But you've gotta start doing it to see if you can do it. Otherwise, you don't do it. So that is something on my horizon...

He continues, hinting at potential future releases:

> I've got some things that are half-formed or were never finished, and a couple of things that were finished, which I like. So maybe life in the old dog. You'll see.

For those eager to hear more, the first four episodes of Zoe Ball's Phil Collins special are available here.

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