Phil Collins says he has “kissed and made up” with Sir Paul McCartney after a 24-year feud that began with what Collins now describes as an overreaction to a remark made by the Beatles legend.
The former Genesis drummer, 75, discussed the fallout during an interview with Piers Morgan, explaining that the incident happened while musicians were rehearsing for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in 2002.
How the feud between Phil Collins and Paul McCartney began
Collins was the house drummer for most of the artists performing at the Jubilee concert, while McCartney and Brian Wilson had their own bands.
Collins had brought a first-edition copy of Hunter Davies’ Beatles biography, which had been given to him by Jill, the mother of his daughter Lily, hoping to have McCartney sign it.
He recalled asking McCartney to autograph the book while the pair were backstage.
“It was the Queen’s Golden Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace. I was the house drummer for everybody except McCartney and Brian Wilson, who had their own bands. I loved it, I was like a pig in s***! We rehearsed for two weeks.
“I had a rare first-edition Hunter Davies Beatles biography given to me by Jill, Lily’s mum, and I took it to the rehearsal so Paul could sign it. I was sitting on the side of the stage, and Paul came up with Heather Mills. I said, ‘Paul, could you sign this?’
“He said, ‘Oh yeah, yeah.’ And he probably didn’t mean it like it sounded, but he said, ‘He’s a big Beatle fan, is our little Phil.’ And I thought, ‘You a***hole…’ I couldn’t help it; that’s what I thought. I felt patronised…”
Collins later included the incident in his 2016 memoir Not Dead Yet. After a journalist raised the passage with McCartney, the former Beatle contacted Collins by email, but Collins said he did not respond.
Paul McCartney and Phil Collins finally reconcile
Collins said the disagreement continued to follow them for years, with online videos speculating about why McCartney supposedly disliked him.
The situation changed when McCartney recently asked Collins’ office for his phone number.
Collins had been contacting musicians he had previously worked with as part of efforts to secure donations for a King’s Trust charity auction scheduled for November.
“I wrote about it in my book. Then a journalist brought that quote up to Paul, and Paul sent me an email saying it was a bit sanctimonious, which I didn’t reply to. Years went by, with videos on YouTube asking, ‘Why does Paul McCartney hate Phil Collins?’
“A month or two ago, Paul asked my office for my number. He called me because I had written letters to everyone I’d ever played with asking for donations for the King’s Trust charity auction in November. On the phone, he said, ‘What is all this about?’
“I said, ‘I wish I’d never said it, Paul. I wish I’d never said it.’ So we kissed and made up. I said I was sorry.”
Collins says McCartney’s comment was what upset him
Despite apologising, Collins admitted that he still had a few thoughts about the original incident.
“Obviously this had been bugging him because he likes to be liked, as we all do … maybe him more than some other people. But we all like to be liked, and I understand that.”
When Morgan asked whether McCartney’s use of the word “little” was what had offended him, Collins confirmed that it was.
The reconciliation brings an end to a disagreement that began with a brief backstage exchange more than two decades ago, with Collins now acknowledging that McCartney likely did not intend his comment in the way he interpreted it.
