If you know Phil Collins from the drum fill in “In the Air Tonight,” I’d start his memoir with the two chapters that take you from the breakup of his first marriage to his debut solo album. Read those chapters together, then play the song again. That’s the quickest way into what makes Not Dead Yet worth picking up before his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
First published in 2016, Not Dead Yet: The Memoir is Collins’s account of going from a young drummer to the lead singer of Genesis and then a solo star. He also writes about the upheaval in his marriages and family life, and how his drinking escalated after retirement. The Rock Hall will honor him as a solo performer on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. He was previously inducted with Genesis in 2010.
What is Not Dead Yet about?
Collins starts with the years when he was still trying to find a place to play. He drums in London clubs, joins Genesis in 1970 and eventually takes over lead vocals after Peter Gabriel leaves. The role change is a good reason to read the Genesis chapters even if you came for his solo career. By the time he’s recording Face Value, the 1981 album that opens with “In the Air Tonight,” you’ve already seen him learn how to move between the drum kit and the microphone.
The book follows him into the years when he seemed to be everywhere. He recounts playing both Live Aid shows in 1985 and writing songs for Disney’s Tarzan. The pace changes after retirement. In an interview when the book came out, Collins described missing his children and turning to alcohol during long stretches alone. That part of the memoir gives the earlier chapters a different weight. When work had filled so much of his time, what would he do with a day that had no rehearsal or recording session in it?
Where to start if you only have time for a chapter or two
| If you know Collins from… | Start here |
|---|---|
| “In the Air Tonight” | Read chapters 9 and 10, “The Divorce That Roared” and “Ace Value.” Together they give you the personal context and the early solo years. |
| Genesis | Start with chapter 7, “Lamb Lies Down, Singer Flies Off,” then go straight into chapter 8, “Family Man, Frontman,” for the transition from Gabriel to Collins. |
| Live Aid | Jump to chapter 13, “Live Aid: My Part in Its Downfall,” for Collins’s account of the day he played in London and Philadelphia. |
| Disney’s Tarzan | Turn to chapter 18, “Big Band, Big Apes, Big Love,” for a way into his later work beyond Genesis and the ’80s solo hits. |
My pick for induction weekend is chapters 9 and 10. Give “In the Air Tonight” another listen afterward and pay attention to how long Collins makes you wait for the drums. If the Genesis chapters are what draw you in, start at chapter 7 and follow the moment when the drummer has to figure out what kind of frontman he’ll be.
Should you read the paperback or listen to the audiobook?
Choose the paperback if you want to jump straight to a chapter. Crown’s U.S. paperback is 400 pages (ISBN 9781101907481). You can also read a sample through the publisher.
Choose the audiobook if you want to hear Collins tell the stories himself. He reads the unabridged edition, which runs 12 hours and 14 minutes. I’d choose it for the full memoir, especially if what drew you to the book was the chance to hear his side of the Genesis and solo years in his own voice.
The Rock Hall says the November 14 ceremony will debut on ABC and Disney+ in December. If you’re watching from home, there’s time to start the book before the broadcast.
Read next · The Best Music Books of All Time or Barnes & Noble’s Best Biographies and Memoirs of 2025.
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