European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bazine Phil Collins hit become one of the biggest stars of pop music yet there s Little about him that fits the typical profile of a pop superstar. R_1 he Case of the in 1 i Kely superstar by Dennis Hunt los Angeles times t s known in pop circles As the Phil Collins mystery the Enigma what makes this English pop Rock Singer so consistently successful7 with a minimum of fanfare this unassuming Singer and actor he starred in last year s fluster and is also a member of the pop Rock group genesis has become one of the biggest stars in the pop world currently Collins is King of billboard s pop charts his album but seriously his first Solo release since 1985 s no jacket required 5 million copies sold in the United slates alone took Only three weeks to leap into the top 10 sales Chart the album s first single is the recent Chart Topper another Day in Paradise. The Success of this Bleak Moody tale of the homeless gave Collins eight no i singles during the 80s the other no 1 singles Are against All Odds. One More night separate lives with Marilyn Martin suss Dio and a pair from the Buster score a groovy kind of love and two hearts Yel there s Little about Collins that fits the typical profile of a pop superstar in the 80s and he d be the first to admit it. One thing missing is the arrogance that s almost a Staple of superstars. I Don t like to think of myself As a Star Collins said recently snack my on chips and guacamole in his room at a West Hollywood hotel. Ii makes me nervous when you Start thinking in Star terms you Start thinking you re better than everybody else i Don t like to think that Way it s  the englishman also has Little base of critical support fans May love his music mostly pop ballads and mainstream pop Rock but critics often dismiss it As pop pabulum Collins has a pleasant voice but in a vocal contest with some of his Peers he d probably be massacred and sex Appeal does t appear to be a secret weapon you would t Call him handsome physically he s medium sized and rather nondescript at 38, his hairline is severely receding. Collins knows he s no hunk. Do i look like someone who s going to set feminine hearts aflutter " he asked flashing a Grin that soon turned into a chuckle i Don t kid myself or live in a fantasy he added i like to took reality in the face. Maybe that s my  despite his Down to Earth manner some critics have accused Collins of being insincere. One reason Collins latest album has received such a sound thrashing in various publications is that Many critics charged that he s unconvincing singing about social issues such As the homeless and racism in South Africa this criticism has irked the usually genteel mild mannered Collins part of the problem he suggested is the stigma of being Rich if you re Rich people assume you re an insensitive Jerk who s out of touch. But there s some decent Rich people Loo. Having Money does t turn you into a Jerk if those critics knew me. They would t be making rash assumptions about me i m Rich but i m not a bad Guy " Collins hotel room in los Angeles was t fancy in fact the hotel was t particularly luxurious certainly not one of the Ultra elegant spots that Cater to celebrities the setting suggests that Collins goal in t Flash or opulence there s a certain amount of Glamour and Las mess connected with what i do he said. He quietly scanned his own outfit a Plain unobtrusive shirt and pants a testament to his simplicity you can t escape a lot of the Glamour but you Don t have to throw yourself into it  he continued i like to keep tilings As simple As possible i m not a flashy person i tend to blend into crowds i look like a common person and i like that i like being Down to Earth it s very comfortable there " though Collins is Best known As a Solo Singer that s Only a Small part of his musical profile he s also a drummer producer and an Active member of genesis which he helped change from an Avant Garde Rock band m the 70s into an 80s pop super group the last genesis album 1986 s invisible touch sold More than 3 million copies born in Chiswick. England Collins began playing Drums at 12 he started with genesis in 1970 As a drummer and backup Singer but became Lead vocalist monday. January 22, 1990 when Peter Gabriel left in 1975 just about then Collins helped form Brand x. A top notch jazz fusion band that he worked with for the next seven years i need the Challenge of Many  he said i thrive on that ii i m not doing one thing then i can do another i have All this creative Energy i have to Channel in Iii do nothing with it i la just  now Collins balances a Solo career with his work with genesis and still manages to find time for extras including producing two Eric Clapton albums in the mid 80s. Some guest session work and touring with Clapton As his drummer. Typical of his Low key Persona Collins insisted that he never planned a Solo career rather than the result of some Long standing intense goal. Collins first Solo album face value 1981 was largely an Accident. He just wrote some songs that his manager later suggested be used in a Solo album those songs written when he was in the throes of a divorce had a Strong even Heartfelt tone perhaps the Fust step in the realness connection that his fans seem to prize after my wife led to i had this huge space he recalled i was writing just to keep Busy and to get some of the feel pigs out a year later i played those songs for my manager and he said. You be got a Solo album Here so i added a Solo career to my list of activities " one of his favorite activities at the moment is film acting which he Hopes to resume late next year after another Solo tour acting lets me express myself a Little differently he explained it shows another Side of me. It s fun to lose yourself even for a Little while in a character. Assuming another ego. Which you do when you re working on a film is intriguing " Collins casually mused about his own ego i m not an egomaniac. I have a big ego like any other artist and i have great Pride in my work but my ego does t get out of hand. I Don t overwhelm people. When i approach people it s not he shouted for emphasis Phil Collins superstar it s just As Phil Collins a Guy who writes songs and sings. I think that comes across in my music too " that intangible likable. Just Plain Phil Quality he s talking about might be the key to what fans love about him maybe that s the solution to the Phil Collins mystery. The stars and stripes Page 13