Collins timeline
Phil Collins spoke about the current state of his years-long tension with Paul McCartney on the Piers Morgan Uncensored podcast.
The rift between 75-year-old Collins and 84-year-old McCartney stems from an exchange during a rehearsal at Buckingham Palace ahead of the 2002 Jubilee Concert.
Beatles remarks
Collins had brought along a rare first edition of Hunter Davies’s book about the Beatles to have it signed. McCartney, who was married to Heather Mills at the time, remarked, “It seems our little Phil is quite a Beatles fan,” a comment that stung Collins.
McCartney statements
Collins said he was surprised by this tone because he knew McCartney, noting that he had played on one of his albums, that they had shared the stage at a Prince’s Trust event, and that he had presented him with an award at a ceremony in London.
Collins also wrote about the incident in his 2016 memoir Not Dead Yet, explaining that McCartney had reached out to him because he was upset, but that he had not replied to his message.
According to Collins’s account, McCartney, upon learning that he was collecting memorabilia for a King’s Trust charity auction, called him and asked, “What is all this about?”
McCartney assessment
Collins replied, “I wish I had never said anything”; McCartney, for his part, said he had thought they were on good terms. Collins said he had apologized, adding that McCartney, like everyone — perhaps a little more so — liked to be loved, and that he understood this.