sent to Paperlate by James Michael McNamara Jr., May 27, 1996.
Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 02:37:00 -0400
Ahem. I've never been one to say 'I told you so', but tonight i dug
into the paperlate archive and grabbed this posting I made way back in
the summer of 94. I told you all then that Phil was history - and
might I add that pretty much none of you believed me!
The proof, for your parousal........
From: mcnamara@dolphin.upenn.edu (James McNamara Jr.)
Turns out, this restaurant is situated directly downstairs of
the record shop where my resident dealer, Jim Weiss of Spruce St.
Records, keeps my wallet empty on a regular basis (I'm arguably his
best customer). The owners of the restaurant are friends of his, so
they run upstairs to tell him, "Come downstair! Someone you must
meet! Phil Collin!"
Of course, he went downstairs to meet him and invited him to
stop up at the store after dinner. Sure enough, Phil came up to the
store (it was closed by that time) and chatted with Jim for over 30
minutes! Now, Jim carries several Genesis and Phil Collins bootlegs:
turns out Phil is very interested in these and doesn't mind them at
all! It's great to hear that he realizes that these do not hurt his
record sales- if nothing else they increase them by getting people
into the band by hearing them live.
Although I am kind of pissed that Jim didn't call me up to
meet him, I forgive him because of what he did next: he had Phil sign
my copy of WW & WW CD5 which was waiting there for me to come pick up!
He signed it, "To Jim-Cheers! Ph- Coll-". Cool to see his real
signature, not in the nice neat handwriting like he signs for the
albums.
So, they continued to chat on a variety of topics (uh oh, here
comes the bad news...). Sears: they are adding 50% of the amount of
each night's collections into the pot! Phil realized that his crowd
is getting older, and he wanted to choose a sponsor that would be more
in tune to the old folks (moreso than Bud or Michelob).
THE FUTURE OF GENESIS: This is more or less a direct quote,
according to Mr. Weiss- "As far as I'm concerned, it's over". My jaw
dropped to the floor, and any bubble that I had over the autographed
CD was burst. I pestered Jim repeatedly to try to get him to admit he
was lying, but he was adamant. Jim did say, though, that not to
worry: it's a business, and he'll realize in a few years that it will
be a good business decision to do the Genesis thing again. The group
Yes immediately leapt to my mind; however, Yes has almost 10 members
to reconfigure every so often- Phil's departure would surely spell
death for Genesis, since Gabriel doesn't exactly appear to be
twiddling his thumbs and looking for a big reunion.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
My fellow Paperlaters, this is not a joke. I have been out of
town for the past week (since my Philly concert review), and have not
been into the store until yesterday. And if you still question me, I
have the autographed CD to prove it. By the way, for any Philly
people out there, Spruce Street records is an excellent store with
good prices and a listening bar, and you can "stand where Phil stood"!
This news cast a major bummer on my trip to Hershey PA last
night to see the concert (yes, a fourth time- no, I'm not rich, just
in serious need of professional help). To make matters worse, there
was a huge thunderstorm just one hour before showtime, and it was an
outdoor show! It did clear up just in time, and the partly cloudy
skies made for a beautiful sunset backdrop just behind the stage
(small conselation for the hindered light show).
Some quick notes from the show:
Phil struggled with his voice throughout the show,
which appeared to distract him as he forgot/missang lyrics at least
ten times. I've heard him strain and forget words before (this was
the 13th time I've seen him perform), but never to this extent. The
worst example: the first line of the chorus of YCHL, he sang: "Just
trust in the good times" instead of "Love don't come easy". Maybe
his stress over having to play outdoors and the threat of
rain/lightning took its toll.
I noticed the multiple rips on Genesis now in a new
light with my new depressing knowledge. To open the intros, the band
plays a sappy, lounge-lizard version of Invisible Touch, which then
segues to I Can't Dance. The satire is obvious to me, anyway. Also,
when he finished introducing the band, he said: "And then, there's
me," and then kind of forlornly, "I'm not quite sure who I am
anymore". Read between the lines, guys.....Finally, he Daryl and
Nathan spoof the I Can't Dance walk during Sussudio. I realize he was
just doing it for scream value, but could he be once again satirizing
his past?
The video: not available earlier in the tour when I
went. All of the profits go into the pot (TDK paid for it), $15.
Well worth it.
The Face Value mini-block (IMA reggae, BTL) was cut,
as well as the first encore. I suspect that the park/promoter made
him shorten his show due to the horrendous traffic leaving that place,
but I'm sure his aching vocal folds screamed their approval. The
reggae bit was a highlight in the show for me, so this only added to
my already massive gloom.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, guys - once again, this is
no July Fool's Day joke. Flame if you must, but realize that I want
this to be false as badly as you do. Sorry for the length.
So, we'll wait and we'll wonder......
JMMJ
From: "James Michael McNamara Jr."
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Subject: I TOLD YOU ALL SO NEARLY TWO YEARS AGO
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Reply-To: "James Michael McNamara Jr." 
Hey everybody...
Subject: Great News/Terrible News
Date: Sun, 10 Jul 1994 20:45:18 -0400 (EDT) OK, shall I start with the good news? When Phil was in Philly
last month, on Saturday the 18th he decided to go out to eat in West
Philly at a Japanese restaurant called Genji (40th and Spruce), which
is exactly one block from my house! (talk about being at the wrong
place at the right time- I was sitting in front of the TV watching OJ
(Offta Jail))
When will it be over now, how soon?
Jim McNamara I can't dance.
University of Pennsylvania I can't talk.
School of Veterinary Medicine Me? I'm just a lawnmower.
mcnamara@dolphin.upenn.edu Does anybody know a good podiatrist?
"Let me hear your lies, we're living this up to the eyes"
G tony E phil N peter E steve S ant I mike S
