Steve Hackett has slammed the Genesis documentary that brought the five classic-era members back together, calling it a biased piece of work.
He says the on-screen version of Together And Apart, broadcast over the weekend, failed to live up to the description he’d been given before he took part.
The guitarist understood the film would give equal coverage to his band and subsequent solo career, along with those of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks.
Hackett says: “It’s certainly a biased account of Genesis history, and totally ignores my solo work. It does not deliver the theme of ‘together and apart.’
“In interview I spoke at length as much about my solo career as my time in Genesis, but was not given any editorial involvement. I know the documentary will soon be on sale, but I won’t be selling it via my own website.”
The film is tied in with the band’s R-KIVE retrospective package. Hackett says: “The box set represents us all equally; the documentary does the opposite.”
He’s just completed work on his next solo album, and embarks on his final run of Genesis Revisited shows later this month.
Meanwhile, former bandmate Phil Collins has discussed his near-fatal six-month battle with a drink problem as a result of boredom.
He announced his retirement in 2010, with the intention of spending more time with his young children. But when his ex-wife moved with them from Switzerland to the USA, Collins found himself with too much time on his hands.
He tells the Daily Mail: “I didn’t go around rolling drunk. But I just started to drink. Not working and not having the kids, I guess, left a big void.”
His wine habit led to pancreatitis – but it’s in his past now. “I went to a couple of specialists, and I don’t drink any more,” he says. “I’ve never fallen off the wagon; I’ve just been lucky.”
Collins will play a charity show in Miami in December, but he’s abandoned plans to stage a fully-fledged comeback, reporting that he’s “not ready” after a month of “exploratory rehearsals” with a band.
Drummer Jason Bonham, who took part, said last night: “Now Phil’s talked about it, I guess it’s okay to say I had three fantastic weeks playing drums for one of my heroes, and with such a group of amazing musicians.”
