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On June 23, 1974, Daryl Stuermer, a 21-year-old jazz-fusion guitarist, watched the short televised debate. Speakeasy Guests include Beach Boys singer Mike Love, English guitarist John McLaughlin, jazz flautist Charles Lloyd and Genesis singer Peter Gabriel. Stuermer had never heard of Genesis and the brief video segment showing their interpretation of "Supper's Ready" hardly convinced him. "Peter had a flower on his head," says Stuermer. "When I saw that, I thought," Oh, that's not my kind of thing. It's ridiculous. "
He would hardly have imagined that not only would he join the band four years later, but that the young drummer in the background, a stranger, named Phil Collins, would become one of the biggest musical groups of the next decade and that he bring the guitarist for the ride. To date, Collins has never played a solo concert without Stuermer by his side and he has been a key part of every album, apart from 1994. On both sides. Stuermer has also participated in all Genesis tours since 1978, in addition to the short tour of 1998 with alternate singer Ray Wilson.
As he prepares for another stage of Collins, Not Dead Yet! return tour, Stuermer phoned Rolling stone to discuss his long career with Phil Collins and Genesis.
Who were your growing guitar heroes?
I started playing around the age of 11 years old. I started to seriously listen to guitarists around 12 or 13 years old. The first guitarists I really noticed were those from The Ventures, then Duane Eddy and Chet Atkins. I could not play Chet Atkins, but I really admired him. It was at the beginning and it was as I progressed, I began to be more and more interested in blues such as Mike Bloomfield, Albert King and B.B. King.
Then, around the age of 15, I noticed that I was beginning to interest myself in jazz guitarists. What happened, Joe Pbad had released an album entitled Jazz stones where he made all the songs of the Rolling Stones. I thought, "Oh, my God, let me look at this record." It interested me in jazz because it was playing things I could not play, notes that I had never heard in rock. It involved me in that and probably my favorite jazz guitarist turned out to be Wes Montgomery. So what [Jimi] Hendrix has also become a big influence in the world of rock.
How familiar were you with Genesis at the time of Peter Gabriel?
I did not really know their music before Phil Collins became their singer and Jean-Luc Ponty, with whom I worked at that time, gave me a cbadette of their album. A tail turn. He said to me, "You must hear this group. These guys are excellent. "From one side of the band was A spin and another side was Wind and wutheringalthough they both missed about 45 minutes. But they've turned me into an instant fan. That was pretty much my formal introduction to Genesis.
How did you have the audition?
Someone who actually auditioned was a bbadist who played the guitar, but he needed a guitarist who could play bbad. And so, when this musician did not get the job with them, he really recommended me and that's how it all started. So they took me to New York by plane and stayed at the Plaza Hotel and I went to the first audition, which was just [Genesis bbadist/guitarist] Michael Rutherford at SIR [Studios]. They had sent me a tape with five songs, two of which were from their new album … And then they were three …
They had a cbadette player out there and they wanted me to play with the recordings. We probably spent two or three minutes of each song, and then I remember telling him, "I think you're the right one." That's a bit of a surprise to me. I also remember telling him, "Well, I'm auditioning here in New York for four more guitarists, but I'll call you at the Plaza at 5 pm. and I will meet with you to tell you the songs you should learn for the next tour. "That's what happened. I came back with him after the hearing.
It's a strange setup in Genesis since Steve Hackett was there, Mike was playing guitar and bbad. When he played guitar, he used bbad pedals. This is a strange configuration for a rock band, right?
Yeah. It was interesting for me. He said, "Can you play bbad?" And I said, "Yes, I play bbad. My brother was a bbad player and I had a bbad around my house. But my main thing is the guitar. So when I started playing with them, I played very little bbad since Steve Hackett had played all those songs before Mike was the lead guitarist. Mike would play mostly guitar on the new songs of …And then they were three … and I played on all the older songs Steve played. But gradually, he played more and more guitar because we had more albums where he was guitarist. In 1992, I played bbad for more than half of the night.
How did you prepare the first tour in 1978? There are many songs to learn and no room for spontaneity. It was a very very accurate group.
When he gave me this list of songs to learn, I really sat down to learn them. None of them really reads music. I know Phil and Mike do not do it. Tony [Banks] can read music, but they never write anything. Everything is done in the ear, so I would like to sit with these albums and learn. Some of these Steve Hackett sounds were very new to me. I was not sure if I heard a synthesizer or a guitar because of the way he played. It was so great.
Did they let you know from the beginning that you were playing in the tours, but not in the albums?
Yeah. They said, "You're a band member on tour." My favorite phrase of Phil during an interview was "Daryl is a permanent, part time and temporary member". I like that. I've actually used this line myself sometimes.
At the end of the 1978 tour, did you know if you would stay for future tours?
I did not know. But in the last leg of the December 1978 tour, I asked Mike when we were in Japan. I said, "Is there a plan for more tours?" And he said, "Not for the moment, we do not usually plan so far in the future." At the time, Mike Rutherford's wife and Tony Banks's wife had babies. good idea they would not go on tour in 1979. The only way for me to discover that I was going to tour 1980 is when they called me to ask me to do it.
What is your first memory of hearing that Phil was going to do solo music?
It was in 1980 and Genesis was rehearsing in England at Shepperton Studios. Phil came to me and said, "Are you going back to London?" I said I was there and he said, "Well, I would like to play something in the car. I will drive you. So we went to his car and he put a tape and played the demo of "In the Air Tonight". I remember thinking, "Oh, my God. I did not even know that he wrote music alone since so much that he did in Genesis was co-written. I thought it was a good song and that it would be nice on an album. I asked him what he was going to do and he said, "Well, I'm thinking of a solo album."
The tape contained one more song: "I Missed Again". She was very different from "In the Air Tonight". She's almost gone to something R & B / Motown. I was surprised by what I heard, but I had no reason to believe that I was going to make this record with him.
What are your memories of the recording of the final version of "In the Air Tonight?"
We were at Village Recorder at West L.A. He already had tape videos. He had the drum machine and chords on the keyboard. He started the song and he said, "Why do not you make a big power agreement?" It's finally a power agreement, but it's a bit off. Then we started making more and more songs and I thought, "I wonder if this album is going to be okay. It's so diverse. No song was like another. You have R & B songs, rock songs and almost folk songs. And then the horn section Earth, Wind & Fire has arrived. I was a big fan and as I lived at maybe two miles from the studio, I fell a lot while they were following.
Genesis came out and turned behind duke just in this same period. Have you started to feel safe with your work at this time?
Yeah. I started to understand that if they did something else, they would probably ask me. We have almost all started to become a family. All our women knew each other. It has become very comfortable.
How did you hear about duke and Abacab when did you hear them? It was a very big change of sound.
Yeah. duke was actually the one who surprised me the most. They became more modern. The songs in the album sounded almost like horns and things like that. Phil has become more than ever a part of music as a writer. Their music sounded very English to me, but with duke I started hearing about an American R & B influence. I was very happy with that. To date, my favorite albums are A spin and Wind and wutheringbut at the same time, I was really happy to hear that they were moving towards a more modern American sound.
What do you remember about the 1982 meeting with Peter Gabriel in Milton Keynes?
I remember the rain. What is also remarkable is that I did not know what was going to happen because I had to learn all those old Peter Gabriel songs. We rehearsed once with Peter and the only real [solo] Peter Gabriel's song we performed called "Solsbury Hill". All the rest was from Genesis, but I had never played old songs like "The Knife" and "Watcher of the Skies". I had to learn them through recordings. .
The first song in the series was "Back in New York City". Peter came on stage in a coffin. These porters took it out and I think none of us knew it was going to happen. Then they laid the casket and it was like he had come back from the dead. That's the first thing I think about when you mentioned Milton Keynes. It was very funny.
Did you know that Steve Hackett was going out for recalls?
I did not know it, but I knew it was there. It's funny. I often read comments on YouTube and people always oppose me, Steve and me. They will say "I think Steve is better" or "I think Daryl is better". What's fun is that I get on very well with Steve. I think he's an excellent guitarist. It's funny that people are trying to make us believe that we are enemies.
But this concert is the only time you shared a scene, is not it?
Yes. The only time.
It's like seeing the two Darrins of Nice to meet you together at the same time.
[[[[Laughs]Yes, I am the second, [Dick Sargent]. It's too funny. When we were at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Steve and I were sitting next to each other and had a great conversation.
When Phil started putting all those solo songs on the charts, did you think Genesis was finished?
Yes, I did it for a minute. But I never asked him. That's because it's one of the things you do not want to know the answer to, because that may not be the answer you want. Every time we made a [solo] I wondered if he would have time for Genesis now. It's amazing that it lasted as long as it did both. I never felt conflicted though. It was good for me because I was in both groups in a sense. I would do any tour that he has done. It was usually a year with one, then a year with the other.
Was it difficult in your personal life to be basically always on tour?
At first, yes. What is amazing is that my wife and I are still together after all this time. He was 40 years old on December 11th. We always joke that it's only been 20 years since I've been on the road for 20 years. What's funny is that Mike and Tony are both in a marriage that has also lasted. They are with their wife even longer than me with mine. It becomes difficult at first, but as long as you have good communication and you are still laughing, you are together. I have two girls and one of my daughters now has two daughters. I am therefore a grandparent.
I saw a photo of you at the White House near Ronald Reagan. How was this day?
We did not meet Reagan, but we have this picture when he just got out of one of the helicopters. He pbaded with Nancy and beckoned us. Genesis had just made this video "Land of Confusion" [featuring a vicious parody of Reagan]There may be political reasons why they did not want us to meet him. But being at the White House was great. I had never been there. The people who took us were very nice, even though the secret services did not really have a sense of humor.
When the We can not dance The tour was taking place, did you feel it would be the last?
Yeah. Well, I should not say that I thought it was the end. What happened was that two years later I was on tour with Phil On both sides tower. One day he was talking to his manager and I heard him say, "Oh, you know, I'm not doing Genesis anymore." And I thought, "Shit." I did not know he was going to stop. That's how I discovered.
But the group went on without you guys. Did you talk about doing this tour with Ray Wilson?
I remember thinking, "How are they going to make an album without Phil?" But then they asked Ray Wilson to sing and Anthony Drennan to play the guitar. He is an excellent guitarist. But I thought, "Well, it's pretty weird." Honestly, I wondered if it would work. Well, that's not the case. There was an album and then they were made. It was really like the Rolling Stones were coming out without Mick Jagger. In addition to being an excellent musician, Phil is an artist. And maybe they did not have Chester [Thompson] on the drums, they wanted to make a change, so it was totally different. But at least I was still doing the Phil thing, which was since.
How was it to play at halftime at the Super Bowl?
It was interesting because I did not know how much it had been prepared. We spent three days doing it again and again. We had to have the right timing. Then we recorded the music without the singing, so even though we played live, Phil sang on a piece. But he sang live.
What did you feel at the time of the first final farewell tour in 2004-05? Are you afraid of no longer having a job?
Yeah. I thought he was serious. At the same time, part of me thought, "Really?" I mean, I can not imagine my retirement forever. To withdraw from what? It is a good thing to have a job where you are well paid to make music and where you are in front of people who love you even before going out. Why withdraw from this? It's a great job. It's a beautiful career. I never had another job than playing guitar in groups. I thought, "He's going to get bored." And he did it.[[[[Laughs].
Back in 2005, there was a meeting with Peter about the possibility of doing The lamb lies on Broadway on a meeting tour. Were you aware at the time of the discussions?
Yeah. I think we were in Glasgow. I was sitting in the lobby taking a club sandwich at the restaurant bar and they told me that they had this meeting. I thought, "Well, I guess they're going to get all five together." And then Mike and Tony came out of the elevator and said, "We're thinking of doing a tour with you and Chester. if you are there. And I thought, "Of course I'm inside! That's how I discovered it. I was not at this meeting and I do not know what they talked about, but I guess they decided not to do it and then decided to do it all three.
How were the rehearsals for this tour?
It was interesting because we had not played together for 14 years. I remember being seated for breakfast with Mike at the Peninsula Hotel [in New York] and it was $ 150 for both of us. And even Mike, who is rather comfortable, said, "$ 75 for breakfast?" Whatever it is, we went to rehearsal and, after five or six songs about I saw Mike and Tony go talk to the manager. I think they said, "Hey, it works." We have not repeated for the tour yet. We were just going to meet for the week. It was like a pre-rehearsal to see if it was even a possibility. And all the chemistry was there. If we felt like it was 14 months, not 14 years old.
Have you been surprised that after all these years, you still played in places like the Giants Stadium?
I think that surprised everyone. I remember talking to a German promoter and I said, "It's amazing that we're here for three nights." He said, "Actually, you could have done five more." It was one of my favorite tours. You know, when you do something and look back and you say, "You know, I really should have enjoyed those moments a little more." So on that tour, I made sure to always feel good wherever we are. myself, "It's amazing because it's probably the last time we'll be together."
Once that ended, did you think that part of your life was over and you would never be back in front of the crowd?
I thought, "Well, I guess that's all." But as I said, I do not know of any musician who has retired and never did it again. From time to time, I received a phone call to go to Florida where [Phil] live and we would play an event from the Little Dreams Foundation. For a very long time, I thought that was going to be the case, but then I started having a clue that he was thinking of doing something again.
Obviously, you knew Phil's son as a little boy. It must be surreal to have him in the group now and do such a good job.
Right. During the 2004-05 tour, there was always a small battery for kids sitting in a backstage room. He must have been four years old and imitate the groove of "Something happened on the way to paradise". I sat there thinking that "dude, he's really good for four. I wonder if he will become a drummer? "Yes of course. And he's just an incredible musician.
Did you fear that the show would suffer if Phil could not get up?
Oh, yes, we were all worried about it. We thought, "How is he going to do that?" But it works because even though he sat almost all night, there were so many activities around him. And people love songs and do not hesitate to hear them if they jump or not.
You have just made a little tour of America last year. Do you think you will come back?
Oh yes. I think we only did 15. He wanted to see, "Does it really work?" But he noticed that it worked really well and that the audience really accepted the show. We will all be very happy. I am sure we will go out and do other things.
Do you think there is a chance that Genesis is playing again? Phil could sing and Nic play drums.
Boy, that's a good question. If I knew that I could not tell you, but I do not know[[[[Laughs]. I really do not know that answer. In interviews, I saw Phil say that he could do it if Nic was on drums and I thought, "Well, that opens the door for sure." But who knows? I did not ask him if that would happen, but I would certainly be open to this idea. Nic shows that he can handle it.
Yes is able to tour with Steve Howe and a group of other people and they attract large crowds. Why not tour with you, Chester, Mike, Tony and Steve. Maybe Ray Wilson could sing or another guest.
Well, I'd be funny about that if Phil was not here. I do not think they want to do that, not after trying to do it with Ray.
But they called it "Genesis". It could be "The Genesis Project" or something. You would always be more authentic than most groups of this period nowadays.
Yes, especially if you have Mike and Tony, then Chester and I, who are secondary. You think like an agent. Why not? If Mike and Tony were calling me and saying, "Do you want to do that?" I would say "Sure!", But it's not for me to decide. It is to them.
In the meantime, you can take part in this incredible tour with Phil, something that few people thought would happen again.
Absolutely. I feel the same way as during the last tour of Genesis in 2007. I savor it every time we play.
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