How Paul McCartney humiliated Phil Collins at Buckingham Palace in 2002: “I thought, ‘You fuck’”
Paul McCartney is not only one of the most beloved figures in music, but arguably one of the most widely adored people alive. In fact, the only person who might rival the universal affection he receives is David Attenborough.
Considering McCartney has been famous for more than 60 years, nobody would bat an eyelid if there were a handful of horror stories told by fellow celebrities about their interactions with the Beatles legend. Yet, nobody has a bad word to say about him…apart from Phil Collins, that is.
From an artistic standpoint, Collins has great respect for McCartney. Their paths first crossed when Collins was a teenager and was cast as an audience member in A Hard Day’s Night. While it wasn’t a role of any real significance, simply witnessing the Fab Four perform in all their glory was more than enough for him at the time, and it was a cherished memory that he held tight.
A few years later, Collins began to make steps of his own within the music industry, which would lead him to again crossing paths with a Beatle. This time, it was as a session musician on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Sadly, it made his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Hard Day’s Night cameo look like an Oscar-winning performance, as Collins’ contribution to All Things Must Pass was cut from the record.
Nevertheless, being in the same room with Harrison was good enough; years later, they’d form a friendship and have an almighty laugh about their prior interaction.
While he grew close to Harrison, the same can’t be said for McCartney, who is not somebody that you can expect to see Collins sharing a joke with anytime soon.
For a time, the two of them seemed to enjoy a cordial relationship. Collins even played drums on McCartney’s 1986 song, ‘Angry’, from Press to Play, and in 1997, they shared a stage at the Music for Montserrat fundraiser at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Due to their shared history, McCartney likely thought that he could make a joke at Collins’ expense in his company, and it wouldn’t be taken to heart. However, that proved not to be the case.
In 2002, both music icons found themselves at Buckingham Palace for an event, with one off-hand comment completely re-adjusting how Collins viewed McCartney.
14 years after the incident, Collins explained to The Sunday Times in 2016: “I met him when I was working at the Buckingham Palace party back in 2002. McCartney came up with Heather Mills and I had a first edition of The Beatles, by Hunter Davies, and I said, ‘Hey, Paul, do you mind signing this for me?’ And he said, ‘Oh, Heather, our little Phil’s a bit of a Beatles fan’. And I thought, ‘You fuck, you fuck’. Never forgot it.”
McCartney likely didn’t set out to embarrass Collins at a prestigious event, but it had a lasting impact on the Genesis frontman, who believed it came from a superiority complex. “He has this thing when he’s talking to you, where he makes you feel [like], ‘I know this must be hard for you because I’m a Beatle. I’m Paul McCartney and it must be very hard for you to actually be holding a conversation with me,'” he added.
Soon enough, McCartney caught wind of Collins’ comments and contacted him to apologise for any harm caused. Collins told Billboard, “I certainly didn’t get any flowers from him; I got more of a ‘Let’s just get on with our lives.'”
Collins also felt a degree of guilt for airing his grievances with McCartney in public, but still believes it was the right decision, adding, “And I’m sorry he’s upset that I kinda said something nasty about him — well, it wasn’t really nasty. If people don’t tell people that sometimes their attitude could be a bit better then you’re not gonna get any better, y’know?”
It’s very hard to imagine McCartney, of all people, deliberately set out to belittle Collins. After all, he’s Paul McCartney; what does he have to gain by taking joy in the misery of others?
It was merely a joke that didn’t land without any intent to cause upset. Nevertheless, Collins felt like McCartney had talked down to him, and he’s also clearly not lying about how it made him feel, even if it wasn’t said to cause that reaction.
Seemingly, even being a Beatle doesn’t make you immune to occasionally misjudging social situations and making the odd faux pas.
