Genesis’ Peter Gabriel does not miss being in a band: “I don’t want to be having arguments again”
“I love the freedom of being able to do what I want, when I want, how I want.”
Image: Jim Dyson / Getty Images
Let it be known that former Genesis lead singer Peter Gabriel does not miss being in a band.
On the latest issue of Uncut, the musician opened up about reuniting with his former group on stage last March for their last-ever show, saying “There’s a lot of history there.”
“It was lovely to see Phil [Collins] again, though he wasn’t as strong as I remember him,” Gabriel said. “But it brought back a lot of memories. I was very glad I was there. I had been there at the beginning, so I should be there at the end.”
And despite the lovely memories, the days spent working in a band are not something he longs for at this point in his career.
“I don’t see [the members of Genesis] very often, but I enjoy my relationships with those guys,” Gabriel explained. “I love the freedom of being able to do what I want, when I want, how I want. That’s fine to give up on a particular project, but as a state of living, I don’t want to be having arguments again.”
The singer, whose new album i/o is awaiting release, also said that having his studio, Real World, and a traditional manager offers him the freedom he desires while grounding him as a solo artist.
“Being the old awkward sod that I am,” Gabriel said. “I might say to [studio director] Mike Large and the team down at Real World, ‘We’re going to do this project.’ And while no one’s going to fight me and say, ‘No, you can’t do that,’ they may say, ‘We can’t afford to do that.’ … It’s about having a physical base that allows you to pretty much follow your heart.”
In other news, Gabriel will be embarking on ‘The i/o Tour’ in Europe this spring.
The tour is set to kick off in Krakow, Poland on 18 May, with dates in Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and the UK before wrapping in Dublin, Ireland on 25 June.