If you're a Genesis fan, you may be hoping for a worldwide reunion tour, especially with the release of the BBC documentary, "Genesis: Together and Apart." But some fences might need to be mended with guitarist Steve Hackett, who blasted the documentary as "biased" for ignoring his considerable solo career output.
"It's certainly a biased account of Genesis history and totally ignores my solo work," Hackett posted on his official Facebook page earlier today. "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.
The documentary, under the name "Genesis: The Sum Of The Parts," will make its U.S. debut on Showtime Oct. 10 and will be released on DVD as well.
Any talk of a Genesis reunion tour was squashed about a decade ago when Peter Gabriel decided he couldn't devote the time the tour would need. During a 2011 interview, Gabriel told Rolling Stone, "It was growing into this bigger thing, and I had all these other ideas that I wanted to do, and I could feel the suction of the black hole. I get on pretty well with everybody - it wasn't personal issues - I just didn't want to lose that sort of light-footedness that I enjoy now. . . You know, we had a great run. They did way better after I left anyway. So I don't think anyone has anything to complain about."
The '80s trio lineup of Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford then reunited and toured without either Gabriel or Hackett in 2007.
Drummer and post-Gabriel front man Collins subsequently suffered a spinal injury and was unable to drum or even sign his own name. He told The Guardian in 2010 that he was done with drumming, done with music and had contemplated suicide. "I sometimes think I'm going to write this Phil Collins character out of the story," he told The Guardian then."Phil Collins will just disappear or be murdered in some hotel bedroom, and people will say, 'What happened to Phil?' And the answer will be, 'He got murdered, but, yeah, anyway, let's carry on'. That kind of thing."
Since then, Collins has seemingly changed his attitude toward life and music. He has begun playing drums again and has started to working with other artists.
"I have started thinking about doing new stuff. [Maybe playing] some shows again, even with Genesis," he told Rolling Stone last year. "Everything is possible. We could tour in Australia and South America. We haven't been there yet."
Earlier this year, Rolling Stone reported that Collins even started working with singer/songwriter Adele on some of her new songs.
Meanwhile, the magazine reported that Gabriel is keeping a "never say never" attitude regarding a reunion of the British progressive rock band. He told Rolling Stone in a previous interview, "It really didn't happen last time. I think there's a small chance, but I don't think it's very high."
Hackett left the band in 1977, but for the past few years he has been touring and releasing albums with his interpretations of the early progressive rock of the band. Hackett told music blog Highway 81 Revisited earlier this year that he loved his time writing songs for Genesis and it was only natural that he would turn to those songs again for his Genesis Revisited project and Genesis Extended tour, which resumes later this month..
"It was extraordinary work that was coming out of everyone, out of a young band," Hackett said. "I can't sing everyone's praises high enough. I think it was an extraordinary band of writers and players and a lot of extraordinary thinking going on at that time."
Hackett may have changed his tune since the release of the documentary, however.
His Facebook post continued:
"Whilst the documentary's sister project, the R-KIVE box set represents us all equally, the documentary does the opposite. I know the documentary will soon be on sale via various outlets, but I won't be selling this via my own website.
"On a positive note, I've just finished my new album due out early next year, and I look forward to seeing everyone again on the upcoming leg of the Genesis Extended tour."
Some fans on Twitter may agree with Hackett.
Though it treated @HackettOfficial appallingly. No mention of solo career, other members seemed dismissive? #GenesisTogetherAndApart — BNewsCentre (@BNewsCentre) October 5, 2014
Here's a great guy they barely mentioned! #GenesisTogetherAndApart @HackettOfficial pic.twitter.com/pkQrXGdYeR — sta (@sta2711) October 5, 2014
Some feel keyboardist Banks is the one who was slighted.
Watching #genesistogetherandapart .The recent interviews show tensions between Gabriel and Banks are still there and prob means no reunion — Ian t (@ZOSOMOI) October 5, 2014
And so, once again, the world at large fails to grasp the deep-seated self-consciousness of Tony Banks. #genesistogetherandapart #genesisdoc — Lee Edward McIlmoyle (@LeeEdwardMc) October 4, 2014
If the band is less prone to splintering as their fans are, maybe a reunion is not out of the question. Or, as the old Genesis song goes: Am I very wrong?
