Buster on the Bus.


The man listening to Phil Collins on the bus today should invest in better headphones.

I’m not referring to their durability, as they looked like they were built to last. I’m talking about their insufficient soundproofing. If I can identify the artist I'm hearing from the other side of the aisle of a noisy bus then there’s something amiss; particularly when it’s the balding ex-drummer of Genesis.

The track in question was Collins’ cover of A Groovy Kind of Love, so I suppose it could have been worse. It was like being subjected to the middle-aged equivalent of a teenager listening to music on public transport using their phone as a loudspeaker. In complaining now, I sound like an old man myself; it’s the circle of life (which was Elton John and not Phil Collins, who did the soundtrack for Tarzan).

A Groovy Kind of Love brings back memories for me. It was one of the songs I sang to get into drama school. Years later, like everyone else at my college, I snuck into the office to have a look at my audition notes. Speaking of my quasi-Collins performance, the singing teacher said, “Nice voice. Zero stage presence”. I've tried to maintain this standard ever since.

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