Phil Collins has announced that he's coming out of "retirement" but it doesn't sound as if he'll be playing the drums much, sticking instead to piano and vocals.
A truly individual drummer, he was forced to stop playing a few years ago because of physical health problems.
Though some folk seem to find it difficult to believe, playing drums is very much a mental exercise.
There are physical demands, of course... but drummers' injuries tend not to be of the blood-on-the-snare variety, as featured in the movie Whiplash, but ones incurred from years of moving heavy drums and drum bags around.
I've recently encountered two veteran players, both with back problems, who just don't want to carry their gear anywhere anymore.
Unless they have the luxury of a roadie, drummers are always first to have to start setting up for a gig and last to finish taking down. They also have the most awkward gear for loading in and out of cars or vans.
They keep their drums pristine and in perfect order... but it's not always easy to do the same for themselves.
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