My Book of Genesis by Richard Macphail

Author:Richard Macphail [Macphail, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wymer Publishing
Published: 2019-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11 WHY I LEFT GENESIS

I felt they had reached a stage where they could carry on without me. In a sense my job had been to help them get to that place. That’s how it felt to me; I had done my job up to this point and could do no more.

When Peter left Genesis in August 1975 headlines hit the music press and fans were left reeling. No such pandemonium occurred when I decided to leave – but that’s hardly surprising. Roadies, even those who have graduated from carrying amps to briefcases, are the unsung heroes of the rock trade and always will be. We accept our lot and sometimes bask in the reflected glory of our employers. But we don’t make headlines when we quit.

So why did I go? This is a question I am still asked all these years later. I had been with Genesis since 1969, before anyone knew who they were, and in the spring of 1973 I came to the realisation that I didn’t really have a life of my own. I had no space for a relationship, for learning new skills, for even a hobby. Although I was travelling a lot, it was all dictated by the demands of the group. This feeling crept up on me – the knowledge that I’d been with the band for five long years without a break. I was 22 and effectively managing them. Strat, their nominal manager, also ran their record company and therefore couldn’t fully devote his time to managing Genesis. I knew they would never kick me out but I had my doubts about my own ability to become their full-time manager and take them to the next level. A certain lack of self-confidence began to creep in. I was a bit nervous about the future because I could see, especially that night at the Rainbow, that this was going somewhere, somewhere far beyond what we had ever imagined back at Christmas Cottage.

What’s more, I knew at this point that they wouldn’t collapse if I left. It may sound arrogant but I’d never had that certainty before. I felt they had reached a plateau from where they could carry on without me. In a sense my job had been to help them get to that place, with some help from others obviously. That’s how it felt to me; I had done my job up to this point and could do no more. I had always wanted the world to know what a great band they were. With Foxtrot sounding so good and with the increasing success of the live shows, I knew it was going to happen for them and happen big. The world was now seeing and hearing what I had hoped and worked for.

Mike understood:

I remember thinking that the time had come for Richard to explore other things, the bigger picture. He could see the pattern stretching ahead – album, tour, album, tour – and I felt that he had come to a time in his life when he wanted to cast his net wider.

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