Phil Collins wants you to know he's not dead yet

Phil Collins' retirement didn't last long. 

Just a few years after announcing he would step away from music, the famous musician revealed a comeback that would include a new tour (with his son on drums), re-mastered solo albums and a memoir called Not Dead Yet. 

In his new book, Collins is very candid about his 40-plus years in the music industry, from landing a gig drumming for Genesis ("My role was class clown, to deflate the tension,") to the success of his solo career ("I didn't do the drum fill [on 'In the Air Tonight' thinking people would be talking about it 30 years from now,").

"I retired to be with my kids and my family," Collins says, of why he first decided to call it quits. But unfortunately, by the time he returned home from his last tour, his marriage was over and his family wasn't there. 

"I started to drink too much, basically," he explains. "I drank almost enough to kill myself and that happened a couple of times. I wasn't so bad at stopping, but I was also good at starting again."

But he assures everyone that he's better now and that hitting the road again will help him "put my foot back in the water, gently." 

"I think I was wrong to say I was going to retire," Collins admits now. With his son by his side on tour, does the experienced musician have any advice for his teenage drummer? "Play as hard as you can!"