Phil Collins aka The Bad Loser: How Collins Belittled Stevie Wonder

Rehearsing your ‘losing face’ is a rite of passage for anyone who’s ever entered a competition. It’s a necessary evil, like practicing your dance moves in front of the mirror or doing a fake run-through of a job interview. You try to master the perfect balance of graciousness and disappointment, a subtle nod that says, ‘I’m okay with this’ while silently swirling the winner’s name in your head.

It’s really an art form that requires patience, practice, and a straight face. Let’s be honest; we’ve all tried it at least once in our lives, whether we admit it or not. Most of the time, we do a good job, right? Yet, we know a name from the rock world who was really terrible at this. Let us tell you the story.

The incident took place at the 57th Academy Awards in 1985. It was a night that would go down in history as one of the most memorable moments in the world of music. The air was electric with anticipation as the award for the Best Original Song was about to be announced. The audience held their breath as the presenter stepped up to the microphone.

Suddenly, the room erupted in applause as the winner was revealed – Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ had won over Phil Collins’ ‘Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now).’ So far, the story went pretty normal, right? Think again after you read an interview with Phil Collins after his loss.

As it turns out, Phil Collins wasn’t the type to take losing very well. In a previous interview with David Sheff, we were able to see this crystal clear when the former Genesis frontman made some humiliating and insensitive comments about Stevie Wonder. Collins implied that Wonder won the award because he was ‘black, blind, and did a lot for human rights.’

When asked about the night he lost to Wonder, Collins replied:

“And then, to make things worse, the next day, I talked to a Rolling Stone reporter, who asked me about it. I said, ‘I can’t fight Stevie Wonder. He’s been around too long. He’s black. He’s blind, and he does a lot for human rights. He gets the sympathy vote, anyway–and he’s from L.A.’

It’s all true, but there was a fuss about that, too. Larry Gelbart wrote a scathing letter to Rolling Stone, saying that I was a bad loser and blah, blah, blah…. But after the whole thing, they sent me an application for membership. I thought it was a joke. So now I’m a fully paid-up member of the Academy.”

The art of rehearsing a losing face and choosing words carefully when speaking afterward are necessary skills for anyone who has ever entered a competition. However, Phil Collins’ reaction to losing the Best Original Song award at the 1985 Oscars showed that not everyone is successful in this task. His unfortunate reaction even caused him to be branded as a ‘bad loser.’