Podcast Summary: Takin' a Walk – "The Simon Phillips Interview – A Look at Music History with a Drumming Legend"

Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Simon Phillips
Date: October 31, 2025
Duration: ~48 minutes
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Episode Overview

This episode of "Takin' a Walk" features drumming legend Simon Phillips, celebrated for his work with Toto, The Who, Jeff Beck, and more. Host Buzz Knight explores Simon's five-decade career, delving into his unending quest for musical innovation, his creative process, stories from landmark collaborations, and the philosophies that have shaped his artistry as a drummer, producer, and engineer. Phillips shares insights into the evolution of progressive rock, the art of recording, key influences, and his ongoing projects.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Reflections & The “Simon Phillips Effect”

[00:15]

• Buzz Knight introduces Simon’s reputation for technically brilliant, musical drumming, influencing countless musicians over decades.
• Notes Phillips’s constant reinvention and refusal to rest on his laurels.

2. Dream “Taking a Walk” Companion

[04:20]

• Asked who he’d choose for a dream walk, Simon picks Pete Townshend (The Who), citing Pete’s fitness and their deep, wide-ranging conversations.
  • “I always have a wonderful talk with him whenever we speak...just a vast range of interests and knowledge.”
    — Simon Phillips [05:03]

3. Collaborating with Pete Townshend & The Who

[06:10]

• Simon reminisces about sessions with Townshend and The Who, highlighting:
  • The joy of “songs that play themselves” — intuitive musical structures that flow naturally.
  • Cherishes both musical and non-musical conversations, especially during producing sessions (e.g., 1987’s Iron Man project).
  • “I love it when a song…just seems to sit well. All the transitions work.”
    — Simon Phillips [06:30]

4. Creative Process with Darwin and Progressive Rock

[07:45, 08:17–10:55]

• On Curiosity & Creativity: Simon is driven by a love of learning and experimenting, particularly as producer, arranger, and bandleader.

• Working with the band Darwin:

  • Songwriting starts with a basic skeleton.
  • Simon takes a compositional and arranging role, comfortable deviating from “3 minute 30” song formats.
  • The process involves frequent “left turns” and musical “adventures.”
  • Utilizes MIDI, keyboards (striving for guitar-like sounds), plugins, and unconventional tunings.
  • Collaborators include Greg Howe (lead), Jesse Siebenberg (acoustic), Darwin (heavy), Derek Sherinian, and J3PO Julian Pollack (keyboards).
  • Mixing is likened to cooking—constantly adjusting flavors, using digital tools for flexibility.

• Notable Quote:

  • “It used to happen in the early 70s—Yes as a prime example. They were little concertos, you know, wonderful… I just made a left turn and then I arrange it so it comes back to the tune and it all makes sense.”
    — Simon Phillips [09:11]

5. Studio Evolution: From Big Rooms to Home Setups

[15:51–20:50]

• Simon recounts his engineering education, notably learning from Mike Oldfield who, in a trial-by-fire, left him alone with a new Neve console.
• His fascination with recording began in childhood, inspired by his mother's tape machines and his father's sessions at BBC studios.
• Observed and learned from top engineers, discovering that “the greats” often don’t do much—less is more.
• Studio experimentation in the 1980s, especially in non-corporate environments, led to innovative recording techniques.
  • “I used to bounce from one to the other…I was recording stereo drums when I was maybe 12…But I was also carted around a lot of London studios by my dad, to watch sessions.”
    — Simon Phillips [16:35]
  • On learning studio basics and signal flow:
    “I would have loved to have had one [studio] even when I was very young. So I did understand the basic signal path of what happens.”
    — Simon Phillips [17:59]

6. Early Musical Influences

[25:18]

• Cites his upbringing amidst his father's Dixieland dance band and early exposure to big band and jazz drummers:
  • Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Gene Krupa
• Rock influences included Chicago Transit Authority; Terry Kath was a guitar hero.
• Favored bands that integrated brass, relating to his own childhood experiences.
• Praises Chicago’s Danny Seraphine as “one of the most musical drummers out there,” highlighting inventiveness and groove.

7. Notable Collaborations

a. With Chicago / Jim Pankow

[28:58]

• Worked with Pankow on Toto’s track “Falling In Between.”
• Enjoyed co-composing and capturing “real Chicago type” arrangements with brass.
• “Putting a mic in front of Jim’s trombone and trumpet player and the tenor player. That’s really exciting, you know.”
  — Simon Phillips [29:32]

b. With Jeff Beck

[29:59]

• “There and Back” sessions originated in 1978, involving Jan Hammer and later Tony Hymas.
• Describes creative synergy with Beck and Hymas:
  • Tony’s harmonic sophistication influenced Simon’s composition style.
  • “The Pump” and “Space Boogie” originated from these collaborations.
• Wistful about unfinished projects with Beck, calling the relationship “wonderful.”

c. With Tears for Fears

[32:30]

• Briefly recalls session work on “Sowing the Seeds of Love.”
• Only worked with Roland Orzabal and producer David Bascombe.

8. Artistry: Balancing Power & Finesse

[33:04–38:28]

• Cites importance of experience in knowing when to hold back or deliver power.

• Early in his career, tried to “cross-pollinate” genres—bringing soul, funk, and jazz concepts to rock sessions, and vice versa.

  • “If I’m playing on a rock session, how would Bernard Purdie play this?”
    — Simon Phillips [33:41]

• Identifies groove as central, lamenting that some early British rock didn’t “groove” like funk or American bands.

• Accumulated wisdom from relentless session work as a teen (“three sessions a day, pretty much every day” at 19).

• Early mentors included Herbie Flowers, Ray Cooper, Alan Parker.

9. Current Projects & Looking Ahead

[38:28–39:56]

• Excited about the next Protocol album—has written 51 minutes of new music, sparked by old sequencer compositions still readable from floppy disks.
• Recounts process of rejuvenating archival material.

10. Studio Gear: Most Cherished Equipment

[39:56–43:48]

• Highlights importance of analog-to-digital converters, especially the Bell Mothership:
  • “It sounds like a tape machine but without all the problems. That, to me, has been the most stable workhorse.”
    — Simon Phillips [40:27]
  • Values capturing character and sound on the way in, rather than relying on post-processing.
  • Emphasizes transformative role of gear, engineering, and “getting it right the first time.”

11. Advice to His Younger Self

[43:48–46:54]

• Would warn his younger self:
  • “Don’t be so damn bolshy [stubborn]. Open your mind up.”
  • Experience has taught him to be less rigid and more receptive to producer feedback.
  • On learning to play instinctively and simply when appropriate (“the Steve Gadd method”).
  • Groove and underlying thread are key, even for complex material:
    • “Anything has to groove, it has to swing, it’s got to have a groove.”
      — Simon Phillips [44:54]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On doing what serves the song:
  “These songs play themselves… I mean it as a compliment because I love it when a song… everything sits well.”
  — Simon Phillips [06:30]

• On musical experimentation:
  “I like this cross-pollinization. And I think the more sessions that I did, the more I was working with great engineers, great producers and other great musicians where timekeeping was so important.”
  — Simon Phillips [35:51]

• On establishing a groove in any style:
  “With complex music it’s all very clever, but anything has to groove, it has to swing… you need to find a common denominator… even when I’ve written complicated music… I still try to make it… groovable… I think that’s very important for the listener.”
  — Simon Phillips [45:20]

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment | |-------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:20 | Dream walking companion – Pete Townshend | | 06:10 | Reminiscences with The Who; “songs play themselves” | | 08:17 | Creative process & prog with Darwin | | 15:51 | Learning engineering from Mike Oldfield | | 25:18 | Early musical influences; Chicago and big band | | 29:59 | Working with Jeff Beck: “There and Back” sessions | | 32:30 | Session stories: Tears for Fears | | 33:04 | Artistic philosophy: Power vs. finesse, cross-genre ideas | | 38:28 | Next project: Writing new Protocol album | | 39:56 | Favorite studio gear: Bell Mothership converter | | 43:48 | Life lessons: Advice to young Simon |

Tone & Style

The episode is conversational, candid, and full of musical enthusiasm—reflecting both the curiosity of host Buzz Knight and the warmth and humility of Simon Phillips. Simon’s technical knowledge is balanced by an openness to experimentation and a deep appreciation for musical groove and instinct.

Summary Takeaway

Simon Phillips’s legacy is not just one of legendary drumming, but of unceasing learning, technical mastery, and a generous, open-minded attitude toward collaboration and musical growth. From his earliest big-band influence through British rock, fusion, and modern progressive music, Simon remains a bridge-builder and sonic adventurer.