The article explores how Genesis drummer Phil Collins was profoundly influenced by Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, whom he first saw perform in the mid-1960s and subsequently followed devotedly. This admiration shaped Collins's own playing, most notably on the 1974 Genesis track "Fly on a Windshield" from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, where he deliberately channelled Bonham's forceful, attacking drumming style.

The piece draws on a 2016 BBC Radio 6 interview in which Collins recalled Bonham's bass drum technique converting him instantly, and a 2014 conversation with John Edginton in which Collins admitted borrowing from Bonham's style reminiscent of "Immigrant Song". It also recounts an anecdote from Jason Bonham about a 1979 Melody Maker readers' poll that ranked Collins above his father, prompting John Bonham to have his 13-year-old son learn the relevant Genesis song to prove it wasn't difficult. Despite the friendly rivalry, Collins never claimed to have surpassed Bonham, and named Buddy Rich, alongside Steve Gadd, Charlie Watts, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon, as his true drumming idols.