Collins first got exposure to early rock and roll music through his family's record collection. Also, living in Detroit, he was surrounded by Motown records, which also provided influence . Collins first played in a band called the U-Boats in 1981 and then in the Floor Tasters from 1984 to 1985. In 1986, the 20-year-old Collins helped form the seminal garage punk band, The Gories. The band featured Collins on guitar, Dan Kroha on guitar, and Peg O'Neil on the drums. After three albums and five singles the band suffered an infamous break-up after a 1992 European tour. Collins next worked in a basic garage rock band, Blacktop, from 1994 to 1996. This band had its own share of troubles, as detailed in Collins' liner-notes for the band's compilation release, I've Got a Bad Feeling About This: The Complete Recordings. Another project around this time was The Screws. After the demise of Blacktop, Collins helped form , which had one single in 1996 and one album, The Get Down Imperative, in 1997. Collins then focused on another of his projects, the wide-ranging, musically eclectic Dirtbombs. Beginning with the "High Octane Salvation" single in 1996, the Dirtbombs have come to be Collins' most durable and arguably most popular project. The Dirtbombs had a changing shift of musicians behind Collins on guitar, but since 2004 have had a steady line-up. Throughout, the band has consisted of a 2-drum, 2-bass set-up behind Collins' guitar work. In addition to the Dirtbombs, Collins has played in , an eclectic punk band that has released two albums since 1999 and has appeared on several compilations, and , a funk project that issued a 2002 album, I Sing The Booty Electric. He's also done solo work, produced scores of other artists' music, DJ's, and does vocals for yet another long-time side project, Man Ray, Man Ray. Collins was the host of Night Train, a Saturday night show on WDET, Detroit Public Radio. The program featured four thematic "journeys" through music. The first edition premiered on June 3, 2006, and included musical journeys of Motown soul legends Junior Walker & The All-Stars, Jazz artist Joe Williams, 1950s rock 'n roll star Fats Domino, and 1980s Detroit garage band The Hysteric Narcotics. The show was cancelled in spring 2007 after WDET scrapped its music programming. Collins was the producer of the CD "Drop Dead" by Figures of Light, which was recorded in Brooklyn, New York at Mitro's Studios June, 2011, featuring fifteen new tracks from the group. It was released on vinyl by Norton Records on November 13, 2011; the remastered CD version was released on May 18, 2012. Collins is also preparing more Dirtbombs singles and a new LP, as well as a new Voltaire Brothers record, a Man Ray, Man Ray record, and a techno record. In addition to his music, Collins is a Linux enthusiast and a fan of furry comics.
