Thanks for sharing! An interesting read 🙂

Welcome a board, PopPrince87

 

This TIME interview was already posted a few days ago in this thread so I must to merge them.

 

But it's important one, so I glad to see more attention on it!

Good reading everyone!

*www.time.com/7205825/robbie-williams-better-man-take-that-gary-barlow-oasis-interview*

 

A lot I didn’t know in here. Robbie’s comments about not breaking America were interesting and Gary Barlow’s reaction to Better Man. And that bit about Oasis!

 

“ I love Gaz and I sent it to him to give him a heads-up. It’s a very, very difficult situation to be in. The most important aspect for me is to be able to tell my story authentically, but also, if I tell my story authentically, Gaz, in particular, gets thrown under the bus. Our relationship now is at a place where there are just scabs. The wound isn’t open. We’re friends and there’s mutual love and respect. But in telling the story, which is a tool that is needed to prolong my career, I found it more important to tell my story authentically than to actually look after Gaz. Because my whole career and well-being is telling you exactly what I see in front of me, without having to edit myself. The script did change after Gaz’s response, because he was really upset and so there was a change for his sake.”

 

 

 

Thank you for joining our forum 'PopPrince87', lovely to hear different opinions :)

Head on over to the Robbie Williams Rewind Podcast where you can hear Lucy & Matt chat to Adam Tucker

 

The Robbie Williams Rewind Podcast have a lovely new homepage , looks really nice

 

 

Special - Adam Tucker - Robbie Williams's Vocals (Singing Voice)

 

 

https://robbiewilliamsrewind.com/listen/spe...ws-adam-tucker/

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

Why DO British boybands struggle to 'break America'? As US music fans reveal they STILL don't know who Robbie Williams is, how other huge groups struggled to succeed across the pond (with one notable exception!)[

 

Robbie Williams sparked fierce online debate after baffled Britons were left wondering why American audiences have never heard of the record-breaking singer from Stoke-on-Trent; or let alone, his equally legendary former group,Take That.

But while we may be devastated by our neighbours across the pond's ignorance of the masterminds behind Shine and Let Me Entertain You, UK music fans face further heartbreak with the knowledge that acts like Westlife, JLS, Busted - and even Oasis an Blur - never 'cracked' the US.

Speaking to FEMAIL, culture expert Hayley Knight - co-founder of BE YELLOW PR agency - said there is, as can be expected an undeniable 'Britishness' to most UK acts that may struggle to stick the landing in the States.

 

British pop culture is incredibly unique, and British humour, slang and references can create a disconnect with the US fans,' she explained. 'We have seen many examples of UK artists having to change their style, right down to remaking their music videos in order to appeal to a US audience,' she added. 'The reason that bands such as Busted didn’t crack the US market, is that they simply embody the UK attitude too much, which was too ingrained to adapt.'

 

Elsewhere branding expert Riley Gardiner, Founder of No Strings Public Relations, said UK acts are often marked by a 'stubbornness' against adapting internationally. 'British boybands have never been able to crack the US market for a number of reasons, and it's not just because American audiences are blissfully ignorant of bands like Take That or Westlife,' he expressed.

 

There’s actually a certain stubbornness to it - a failure to adapt to the US market that’s been the kiss of death for many.

'British boybands often appealed to a very specific British sensibility: they were cheeky, they leaned into charm and humour, and their pop sound was distinctly "European."

 

'US audiences, on the other hand, tend to have different expectations around the musical content they consume.

 

'American pop is often more influenced by a blend of hip hop, R&B, and rock, with more crossover potential.

 

'British boybands, while successful in their own right, sometimes came across as too polished or, dare I say, too "safe" for a US market.' He said that promotion was a problem too. 'The way these bands were marketed to American audiences didn’t always match what resonated with U.S. consumers too,' Riley revealed. 'British acts often lacked the same aggressive promotional strategies that their American counterparts utilised.

 

'Whereas American boybands like *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys were groomed for mainstream appeal from day one, British bands sometimes struggled to adjust their image for the larger, often more critical US market. Simply put, there wasn’t enough effort to localise their approach.' 'Breaking into the US requires extensive touring, promotional campaigns and media appearances, and an already loyal following,' Hayley agreed.

 

'Many UK boy bands struggle with the sheer scale of the U.S. and the financial and logistical resources required to maintain a presence across its vast regions can be unsustainable. 'Unlike the UK, where artists can tour relatively easily, the US demands a long-term commitment to perform in major cities, attend radio shows, and build relationships with local media outlets.

 

'This often requires the band to have a US based team, and some record companies just aren’t willing to invest the time or the money in order to achieve this.' Citing back acts as far as the 90s, Riley added: 'Oasis and Blur, despite laying the groundwork, fell victim to this as well, caught up in the Britpop movement but never quite understanding how to sell themselves on a broader international stage.

 

The US isn’t just another market; it's a beast that needs to be approached differently. There’s a significant cultural difference between the UK’s "let's have fun with this" attitude and the US’ "give us something we can buy into for the long haul".' Hayley notes there are of course, notable exceptions - namely, One Direction which has amassed international superstardom.

 

'One Direction was an anomaly in this, and their breakthrough in the US can be attributed to a perfect combination of timing, strategy, and appeal,' she said. 'The band leveraged their reality TV fame to establish a global fan base early on, setting the stage for America. 'Unlike their predecessors such as Blue and Oasis, they were formed during the rise of social media, which allowed them to directly engage with a global audience, and build an online presence, developing devoted US fans before even stepping foot into the country.

 

'In comparison, The Beatles also broke America due to a combination of talent, timing and strategy and The One Direction team tapped into this, because it worked. Like One Direction, The Beatles brought something new, had charisma and had a solid strategy behind them, and both bands became the voices of a generation.

 

'There isn’t any magic formula to breaking America, but as discussed, the most successful artists have all had excellent timing, strategy and have filled a void in the US music scene.' A lot of it also comes down to America having an intensely competitive music market 'before it even entertains international acts'.

 

'When you have NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, why would you care about Take That and Boyzone?' Hayley remarked. Taking to TikTok, influencer Dancashio explained that he wasn't surprised that the star of the Better Man biopic confused those over the Atlantic, as boybands from the four nations and Ireland 'never ever manage' to quite land there.

 

'Like, it was such a rarity,' he explained. 'Take That, Boyzone, Westlife. 'Busted didn't but their songs were given to the Jonas Brothers who went absolutely huge! It was just never a market really.' Dan said One Direction however had 'the perfect storm' behind them. 'They went on the X Factor. The X Factor in Britain was huge,' the social media star recounted. 'Everyone watched it, everyone talked about it and they had a really interesting storyline from day one which was that they all got told 'no', then they were brought together as a boy band. 'Liam had already been on it before and he had like a really strong audition as well so when he got told no it was a bit of a surprise.

 

And then Twitter was starting to also skyrocket and this British boy band were going on Twitter, they were tweeting all the time, they were doing Twitcams - which is basically TikTok live now - and they'd go on it for hours just chatting.' Dan said an 'international audience' had formed and by the time One Direction made their way to the US they were already a familiar presence to US audience thanks to social media. Take That and Robbie, he expressed, wouldn't have had the same backing behind them - nor other famous British acts which received lukewarm responses, such as Blur, Oasis and Westlife. The latter - a Dublin pop group that amassed 34 top 50 singles and sold more than 55 million records - famously struggled in America.

In 2000, they cracked the US Top 20 with Swear It Again, but never made another entry after. Nine years later, group member Mark Feehily however insisted that they were 'over' trying to score it across the pond. Speaking to Digital Spy about their record Where We Are, he said: 'We looked outside the box on this album and that brought us to America as well as other places in the world - London, Ireland, everywhere. It wasn't a conscious decision to break the States or anything. 'With America, we're over the fact that we haven't broken it. If it ever comes up as an opportunity, we'll definitely take it, but we don't design things to try and break America anymore.'

 

Elsewhere, his bandmate Nicky Byrne in 2011 told Metro - as reported by Press Party: 'We did a promotional tour of the US in 2000. 'We did a local radio station roadshow in a big football stadium. There were ten acts on and about five people standing at the front barrier, and the rest of the place was empty. I just remember thinking: "This is a ball of s***e.". 'Our US label sent World Of Our Own to radio stations in LA and New York without our name on it. It got a good response but when they found out who it was they wouldn’t playlist it as they weren’t supporting boy bands... We all would have liked to. You never admit defeat.'

 

Elsewhere, other titles synonymous with the very idea of a boyband in the UK didn't land much beyond a one hit wonder in the States. Busted - the ultimate noughties nostalgia act in Britain - had four UK number one singles and earned a Best British Breakthrough BRIT Award four years after debuting. They have a number of tunes Brits are fond of - from Air Hostess to Crashed the Wedding and What I Go to School For. But Americans will likely only know their hit Year 3000 - which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007, but was largely more known thanks to the Jonas Brothers cover. Speaking to the Daily Star in 2023, Busted's Matt Willis revealed that it was thanks to the ex Disney stars that he was able to 'pay his mortgage'. In an interview with the Wired column, as reported by Virgin Radio, the singer revealed: 'I got a message from my publishers because me and James [bourne, bandmate] wrote that song, and so I got a message saying, "There's this Disney band that want to cover Year 3000", and I was like, "Cool" - you know Busted wasn't happening so I was like yeah, great. 'Then I kind of forgot about it until I got a royalty cheque, and royalties cheques are always a certain amount per quarter, so I got this royalty cheque and it was like 20x what a normal royalty cheque was and I was like, "What the f*** has happened?" 'Then that song just paid my mortgage for f****** years because of the Jonas Brothers.'

 

Meanwhile, McFly - which had teenage girls in the noughties obsessed - doesn't appear to have an entry on the American Billboard, despite at the time, in Britain, beating the Beatles' record at being the youngest band to ever have an album debut at number one. In 2005, they then became the youngest band to have topped the UK Albums Chart twice.

 

Both Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan of One Direction fame have listed McFly as a major musical influence. Another group which was huge for Britons but not the US was JLS - which had the UK hooked with their rendition of Beat Again in 2009. But the group, which much like One Direction originated on X Factor, struggled to make a dent in America, which US legends Boyz II Men said was down to the nature of how radio stations treated R&B music. In 2012, the artists told Yahoo!: 'JLS could be great guys with great music but what their singing needs to correlate with what little girls are going through and if it doesn't then the records don't sell.

 

'With JLS there was a geographical disconnect and it didn't help that there were four guys with English accents. American girls go crazy over a band called Mindless Behaviour, they don't sing that well, but they have this American swag about them. 'They're slick dancers and are cute kids. Unfortunately Americans aren't into the greatest of music.' The artists added that the US radio charts are 'totally segregated' when it comes to hip-hop, pop and other genres, so 'if you've lasted in the music industry more than 10 years that's it, you're not being played on certain radio stations'. However, last January the band's Marvin Humes said he still hopes JLS will 'crack' America. Speaking to the Sun, he revealed: 'When we were on X Factor we made a goals list of 300 things we wanted to achieve and every single night we would read out the list. We’ve easily achieved 100 of them, which is incredible. They say make as many goals as you can and if you achieve half of them you have been successful. 'We’ve won Brit awards, had arena tours, written No1 singles and albums. The only big thing we didn’t achieve was international success. It’s our only regret. 'Times have changed and there’s much more of an outreach due to social media, so we would like to go to new countries. Cracking America is a dream for every artist.'

 

However, while many British artists may yearn for success in LA, it's not been the case for all acts. For example, Oasis's 'biblical' comeback announcement last summer proved to be a success because they 'know their audience' and 'have always had better marketing strategies' - unlike 90s rivals Blur - who played to a 'dead' crowd at Coachella, branding experts revealed.

Speaking to FEMAIL, music marketers explained that Liam and Noel Gallagher were able to perfectly build on their nostalgic value and existing fanbase as well as attracting younger audiences with a social media savvy campaign as they have reformed for a mammoth tour around the UK and Ireland. After weeks of growing speculation about a comeback, the Manchester brothers put their 15-year feud on ice to announce they will be performing together again, 34 years after their first gig.

Excitement reached fever pitch after the pair shared the same video, written in the Oasis style, teasing an announcement for Tuesday 8am. The same poster appeared on big screens as Liam finished his headline slot at Reading Festival. Speaking to FEMAIL, culture expert Hayley said that while other 90s icons have been resurfacing, it's Oasis that have won the spotlight.

 

'The exciting Britpop revival is also joined by the likes of Pulp and Blur, with both bands returning to major stages, but it's the Oasis reunion that really feels like the last piece of the puzzle,' she said. 'Their announcement was accompanied by a powerful statement: 'The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over,' which has already set them above their 'rival bands'. 'And even if you're a fan of Blur, over Oasis, you can't deny that the Gallagher brothers have 'The Masterplan' when it comes to strategic launches.' Hayley explained that while Blur's comeback was 'hugely anticipated' but 'marred with criticism'. The band still made an incredible return to the stage together, with roaring crowds at their string of Wembley shows and ardent fans slamming American crowds for not 'deserving' Blur at Coachella. At the end of July, their Live at Wembley recording also reached number one on the official album charts. 'The new album received mixed reviews, and their live performance was criticised for lack of energy and its setlist, and now they're being overshadowed by Oasis, which I would assume was the goal of their announcement,' she added. 'The two bands were iconic rivals during the 90s Britpop era, and this will be very much in the minds of the band as they focus on media attention.' 'Blur's 2024 comeback had many marketing missteps, including inconsistent messaging and narrative, underwhelming promotion, and not tapping into the brand of the band,' Hayley continued. 'Blur also seemed to ignore social media platforms, meaning that they were able to engage with their original fanbase, but not with younger and wider audiences online. Timing was also a misstep, as they clashed with Oasis, and became overshadowed.'

 

Elsewhere, music marketing expert James Kirkham, Founder, ICONIC, said that 'Oasis's comeback feels like a masterclass in PR, and comms, in stark contrast to their 90s rivals Blur who appeared at Coachella and left front man Albarn bemoaning the lacklustre crowd response'. 'Oasis are demonstrating a very modern 'PR is everywhere' approach,' he remarked. 'A strategy which atomises every aspect and see it as a potential opportunity for PR. Each and every ingredient are then perfectly in place to maximise impact, so we now a tsunami of social media noise. 'It is almost entirely positive, tapping into nostalgia and feel good memories of millions , and helps Oasis unite a following of fans on social platforms more recently famous for division.' He added that Oasis's 'brilliance' lies in knowing their audience - which Blur failed to make the most of.

'Frontman Liam teased the announcement at rock festival Reading just the night before, dedicating the song 'Half The World Away' (itself the theme tune to hit 90s sitcom The Royale Family) to 'Noel f**king Gallagher',' he explained.

'This was to a rock n roll audience, thrilled to be watching Liam play hits from the archive and who were ready to embrace anything Oasis. 'It comes off the back of the anniversary tour of Definitely Maybe by Liam, singing the first album in its entirety to over a million fans across the UK and Europe. 'Not just a celebratory sing along for those who remember 1994, but now it feels like the ultimate tease campaign. 'What better way to preface the anniversary of their 2nd album in 2025 with the live playback of the first to so many adoring fans. 'The thawing of the relations was seen from his brother too, with expertly released video clip of Noel talking to 90s musical journalist and writer John Robb, and speaking glowingly about Liam's voice and unmatched vocal range, for what seems the first time in decades. 'There was no such audience understanding with their 90s Britpop rivals Blur however. 'Choosing to play California music festival Coachella in the spring, this sundrenched location has become a festival for Tiktok influencers and Instagrammers. 'Despite celebrity guests, Blur played to apathetic crowds who might have been more keen to see headliners Tyler the Creator and Doja Cat. 'It left Albarn perplexed and looking exasperated on stage, seeing a lack of interest from fans who were mostly not born during Albarn's witty esoteric writing of Parklife, a love letter to England's working classes; greyhound racing, betting shops and fish 'n' chips. California it most definitely isn't.

 

'As for Oasis, they will fill airwaves, column inches and social streams from now until next summer, and their pitch perfect PR will guarantee venue tickets sold out in a matter of minutes.' Hayley too added: 'The difference between Oasis and Blur, is that Oasis has managed to stay ahead of the game and in the spotlight more than Blur has.

 

'In my opinion, Blur was always the better band, Oasis always had the better marketing strategies, especially when it came to the brotherly in-band rivalry, which reached across decades and generations.'

 

Ashley Rudd, Director at MODA PR said the Gallaghers also cleverly tapped into their Manchester roots for the comeback - and focused on the UK instead of trying to make a global comeback. 'Oasis has always been open about its pride in coming from Manchester, and its focus on the UK reflects a keen understanding of its appeal,' she said. 'By starting the comeback tour in the UK, Oasis effectively played to its strengths, leaning into the nostalgia for classic albums like 'Definitely Maybe' and '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?' 'While they enjoyed significant success in the U.S. during the '90s, their music and persona are deeply rooted in British culture. By sticking to the UK, they tapped into the national pride and cultural relevance they still hold there - I know this first-hand watching Liam Gallagher perform at Co-op Live. 'This approach also minimised the risk of a lukewarm reception abroad, where the connection might need to be stronger and sustained.' She said that in contrast, Blur's attempt to reach both the home shores and across the pond felt like a 'desire to remain relevant' instead of 'playing to their strengths'.

 

Elsewhere, Esteban Touma, linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel revealed that Oasis's charm also lies in the fact that their sound has become synonymous with 90s Britain. 'Oasis’s music has become iconic for perfectly capturing the essence of 1990s Britain, especially during the Britpop era, was a time characterised by both frustration and hope,' he said. 'Their songs, marked by powerful anthems and memorable melodies, continue to resonate with listeners who might not have lived through the '90s but can relate to the band's lyrical content, which often reflects personal struggles and societal commentary in a conversational manner. 'For example, the line "So, Sally can wait" has become a mantra for moving forward despite challenges. The song "Wonderwall" isn’t just a quintessential '90s anthem; it has embedded itself into the wider cultural lexicon, and still resonates with people today to such an extent that it has transformed into a cultural meme, often featured in humorous contexts online.'

 

Esteban also said that Oasis’s songs 'offer a fascinating glimpse into British linguistic and cultural nuances'. 'The band’s lyrics are rich with regional slang and colloquialisms, providing a window into British vernacular,' he explained. 'For instance, phrases like 'Mad fer it' (from “Cigarettes & Alcohol”), which is Mancunian slang for being very excited or enthusiastic, reflect the vibrant local speech patterns and cultural attitudes of the era. This regional authenticity endears them to fans who appreciate the band's genuine representation of British culture.

 

'Oasis’s decision to focus their comeback in the UK reinforces their deep cultural connection with their audience, proving that sometimes staying true to your origins can be the most powerful comeback strategy of all.'

 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-...ak-america.html

Edited January 13Jan 13 by Sydney11

Robbie Williams poses in an eye-catching leopard print coat as he cosies up next to his wife Ayda Field in New York City - days after they were forced to flee LA amid wildfires

 

Robbie Williams posed in an eye-catching leopard print coat in New York on Monday as he joined his wife Ayda Field in the city after being forced to flee Los Angeles.

 

The pop star, 50, cosied up to his wife Ayda, 54, in the Big Apple after the couple revealed they had been evacuated from the fire-plagued city. During the outing, Robbie paired his garish coat with a pair of loose-fitting cream trousers and yellow shoes and completed the whole look with a simple white T-shirt.

 

 

The Rock DJ hitmaker showcased his brilliant white teeth - which he recently revealed he' had enhanced - and dazzled further with a pair of snazzy sunglasses. Similarly, Ayda wore a pair of sunglasses that were a brilliant red, teamed with a long black duffle coat and let her honeyed tresses flow free. She carried with her a black handbag and kept her makeup simple, save for a slick of shimmering pink lipstick. Just moments before, the A-List couple had been seen climbing out of a black car upon their arrival in the city.

 

The former Take That singer clutched onto his phone - which was shielded in a lime green case - as he texted away.

 

The outing comes just days after Robbie won the battle with his neighbours to cut down a fungus-riddled tree at his £17 million London mansion, which is next door to Led Zeppelin star Jimmy Page's home. Prior to that, the Robbie and Ayda were forced to flee Los Angeles after wildfires ravaged the city. Ayda, who is a regular guest panellist on ITV's Loose Women, was responding to a message from Katie Piper and gave the show and viewers at home an update on her situation. She explained that she had been evacuated along with ten others and that her parents had potentially lost all their belongings, along with their home.

She added that her main concern was her mother Gwen, who is battling cervical cancer, and was due to continue her chemotherapy treatment tomorrow.

 

Her message read: 'It's chaos here - it looks like some kind of warzone and it's just all so sad. 'I've had about ten people evacuated with me including my dad, who has potentially lost his house. 'We're waiting to hear whether he has in fact lost everything and my mum has chemo early tomorrow too.' Gwen's cancer returned last year, after previous battles with breast cancer and a Parkinson's and Lupus diagnosis.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/artic...-wildfires.html

Edited January 14Jan 14 by Sydney11

Is Robbie Williams 2025's unexpected fashion icon?

From daring leopard print coats to deliciously shaggy outerwear, the singer's style knows no bounds B-)

 

 

2025 has been quite the journey already. From A-lister engagements to celebrity bust-ups, the first two weeks of the year have already delivered the goods in terms of high-octane entertainment.

 

One sartorial phenomenon we did not anticipate was the evolution of Robbie Williams’ style. The famed British singer and former Take That member is currently revelling in avant-garde aesthetics, making the most out of public outings to showcase his unconventional taste.

 

n Monday, the 50-year-old was spotted outside the studio of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in New York, sporting a longline leopard print coat layered over a white tank top and matching trousers.

 

 

Serving up 'Mob Wife' with a masculine twist, Robbie greeted fans outside the Manhattan haunt, completing his look with sunglasses and shearling-trimmed shoes.

 

The singer once again showcased his statement-making styling skills last week. Stepping out alongside his wife Ayda Field to attend Moët & Chandon At The 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, he (quite literally) sparkled in a crustal-studded suit cut from a pale grey fabric.

 

 

Never one to shy away from a potentially controversial moment, Robbie has honed his cutting-edge style over the past year.

 

Stand-out moments include a fuschia pink suit worn in Los Angeles and an extravagant shaggy coat donned for the Better Man Paris Premiere at the Le Grand Rex. Robbie’s recent onscreen project is a 2024 biographical musical film co-written, produced and directed by Michael Gracey about the life of the British pop singer.

 

Spanning his career, trials and tribulations, the film has garnered much attention for its depiction of the star as a CGI chimpanzee. Hence, the thematic fuzzy outerwear sported by Robbie for red carpet bashes during various press tours.

 

The film explores his trajectory from fame with Take That to his solo success, revealing his battles with addiction and quest for redemption. Like his personal style, there’s rarely a dull moment in the biographical work.

 

https://www.hellomagazine.com/hfm/fashion-t...hion-icon-2025/

Edited January 14Jan 14 by Sydney11

Who Is Robbie Williams? Meet the Man Behind the CGI Monkey in ‘Better Man’

 

I’ve known of Robbie Williams ever since Take That, the British boy band, burst onto the music scene in the 1990s. Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Williams took the U.K., Europe and most of the world by storm, but they didn’t crack America.

 

When Williams broke away from the band, he launched a solo career. American success eluded him, as he continued to sell out stadiums and garner more awards. Somehow audiences stateside didn’t bite.

 

Maybe the third time is a charm for Williams. Enter filmmaker Michael Gracey (“The Greatest Showman”), whose latest film “Better Man” is a biopic about Williams with a twist. Jonno Davies plays Williams as a CGI monkey, with WETA FX doing all the motion capture to transform the actor. “Better Man” (now playing in theaters) is Williams’ story. It is a movie musical where if you don’t know who Robbie Williams was before, you’ll know who he is after.

 

He was briefly on the Oscar shortlist for original song before the tune was disqualified. He’s not bitter. “Rules are rules,” Williams says, feeling honored to have been invited to the party, even if it was for a brief time.

 

When I walk into his suite at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, he’s delighted that the last interview of the day is in person. Williams has spent the entire day on Zoom doing back-to-back interviews, promoting the film and giving the American press a chance to know him. The film has also been shortlisted for VFX.

 

We had met a few weeks earlier for an Academy Q&A, and I’m a familiar face. He is excited to meet again. “My new mate is the head of Variety,” he grins, referring to our co-editor in-chief Ramin Setoodeh. He’s not kidding — the two met at the Globes. Williams pulls out his phone and snaps a selfie of us so he can send it to Setoodeh. At the end of our conversation, he sends Setoodeh a voice note with comments.

 

Williams admits that he’s tired and jet-lagged, but for an hour, we sit and talk as I, both a Brit and someone who has followed his career, try my best to answer the question: “Who is Robbie Williams?”

 

Robbie, what are you feeling right now !

 

It’s a f***ing lot at the best of times, with enough sleep and no jet lag, yeah, and not being somebody that suffers mental illness, it would be a lot to deal with. There has been so much promo for this film, and I’ve left no stone unturned. I have leaped into it, knowing that there will be burnout and semi-nervous breakdowns and being grumpy with my wife and the kids.

At the time, I was getting on the expectation train of what this could mean to me and my life and career — the third act. Mix that with not being famous in America and that being part of the conversation. Being in L.A., Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne, back to L.A. to do the Golden Globes, all that in the last 12 days, it’s a f***ing lot.

 

What has that been like where you’re in Sydney one minute, performing for 12,000 people on New Year’s Eve, getting mobbed, and then you’re in L.A and you can walk around freely. Is that freeing for you?

 

Freedom for me is the ability to derive joy from situations where I could find none. That were supposed to be magical experiences. Freedom is the conversation in my mind being more positive than negative. Freedom for me only exists in my mind. It doesn’t exist outside of my mind. It doesn’t exist because I can walk around unnoticed in L.A. or I can walk around in London, not as freely. All the freedom that I’m going to find exists in this space between these two ears.

 

Let’s go back to young Robbie. You’re in school, about to get your GCSE results, you don’t do well, and then you find out you’re going to be in a boy band. What do you remember about that moment?

 

We have our options in our third year (of school). What l learned to do in the fourth and fifth year — and there were active participants in this — was to avoid detection that I was not doing anything that needed to be done, such as coursework. In lessons, I chose woodwork, and you had to come up with a project, so I bought this long stick of wood, and I remember bringing it down the hill to go to school. This perfectly encapsulates my last two years at school, but I stood by a sander and sanded this long piece of wood for two years to make it look as though I was doing something. The best thing about my school life was the laughter that was elicited from my friends. I don’t think I’ve laughed that much since.

The worst thing about my school life was the lessons and not understanding that I’m neurodivergent, I’m on the spectrum and I am dyspraxic, dyslexic and have dyscalculia. I just thought I was dumb, and then receiving the news that I got nothing higher than a “D” was the combination of my work or lack thereof. So it was scary because I have a very terrifying mother with high expectations. She didn’t need or want an errant son that had not applied himself to the task at hand. We’re all being told at this time that the next two years are the most important years of your life. I would like to say, “f*** that. f*** you. How dare you tell me that at such an impressionable time in my life, in anybody’s life, your future lives — and dies on this set of information that you’re being asked to retain. If you have an inability to do that, education is not for you, not that kind of education.”

Not experiencing or acquiring success at school was the most important bit of fuel that I will ever have received, because what I couldn’t apply myself to, I apply myself to the opposite of that 100 percent of the time my life depends on it.

 

Were you always a creative person?

 

1970s and 1980s England was not well versed in showing you a world where your meager talents could be expanded on. You were either a great artist, and you could do what the masters did, or you were nothing. You weren’t supposed to be in the entertainment industry. This was a dream that was not for you. It was for special people who have been touched by the special unicorn. I’ve had to be auto-didactic and learn how to shine the light on all creative aspects of myself, and I’m learning that I’m capable of way more than I ever thought I was, or way more than it was expected of me or shown that I could be.

 

Take That happens and you’re in the biggest boy band in the country, but you’re also 16 years old. What is your life like and how are you navigating this being just a teenager?

 

I leave school and I’m 16, I joined a boy band, and this is what happens within the boy band. Gary Barlow is a proven songwriting talent. I think Nigel Martin Smith recognized that he needed a bit of help when it came to stagecraft and personality at that point in his life, so he put four other boys around him. He didn’t want and couldn’t understand why he needed us four Muppets. Nigel Martin Smith, from what I feel, was only managing Gary Barlow. There was a divide and conquer where none of us were made to feel as though our jobs were safe, because we were told that our jobs weren’t safe.

Jason Orange came from five brothers and was trying to have his voice heard, and was now with five other brothers where his voice wasn’t heard. You’ve got Mark Owen, who was ignored, Gary Barlow who was lauded as the prince, and you’ve got Howard Donald, who was quite happy to go along with the ride and appreciated everything that he was given. On the other hand, I was the whipping boy who was told, “I was wrong that I wasn’t getting it right, that I was lazy, that I didn’t deserve my place and I could be replaced at any time.” So I felt vulnerable, sensitive and not loved and not seen at the same time.

 

At home, there was a contract out of me to kill me. My life changed very quickly. I had a mother who suffered from mental illness. Her mental illness, sadness and depression came at the same time as being both parents to two children, and also having her hopes and dreams and business that she had to tend to and work all the hours that God sent. She was exhausted from this and had no energy other than being sad. When I came into the house, I didn’t know which version of my mom I was going to get. It’s no coincidence that I learned how to gauge a room and act appropriately from every limited living moment of my experience of growing up with my mom and trying to act accordingly to win favor. I now do that for a job.

 

So I’ve got this unsafe home life where I’m trying to placate a sad mom. I’ve also got an outside life where everybody is not happy with my success, so much so that I’m not safe anywhere that I go. I’ve got a work life where there’s a divide-and-conquer situation going on, and I’m not safe there, so I’m not safe anywhere. At the same time, I’m learning to be a human. I’m learning to be an adult whilst being thrust into a spotlight where the spotlight is telling you who and what you are, and all of those things combined are quite potent.

 

You talked about not feeling safe. At what point in your life did you feel safe?

 

I think that there is an embracing and acceptance of fame and my job. When Teddy, our first child, arrived, I had to do things instead of needing to do things to fix me. I was looking at the industry to fix me. And it did the opposite. Once Teddy arrived, something happens intrinsically inside, and maternally and metaphorically, I’m building a moat, I’m filling it full of water, I’ve got to build this castle and I’ve got to protect us. That was the biggest gift because it stopped being about me and it started being about them.

 

Michael Gracey was fascinated by your story and “Better Man” and was inspired by your conversations with him. Was it therapeutic to talk to him?

 

I can’t see it was out of the goodness of his heart that he just wanted to come around and record me telling him stories, but that’s what he said was happening. At some point, he had the idea to do a biopic, but he must have had half an idea to do it anyway. He kept coming to my house and asking me things, and then he did. And because I’m a professional attention seeker for a living, it was too good of an opportunity to turn down.

 

Were you ever going to appear in “Better Man”?

 

I was going to be in it, I was going to be the lead. But it was during COVID, when you didn’t know what was happening next. I have a very fearful wife, and she didn’t want me to be away for three months. I agreed to it, and I didn’t want that for our marriage. So Jonno steps up to the plate and does an incredible job.

 

What was it like seeing this version of your story?

 

Before it was pieced together, I’d seen scenes and they were profoundly the greatest hits of your grief, one by one. They were all the triggering moments of your life being shown to you over a matter of months. I’m not saying I processed it by the time I saw it together as one piece, but the first time I watched it, I just hoped that it wasn’t shit. And then I was blown away by it. I instantly thought, “Can I believe my senses when it comes to how good this movie is?”

Now that it’s out there — and the overwhelming amount of texts and emails that I’m receiving are lengthy tomes about what a profound effect this is having on people — I believe it is a piece of work that I thought it was when I first watched it, which is very special.

 

One scene that so many people are talking about is “Rock DJ.” That song was a sexual awakening for many in the LGBTQ community What does that mean to you? To be loved within that community?

 

It means the world to me because I know what that community and its people have meant to me and the artists that have come out of that community. My world has been massively shaped by the Black community, the gay community and the heroes that have come from there. Also, as a 16-year-old, I spent the first 18 months of Take That doing gay club after gay club, and the safety that I felt there and the acceptance that I felt there was directly opposed to the contract out me to kill me, and all the pubs and clubs that I couldn’t go into in Stoke-on-Trent or the rest of the world. So I have a massive fondness. And I think that I am queer in every aspect, other than not finding men sexually attractive. I’m like an asexual, straight gay guy.

 

I know you’re tired and jetlagged, but in between interviews, are you able to tap into that creativity and write a lyric or two?

 

I’ve been doing drawings on the plane, and my latest bunch of drawings is a series called “Radical Honesty at the Social Event.” I’ve managed to do 15 drawings on the plane from Australia to Los Angeles.

 

I drew me, and underneath it says, “Yes, I didn’t want to come. And now I don’t want to be here.”

 

OK, so who is Robbie Williams?

 

Somebody who understands that positive thoughts reinforce positive thoughts. Somebody who is on a trajectory of happiness. Somebody who causes less chaos in a place where only chaos existed. Somebody who has an understanding that there was a higher version of myself that I could live up to and try to achieve.

 

I’ve been in a relationship for 19 years with my wife that’s monogamous. I never thought I’d be able to be in a relationship that long and also keep my dick in my pants as well. I am somebody on an upward trajectory, where feeling peaceful is not only something that I can look forward to, it’s something that I’m currently enjoying. I also am somebody who realizes that being Robbie Williams in the world and what that means is far too important to me, and I need to do something about that. I need to exist outside of a place without people telling me I exist. That’s the next thing to attack.

 

Where would that place be?

 

Professionally, I’m just swinging from trying to get success. It’s not fame, it’s success. I’m going from one vine to another. And, you know, if the door is locked in this one place, then I pivot and look at another place. And I’m trying to figure out whether pivoting is the most successful and gratifying thing to do whilst I keep searching, or whether I pivot into a place of emotional security and intelligence, and learn to do that instead. But that didn’t pay the bills.

 

https://variety.com/2025/artisans/news/robb...hat-1236273100/

Edited January 14Jan 14 by Sydney11

 

Nice interview :)

 

 

@1879272279747838357

 

Edited January 15Jan 15 by Sydney11

:lol:

 

@1879330844244156588

Sorry, deleted Travolta because it's in Promo 2025 topic :)

But funny one!

 

--

 

Anyway, this is great memories about Parky :))

 

On drugs on own birthday, isnt't it? ))

 

Top level :D

 

And Ewan near with him!

 

 

Can anyone get hold of that full Sirius FM interview?

I always seem to struggle to get Sirius stuff in the U.K.

Interesting piece here ...

 

 

@1880575775008792865

Can anyone get hold of that full Sirius FM interview?

I always seem to struggle to get Sirius stuff in the U.K.

 

 

If I come across it I will post it ...

Robbie Williams opens up about his heroin use at the height of his drug addiction

 

 

https://lnk.to/kjshowIG?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW...QybLkzqmSaw8XfA

 

 

Robbie Williams has opened up about his drug use at the height of his career as a pop star.

 

The singer, 50, appeared on KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday to discuss his new biopic, Better Man, in which he is portrayed by a CGI monkey. The movie sees Robbie narrate a fictionalised version of his life, tracing his epic journey to stardom from boy band heart-throb to stadium rocker. The musical explores Robbie's harrowing struggle with substance use and shows him using drugs which resemble cocaine and heroin before he enters rehab. With some elements of the film fictionalised, viewers were left questioning whether Robbie actually did use heroin and cocaine during his drug addiction battle. Sydney radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson questioned Robbie during a wide-ranging chat on her radio show, with the Angels hitmaker revealing he did in fact use heroin. He admitted he was 'fortunate' never to have become addicted to it and explained that he was more drawn to stimulant drugs.

 

'Yeah, yeah, I did heroin, I did the smack,' he told hosts Jackie and Kyle Sandilands. 'But it wasn't my kind of thing, I preferred uppers rather than downers, so fortunately I never became addicted to smack, but I gave it a good go.'

 

Robbie sought help for his drug addiction multiple times during the height of his fame, including when he checked into rehab centres in 1995 and 2007.

 

Robbie added that sobriety is ongoing process, but he is finally 'loving' life and is able to get joy from other places rather than drugs. 'I think, you know, obviously you can never say I'm fixed. But I've had the longest run of sobriety,' he shared. 'Also, I think my brain is rewiring itself to a place now where I'm deriving joy from places that I couldn't derive joy from. 'And they say in the program, don't leave before the miracle happens. I can tell you the miracle has happened and is happening. And I'm loving my life and my place in it.'

 

In his new biopic, Robbie details the highs and lows of his career in the spotlight and told how he turned to drugs for 'safety' after struggling in boy band Take That. 'I was ingesting everything I could get my hands on - ecstasy, cocaine, drinking. I'm literally drinking like a bottle of vodka a night before going into rehearsals, so that's happening every night,' he revealed in a 2023 Netflix documentary. 'We are looking at somebody in freefall, addicted to cocaine and alcohol. It's impossible to help myself, it's impossible to stop.'

 

Robbie was picked to be in Nigel Martin-Smith's group Take That in 1990, but felt his place within the band was never 'safe' and he was almost kicked out just months in. 'The early days of Take That were spent in rehearsals,' he recently shared on BBC documentary Boybands Forever.

'I had no dance background and the routines were so intricate so I would have trouble picking up the steps which would make me look like I was being lazy. 'This was brought up in not a favourable way. Let's just say Nigel wasn't very happy with my application.

 

'"It won't be difficult to kick you out of the band and get someone else with dark hair from Stoke-On-Trent and call him Robbie," is what I remember. 'It made me feel like my place within the band was never safe or guaranteed. I was not loved, not even liked and I was 16.' Robbie was the youngest member of the band - alongside Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald - and was in the group for five years until he went solo in 1995.

 

He also had a famous falling out with bandmate Gary Barlow in the 1990s - which is documented in Better Man with Robbie insisting it was right to include it. He said: 'I love Gaz and we've healed an awful lot of stuff, but that's the complicated thing,' he said. 'But to facilitate the third act of our careers we have to talk about the past and in this film I think and spoke like I did when I was 19, 20 and that's difficult. 'And I feel guilt for causing pain to Gaz and triggering a response he doesn't want or need, but I think its incredibly important to tell my story - warts and all.'

 

Robbie also confessed that Gary wasn't happy with the representation of him in the film and even called the Let Me Entertain You singer to tell him as much. 'He said, because he's a grown up and we're grown ups and we're not angry with each other, but he said ''I come off worse than Darth Vader in the first Star Wars'',' Robbie admitted.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/artic...-addiction.html

Edited January 22Jan 22 by Sydney11

Calabash2025: Robbie Williams - a Better Man - and a changed woman

 

By Shan Radcliffe 23 Jan 2025

 

Let me start by saying I've never been into boy bands. Back in '94, when my tween classmates were squealing over Take That posters and flashing their Take That watches, I was (can't) dancing with my first musical love - Phil Collins and the men from Genesis - or getting my teeny-bopper vibe on with the Eurodance crews of 2 Unlimited and Twenty 4 Seven. While the other girls all knew the names and stats of each band member - I wouldn't have been able to pick Robbie Williams out of a police lineup. It's not that I didn't enjoy their odd hit single - I have Back for Good on an old radio-copied mix tape somewhere - but I certainly was never going to spend my hard-earned birthday money on their albums.

In their defence, it wasn't just them. A few years later, while my peers were fawning over the Backstreet Boys and Nsync - I was rocking or raving to Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Milk Inc and DJ Quicksilver, among others.

 

But I digress…

 

Present day

When Robbie Williams joined the Calabash lineup for night one - my taller half expressed interest in going because, having seen him in concert many years ago, enthused that Williams "is the ultimate showman". But if I wasn't prepared to face the traffic and seething masses for the likes of Offspring and Green Day - whose albums were anthems from my early teen years - I sure wasn't prepared to face that logistical nightmare for Robbie. So when one of my best friends phoned me at 5.30pm yesterday, saying she'd been given tickets to see Robbie Williams and asked if I wanted to go - my earlier words echoed back to me and I parked on the fence for a few minutes before my SO said, "Just go. It'll be fun. Let him entertain you."

 

So I did.

 

Meanwhile, back at the stadium

Heading into town, we noted the warnings of closed roads around the DHL Stadium and parked in a side street near the Waterfront. The short walk to the stadium was cordoned off, with police directing and minding the safety of pedestrians.

We gratefully skipped past the long snaking queue to the general standing area, found the entry for the seated blocks and breezed through security. Grabbing a hot dog, a cool drink and a beer from the various vendors outside was equally quick and easy, while a DJ entertained the beer garden crowd.

 

The volume of cheers from the stadium was filtering through from inside, so we made our way into the stadium to find our seats, and were met with a lively set from Goodluck. Given that Juliet Harding gave birth to a new band member - er, baby - little over six months ago - her energy levels were truly awe-inspiring.

 

Class act

Shortly after 9pm, to a backing track chanting, "Are you ready Cape Town?", Robbie Williams and his team took to the stage - officially opening with a fanfare of lights and Let Me Entertain You!

 

And that he did!

 

Let me just say, dressed in a white vest, loose-fitting white trousers, and a broad white (chastity) belt (that was probably more for his safety from grabby Golden Circle hands) - the man was looking fiiine. However, he went on to confess he was suffering from flu and swore his streaming left nostril was illness-related and not a throwback to his '90s bad habits.

 

Musical numbers aside, what I came to realise over the course of the evening is that which makes Williams so entertaining: his engaging stage presence, charm, and connection with the crowd, as he cracked jokes at his own expense and passed witty asides.

 

Journey to becoming a Better Man

During the first half of his act, he took us on a journey through the rise, fall and recovery of his 35-year-musical career - touching on covers of Land of 1000 Dances and Hit the Road Jack before circling back to his own music.

 

Testing out the crowd, he played a round of 'complete the verse' - singing a line and letting us finish it. His hit songs had obviously filtered in as I did, in fact, know (most) of the words.

 

Source: www.facebook.com

 

Throughout the show, he poked fun at his own egotistical ways, flashing his bright white smile and joking that he and one of the audience members had got their teeth at the same place. He chatted candidly with the crowd and introduced himself (and the rest of us) to Bill Hill and his wife, who were standing at the front row fence.

 

He led us through Strong and Come Undone – the cutting and self-reflective lyrics of the latter contrasted with amusement as the most explicit lines were featured in all their glory on the screen for us to follow.

 

He played Take That's first music video - pausing the video on his bare @ss to sadly lament that it doesn't look like that anymore. I, meanwhile, was a bit sad that my view of said @ss was obscured by a great big speaker.

 

He touched on the point when he was ousted from Take That and his solo comeback, which included playing at Glastonbury where he hung out with those other boys from Manchester - which he punctuated with a cover of Don't Look Back in Anger.

 

While still making fun of the fact he was also there to promote his most egomaniacal feat - a movie about him, written by him, music by him and obviously starring him - he took the opportunity to show us the trailer from the newly released Better Man (as well as singing us the title track).

 

Having not heard of the film, I was amused and intrigued to see Williams portrayed in all his simian glory, and helping actor Jonno Davies put a singing voice to a CGI chimpanzee.

 

Having come full circle on that part of his life with a rendition of Back For Good - he launched back into a collection of his own work, which included Millennium and his Kids collaboration with Kylie Minogue - this time accompanied by one of his back-up singers.

 

Flashbacks, fan girls and all the feels

After getting fondled by some Golden Circlers during a circuit with the fence audience (that belt was earning its keep), he lobbed some branded T-shirts into the crowd - and was met with a 'flash'-back to the '90s as one fan gave him an eyeful of her headlights. She, of course, was rewarded with a T-shirt.

 

He closed off his rousing main set with Rock DJ - giving a roaring performance despite having admitted a few times over the course of the show that he was feeling 'f%cked' as the effects of the flu took its toll.

 

Returning to the stage in a glittering red zip-up after a short break, he wound us down with Feel before heading to the crowd again to find a special lady to sing to.

 

While cruising the frontline, he was handed a T-shirt from a fan with the words "Let Cape Town entertain you" emblazoned on it. After laughingly thanking them for it before confirming that no, they couldn't have his sweatshirt as they tried unzipping it, he selected 'Mel' to be 'the one'.

 

Needless to say, Mel melted into a puddle - at one point literally as she slid off the barrier and out of view - as Robbie serenaded her. And who could blame her?

 

In pure Williams humour, he followed up this touching moment with a confession that as he sat down to sing to She's the One - he'd sat down on one of his 'bollocks'.

 

Finally wrapping with Angels and one last round of 'complete the verse', he thanked his band, dancers and stage team, as well as all of us for being 'f%cking amazing'.

 

But honestly - he was f%cking amazing. And he's earned a new fan who’ll certainly brave the unbearable traffic and heaving masses to see him again.

 

So, as a changed woman, I'll encourage anyone to go and see Robbie the showman; Robbie the better man. Let him entertain you - you won't regret it.

 

PS: Huge shout out to the slick production crew and lighting experts - loved the light show; as well as the event organisers for making the logistics a largely painless affair. Thank you!

 

https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/robbie...d-woman-819083a

 

 

@1882404103663345765

Edited January 23Jan 23 by Sydney11

Great piece this morning on Sky News featuring a snippet of the original Rock DJ video plus footage from Better Man movie . They discussed his many achievements ,reaching No 1 again in the album charts ,his many Brit Awards , how loyal his core fanbase are , how ha's having fun living the good life . They said he's real, he's not trying to be perfect & does not hide anything.

 

Interview: Robbie Williams opens up like never before with "Better Man"|TF1 INFO

Great piece this morning on Sky News featuring a snippet of the original Rock DJ video plus footage from Better Man movie . They discussed his many achievements ,reaching No 1 again in the album charts ,his many Brit Awards , how loyal his core fanbase are , how ha's having fun living the good life . They said he's real, he's not trying to be perfect & does not hide anything.

Yes, this is it on 40:40