14 MusicWeek 15.11.13 THE BIG INTERVIEW ROBBIE WILLIAMS
It’s back to 100% now. It’s incredible, the power of the mind, because the only difference was choosing not to be scared. Because you can... indulge stuff. And I’d become addicted to indulging the fact that I wasn’t very good anymore. And then one day I decided I wasn’t going to do that. I was going to be great instead.
And that’s possible, is it? To decide not to be scared? [ Joyously] Yeah! It was as simple as that. And by the time we got to Dublin I was sure we had an amazing show, I was on good form, and if the audience wasn’t going to have a good time, it wouldn’t be my fault. Because of who I am and what I do and the act that I’ve got, I kind of have to attack it with that kind of arrogance. Anyway we got to Dublin and the wife said, Just hold the possibility you might enjoy it. I said, It’ll never happen; I’ll enjoy bits, but it’ll be so overwhelming, so stressful, I’ll get no sleep and I was worried I’ll go mad again. As it happens, I went on stage and was greeted with so much love…
Was it the first solo tour you’ve ever enjoyed? Fully, yeah.
Let’s talk about some of the specific songs. Go Gentle is obviously about your daughter, Theodora Rose. Is that the first you’ve written for her - and what’s the message in it? It is the first one, yes, but not the last. And the message is kind of bittersweet in the verses, but then a promise of commitment in the chorus. I’m saying it’s not all plain sailing: ‘Welcome to the zoo, bitter disappointments except for one or two.’ But I’m going to shield her from those people as best I can. I’ve had a lot of experience dealing with snakes and ne’er do wells and I can put my arm round her and lead her in a different direction.
How has fatherhood changed you? [Thinks for some time] There’s not a lot of great adverts for parenthood. And there’s not a lot of great adverts for marriage either, so I’ve always been terrified of both of those things. I come from a broken home, many many people do. And people that don’t come from broken homes tend to be parented by angry people. So it’s always been way, way down on my to do list. What I never knew was how much you get back. Being a parent always looked to me like a lack of
sleep miserable nightmare. What I didn’t understand is that the universe loves you back. My song [Feel], cliched and cheesy as it is, says ‘I just wanna feel real love in the home that I live in’: I’ve got it now. I’ve felt a love that I’ve never felt before and I get to experience the true range of being human. It’s a penny-drop moment: Ah, before there was no reason, and now there is, I get it. I’m a better person for her being here, I look after myself, because she deserves that. And I’m happy, I’m content, and that comes from the wife and my baby girl. They’re all I need. Plus a chef.
You duet with Michael Bublé on Soda Pop. How important was it to get him on this record? I’m in his lane and I’m doffing my cap to him. He’s the real deal when it comes to this stuff. I’m a fanboy and I get giddy thinking about him. I admire him a lot because he’s a pro’s pro. He’s really
RIGHT Dreaming a little dream: Williams says he’ll just about accept it if his new album’s outsold by Gary Barlow’s. “Gaz has had it a lot rougher than me,” he says
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“The Take That [reunion] really helped. I began to claw back my Smug Gitness. It’s back to 100% now. The difference was choosing not to be scared” ROBBIE WILLIAMS
good at everything he does. He’s got one of the voices of our generation, he’s good looking, he’s a great mover and he’s a fantastic entertainer. And we think the same way, which is nice, because it makes me feel less mad.
In the title track, Swings Both Ways, which you perform with Rufus Wainwright III, who are you teasing with those lyrics? When I was 16 and introduced to the gay world, via my manager [Nigel Martin-Smith] at the time, who had us going to gay clubs, I learned very quickly that a lot of gay people consider everybody to be gay. I was definitely gay according to a lot of gay people, and a lot of non gay people. That’s where the song started [sings] Everybody swiiiiiings, both ways… It’s kind of not me singing it, it’s my manager singing it to me, mixed with a lot of other characters.
Lily Allen is on Dream a Little Dream and has said she was nervous about singing it. Did she seem nervous on the day? I think she was nervous, yes, but then so was I. I’m always nervous when I’m the host of the party, because I have to think of things to say, and sometimes I just fill space with stuff that gets me into trouble and people look at me and go, God, you’re weird, and I go, Yeah, you’ve noticed. And also Lily’s so arch and smart, and I’m just a duffer from up North, so I was a bit intimidated in her company, but she was lovely and the moment she opened her mouth and that first note came in, there was a release in my heart, because it was so lovely.
No One Likes a Fat Pop Star is a funny track, but
also pretty interesting with tales of more or less starvation, and a lot of pressure, does that happen? Did it happen to you? I have probably lost and gained weight during the course of this interview. That’s what I do. I have the potential to be excessive generally, and I’m running out of options, because I can’t do coke, I can’t do ecstasy, I can’t drink, I can’t gamble, I can’t be loose sexually… you see where I’m heading with this? There’s me and a pantry: go. That’s all I’ve got without getting a divorce, or ruining my career or ending up in rehab.
In the early days though, would you and the boys be told by your management or label, Put the chocolate bar down… When I was 16 I was told by our then manager to lose two stone. And I was in alright shape. There is a visual element to the medium and it matters, unfortunately, that’s why it’s such an arse. Because I’ve got one foot in Sport Billy land, where I’m an athlete, but I’ve got a foot-and-a-half in the land of lethargy and potatoes.
What’s next for you? I’m thinking about what I’m going to do in the year that has to be fallow, which is next year. I’d put another album out straight away if I could, but it’s best for me, and my career, and the world at large, if they don’t see me for a bit. Having said that, there are a few things in the pipeline, they may or may not be musical, may or may not be a TV show, may or may not be a film. But I’ve got to so something, because I don’t want the brain turning into swiss cheese again.
Will you always go back to the swing genre do you think? It depends what people want from me, but yeah. If this is a success then I’ll return to swing at some stage. If it’s not a success then I’ll try and ruin country too.
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