Classics Or Duds: Robbie Williams

Already I'm unsure of my argument. I think that the above stands up OK, but then again, so much in your overall response to Williams will depend on your very particular response to his records. Then again, one's response to the 'music' might be just as conditioned by one's response to the overall 'phenomenon'. A two-way street, maybe, a dialectic of crosstown visceral traffic.

When I say that Williams focuses broader things, I mainly mean it negatively. I think he focuses - or, what would the right word be? Simply 'exemplifies'? - things like - well,

a kind of cultural melting or implosion, where categories have appeared to have dissolved. A world where he could be in a boy band that seemed naff, then started getting plaudits as actually rather good (Elton blah blah George), and meanwhile was 'OK to like' as camp, kitsch or what you will. From about 1994 on (though I'm afraid I'm very imprecise about Take That dates, save that I know that 'Never Forget' was no 1 in the first half of August 1995), then, he was *already* in that twilight zone where 'bad' is called good, where values shade, where there are things it's 'OK to like'. The solo career seemed a strange business for a while: he seemed not quite set to succeed - and I think a lot of the sympathy that he's ridden on since somehow came from that fear that he was about to drop like a stone.

But it all worked out for him, with the odd song that you might raise your eyebrow at and say 'Well, it's not so bad, really' (I appreciate that others may have always been made of sterner stuff than this: and I salute them), then the odd song that was wildly overrated. 'Angels' started coming in ahead of Elvis P, let alone Elvis C, in every poll you saw, and things were clearly silly. So the most obvious point about Williams is: he was sort of tolerable when he was 'down', or the underdog; but he rather rapidly became the overdog, and to my mind intolerable.

That 'cultural melting' - what I had in mind was something like the old divide between mainstream and independent, which was already looking different at the time of 'Suede', 'Parklife', certainly 'Morning Glory'. A nether world formed, it seemed to me, save that it was a mega-world, a large sphere of cultural activity, of which we might take TFI Friday as the exemplar. Which may, again, be to say that Robbie Williams is the exemplar.

I don't know, there are nuances here. Suede - Blur - Pulp - Oasis - Radiohead (oops!) - Chris Evans - Robbie Williams - Danny Boyle - Chris Tarrant - Alastair Campbell - Zoe Ball - David Beckham - these things are all different, maybe significantly so. The point I'm trying to reach for is, how does the UK 90s look if you take them as exemplary? Good, bad, indifferent, or mixed? I think that our response to that larger question must be linked to our response to Williams specifically.

Maybe he and madonna could become a strip act (you know to old fags out for the night)

new single here - http://www.whatsyourfuture.com/

just heard it for the first time, and seen the super-bizarre video. he's, er, kinda gone rocksteady. i don't understand it really.

This is the best summary I've ever read of Robbie's schtick. And I have a feeling the new song's gonna grow on me like "Rock DJ" did.

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/gallery/2002/01/31/willliams_.jpg

http://www.its-behind-you.com/images/ll.jpg

Robbie Williams plagued by Little and Large dreams

I want melodic songs to be somewhat musically complex, not just standard pop songs. Plus Gary Barlow wrote only part of their material, a lot of it was just the same old crap thrown out by professional songwriters caring more about the musical taste of 12 year-old girls than their own or the band's.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 5 May 2006 21:00 (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Whoa: Shtop!

The non-original Take Thatty songs were cover versions of either well established hits ("How deep is your love"), or obscure "Relight my fire", but nothing "bought in"...

Little and Large dreams, does that mean he can't listen to Oasis' first single anymore?

what golden age of ILM?

Take Thatty? Have they taken up golf?

ho hum

Almost a clever title:

The amazing ROBBIE WILLIAMS, who has sold a staggering 55 million albums worldwide has announced that he will release his brand new album Reality Killed The Video Star globally on November 9th followed by a digital release in the U.S. on November 10th on EMI’s Virgin Records.

That's the thing with Robbie, it always almost. I do like the Bodies single but by god you have to turn of your brain.

I like Morrissey's take on the Robster: "Robbie Williams is fantastic, except the voice and the songs."

That's a lot left though.

i seem to remember enjoying his episode of cribs, seemed like a funny guy. him and his friends would get together and watch The Sound Of Music once a month or something

My brain has collapsed.

Wasn't "Millennium" w the Nancy Sinatra sample kinda okay?

He's always had great videos! Come Undone was a totally amazing extended freakout.

Robbie is probably my favourite active male popstar? I think he has made lots and lots of great records!

The Pinefox, upthread, is incredible - one of my favourites of his posts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjuFdJ-osJY

RIP

guilty lol

That's initially what I thought I read yesterday. My brain couldn't quite process the real words on the screen.

hard one to process, much less believe. goodnite sweat prince

That 'You Know Me' video is still my favorite. Also one of my favorite songs of his.

Have been on a bit of a Robbie kick lately - rediscovered Rudebox which was weird and not as unfun as I expected

Didn't follow Robbie's albums since Escapology, but I can listen to I've Been Expecting You any day, very good album imo.

Here's my top10

1. She's the One
2. Millenium
3. My Culture (1 Giant Leap)
4. Angels
5. No Regrets
6. Rock DJ
7. Eternity
8. Feel
9. Come Undone
10. Strong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ccw1djJ_Js

I remember when Radiohead were better than RW then they weren't then it all got kinda murky

For anyone sitting on the fence, definitely dud.

Robbie Williams believes in the pizzagate conspiracy theory pic.twitter.com/RZ01LfXA4L

— Mic Wright 🏳️‍🌈🌋🏴‍☠️ (@brokenbottleboy) November 1, 2020

welp

Aw man

his episode of mtv cribs was cool, he would have his friends over for wizard of oz watch parties

i seem to remember enjoying his episode of cribs, seemed like a funny guy. him and his friends would get together and watch The Sound Of Music once a month or something

read that as "for anybody sitting on his face, dud" the first time

can't believe Robbie Williams has had enough time on his hands, sat at home, with nothing to do, and nobody calling him, to get sucked into the world of wacky internet fascist conspiracies

He's been a UFO chaser for years; would guess it's that energy that's being displaced into Q shit in lockdown.

He was on Adam Buxton's podcast recently and came across as a pretty decent bloke really - desperate to be liked, but also self-aware and self-deprecating enough to know he's into all sorts of batshittery.

Fully accepting that Adam Buxton + Robbie Williams will sound to many sane people like forcing actual broken glass into one's ear canals but there it is.