Robbie Williams |
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Thu. April 10.2003 12:00 AM EDT |
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Robbie Williams: Madcap Across the WaterSelf-confessed "lazy" superstar wants to see Kid Rock kiss a man and have sick videos illustrate his latest tunes. by Heather Stas and C. Bottomley |
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Robbie Williams (Publicity) |
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Robbie Williams knows he’s famous in America for two things. First there’s the unforgettable “Rock DJ” video, where the strapping singer stripped off his clothes, then his skin, and finally his flesh until there was nothing but a skeleton left. Then
When Williams left the massive Brit boy band Take That in 1995, he was the singer/dancer most likely to wind up behind a chip shop counter. He drank with Oasis and cut a fumbling cover of George Michael’s “Freedom 90.” Then in '97, he released the ballad “Angels.” Suddenly everyone was asking, “Take Who?” To get an idea of Williams’ popularity in the rest of the world, you have to put him next to folks by the name of Justin and Britney. He’s a celebrity who has his every burp scrutinized by the British tabloids. Where Williams differs from our U.S. pop gods is in his readiness to play the stardom game on its own terms. His albums frequently blur his images of bad boy and beloved entertainer. The balance could become maddening if it wasn’t for Williams' sense of humor; the singer flaunts his self-depreciatory sense of cheek. Regardless of the million-dollar record contracts, the famous girlfriends - and he’s even been linked to Nicole Kidman - and endless partying, you feel like you’d actually like the guy. Listen to three VH1 exclusive live performances, "Angels", "Feel" and "Come Undone". And Williams really wants to be liked, which is why he’s bringing his devilish grin across the pond. His label signed him to a $100 million contract in the hopes that the new Escapology album turns him into the next Elton John, and it just might. The singer's inviting voice oozes conviction on love ballads like “Feel,” but he’s evidently having a chuckle on “Monsoon,” where he confesses “I’ve sung some songs that were lame/ I’ve slept with girls on the game." Ditto for the shameless “Song 3,” where he winks “Gotta love L.A. Californi-a! USA, baby!” Williams may be too much of a scamp to give the Timberlakes of this world much to worry about, but it’s going to be fun watching him try to claim whatever throne is available. He spoke to VH1 about convincing Kid Rock to go gay, his admiration for Kelly Osbourne, and why it’s good to make a sick video every now and then. VH1: You’re probably best known in the United States for your “Rock DJ” video and appearance on Cribs. Robbie Williams: People do know me from the "Rock DJ" video where I pull my stomach open and get my innards out for the ladies. And after Cribs most people thought I was a realtor! VH1: Has anybody ever tried to pull your skin off? Williams: Yeah! I was sat in a Chinese restaurant in L.A. and Pauly Shore came up to me and started ripping at my skin. I couldn’t understand why he was doing it, and it freaked me out. Then I realized, “Oh, it’s because of ‘Rock DJ.’” VH1: Does that lack of recognition in America bother you? Williams: I don’t know if I am bothered, but I think my ego is. Still, I spend a lot of time in Los Angeles, and there’s also the guy in me that goes, “Look, you’ve got a great thing going here. You can go to L.A. where the sun shines and walk your dogs and be Joe Nobody, and then you can go to the rest of the world and be this pop star.” I don’t know where I stand. VH1: What’s the plan to crack America? Williams: I think the way for me to win America’s heart is to perform, and if I really was concerned about breaking big then there’d be a tour [set up]. As it stands, we’re releasing “Feel,” and I’ll see how it does. If it does well, then I’ll put a tour in. If it doesn’t, I’ll pack my guitar into the suitcase and go and walk my dogs. I’m a bit hesitant to do anything because I’m actually kind of lazy and I’d like an easier life from now on. The world’s a massive place with lots of early mornings and late starts when you’re working. I’m pretty much thinking at an early age, “Why stress yourself out if you don’t have to?” VH1: Tell me what the story is behind “Feel.” Williams: It’s one of those “celebrity moaning” songs that Good Charlotte sing about on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” [Sings] “All they do is piss and moan, inside the Rolling Stone …” I was suffering with a dark cloud above my head. The song has a very simple message - that if I fall in love with somebody my world will be correct. I don’t think that is necessarily the truth, but we shall see! VH1: The whole Escapology album seems about love redeeming you from the perils of stardom, particularly on songs like “Come Undone,” “Monsoon,” and “Handsome Man.” Williams: Songs like “Handsome Man” where I’m pontificating about how great I am are misread completely. I really don’t mean it! I’m writing about who people think I think I am. I’m quite obviously not the world’s most handsome man - I’m the second world’s most handsome man! Half of [the album] is written from the standpoint of “Look, this is really me with my tears of a clown. Do they love me or hate me?” The rest of it is about somebody that I have I think I am to get up onstage. Because little me wouldn’t get up there [on my own]. It’s too scary! VH1: You’ve described the next single “Come Undone” as your favorite tune on the album. Williams: I’m getting bored with saying it’s my favorite Robbie Williams song, but it is, I think. “Come Undone” is where I go, “Look, this is what I am. Don’t say nasty things. It really hurts.” But at the end of the day, it’s not a case of what people say about you. It’s the old adage about loving yourself and all that bullsh*t. I wish I wasn’t a man that cared so much, but perhaps that’s what makes it a good record. VH1: The video is pretty weird. What were you and director Jonas Akerlund thinking? Williams: “Feel” was the first single and had what I call a beauty video. It was man wants woman, woman wants man, man gets woman, woman gets man. But I thought that the next video should be something a bit sick. It can’t all be beauty shots. There have to be bits where snakes are coming out of people’s skirts and I’m sleeping with them! VH1: But with all the drugs, nudity and the orgy-ing going on, you can’t even watch it on TV! Williams: Yeah. It’s been banned nearly everywhere apart from European countries, where they’ve got more sense. It’s always good to get a video banned, people want to see it more. That’s how it works. Mind you, it is a bit disturbing. I don’t think I’d let me watch it if I was seven years old. The video’s very graphic. I have sex with two girls and then it looks like I’m having sex with men. I wanted to put the man thing in. An awful lot of gay pop stars pretend to be straight. I’m going to start a movement of straight pop stars pretending to be gay. That’s very important in this day and age. VH1: Who else is part of this movement? Williams: Well, just me, to tell you the truth. But it would be great to see somebody like Kid Rock kissing a man. But I’m sure that he wouldn’t like the prospect of it put to him, and I won’t even go there with Eminem. VH1: You’re turning 30 next year. Do you think your next album will be more introspective? Williams: I hope not, because I’ve done too much of it. I’m a self-obsessed son-of-a-bitch, really. Hopefully it makes for good records. People buy them, so I must be doing something right. But I’d really love it if I had the creative power to write about other people. Like Bono can write “Who’s Gonna to Ride Your Wild Horses” about the Edge. He’s my template for who I want to be when I grow up, and he writes about other people all the time. I wish I had a bit more of that about me. VH1: It’s good to have someone like him as a role model. Williams: Yeah. U2 are one of those bands who would still be around whether they broke the States or not, but I do think that America is the gift that keeps on giving. Although there’s been a lack of loyalty surrounding stars recently. I mean, who is going to stick around like Mick Jagger or Bono? Where are those bands? VH1: Are you interested in sticking around and being the next Mick Jagger? Williams: As a 29-year-old, the only thing that I can possibly think is that if I’m still performing at 50, it’s because I’ll have had disastrous marriages and I have to pay for them. I don’t want to. I want to be interested in something different, but I’ll probably get this interview read back to me then. I’ll be backstage at this tiny dive bar in Northern England somewhere, going, “I used to be big, you know!” VH1: Kelly Osbourne is supporting you on your European gigs. Are you a fan? Williams: Yeah. She’s a great star. She’s interesting enough by herself without her mom and without her dad and without Jack. Personality is really lacking in the charts. Everybody gives the same interview! It’s like, “Why don’t you say what you really think?” People have got their filters turned up too much, and Kelly doesn’t seem to have her filter working at all. She can’t seem to stop saying what she immediately thinks. That’s interesting and entertaining in itself. That’s art happening right there. So good on Kelly! VH1: Well, the Dixie Chicks have spoken out against the war but are taking flak for it. Williams: It’s so upsetting to hear about something like that, because this is supposed to be the land of the free, and what happened doesn’t sound very free to me. It’s amazing that her remarks dented their sales. That shouldn’t happen to an artist like that. It’s a shame that Natalie Maines had to retract what she said, but so would you if your career was on the line. You’ve got a beautiful country with so many beautiful people and so many beautiful things happening and stuff like that lets it down. I feel sad for them. VH1: Does it make you think twice about adjusting your filter? Williams: Yeah. With the war and everything that’s going on, unless you’re Susan Sarandon, the best route is to keep your mouth shut. For me it is, anyway. I don’t know what’s going on! |
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