At the end it sounds like he smashes porcelain on a wall. The few invited teenies fumble for their lighters as a soaked through Robbie Williams starts with the first strokes of the Take That hit 'Back for Good' in a Parisian night club. Only the evil light in his eyes reveals his planned attack: with a pounding staccato the ex-Take Thatter screams, like a funny, dirty punk, his version of the song. Like a ball he hops around on stage and only the tiny remainder of a small beer belly reveals the hard times he has gone through. His poses tell ***Ich räume auf***!
Two years after the sacking from the prototype of all boybands, two years after an aimless delirium through Londons bars and musical stumblings through the britpop scene, Robbie lets set up himself as a figurehead of after-boy-pop. "He's got what it takes to become a big star.", his lable Chrysalis announced on the extravagant launch of 'Life Thru A Lens' last week. And, flourish of tumpets, curtains up, the pre-celebrated walked to the platform, 23 years old, peculiar stylish in suit, small sunglasses with yellow-ish glasses- a little bit George Michael for the poor, a little bit of this 'kiss my ass' attitude.
On one thing Robbie Williams won't leave room for doubt: that he's the only successful solo artist from the boyband era. That they still exist- these 'Backstreet Boys's and 'Caught in the Act's- he thinks are just after-travails of musical-strategical management. The copies of copies naturally become worse, but today we talk about the original.
Stern: Robbie, on your first live appereance here in Paris, you went on stage with a fashionable skirt, you didn't dance but hop around and screamed into the microphone. Is that the Robbie Williams you really are?
Williams: Who knows who he is? I've been through a lot with 23 years and I'm glad to be someone at the moment. But I also look at myself and see if I like what I see.
Stern: The songs on your new album sound like a painfull biography. 'Killing Me', 'Clean' and 'Old Before I Die' sound like a ride to hell.
Williams: That's partly what it's been. Every teenager thinks about death because he doesn't know how to move on. That doesn't mean they're all killing themselves! In my case I lost control over the drug-stuff and I went to rehab. Oh, that was the worst experience in my whole life.
Stern: Which drugs did you take?
Williams: Well, I didn't leave out one. That already started when I was still in Take That. I did coke at this times. Then I did all the other drugs. If you are young and a member of the worlds most successful band at this time, if you go on stage and everyone screams, then you really think you're invincible. Of course I knew, like any other teenager, that drugs can kill you, but not ME! Because of that it's useless, if I'd say now - Kids, don't take drugs. Everyone who wants to take them does it anyway. Or perhaps just because of that.
Stern: Do you think you wrote better songs with drugs?
Williams: The CD we're talking about now was made while being on drugs. Because of that it's important but it's not the best I could have done. Drugs are something very egoistic because you just keep yourself busy with yourself. When I wrote these songs I was encircled by myself and looked every day in countless, bizarre mirrors. The next album is going to be different because I can tell different stories now.
Stern: Your parents were divorced when you were still a child. You grew up with your mother who works as social worker. Couldn't she help you earlier?
Williams: No, because she is my mother. There had to be other people to kick my ass so that I realised what was going on. But I wouldn't survived this if my mother hadn't been there for me.
Stern: You've said that even with Take That, symbol of a clean boyband, there were cocain. What other stories can you tell?
Williams:(laughs) Everyone asks me about the secret of Take That. The secret is there isn't one. And that was the bad thing: emptiness, absolut emptiness. Five boys who did number one hits by the dozen but nothing remains, simply because there isn't anything to remain. I was the only one who went mad and took drugs.
Stern:According to rumors there will be a short reunion because Take That are going to play on a benefiz concert for the Princess-Diana-Trust. Did your former bandleader Gary Barlow has phoned you up and asked you if you were in it?
Williams:Yes, he did. And at the beginning I thought it was a cool idea. But now I think it's better not to do it. Take That was as good as it was and it would be stupid if we'd destroy good memories now. I think I will find other possibilities to do something for the Diana-Trust.
Stern:Don't you get nervous when your record company announces you as the big star of the next years?
Williams:Hey, I think I'm a good entertainer and if the audience likes my show then I am a star. Very good, because I always want to live in such good hotels I live in now. When I still went to school and the teacher asked me what I wanted to be I always said "famous". At home I always played the pop star with a hairbrush in front of the mirror. Now I am a pop star and do all this for for the people who still stand with a hairbrush in front of the mirror. Look at me kids, you can become famous!
Interview by Jochen Siemens
Translated from German and typed by Chris, thanx!!