In July 1995, Robbie Williams went to
Glastonbury and had a good time. Which was, of course, a perfectly
normal thing for a 21-year-old lad from Stoke-on-Trent to do.
But Robbie Williams was a member of Britain's lean, keen, squeaky
clean hit machine Take That, so his little trip became big news.
He went on stage with Oasis, beer bottle in hand. He hung out
with his peers in Britpop bands. He made some new friends. He
had a smoke and a drink. And all this was photographed and written
about by everyone from NME to The Sun.
The rest of the group were not happy. During the rehearsals for their UK tour,
there were meetings about Robbie's behaviour. There were discussions in which
he was asked to keep to the band's rules, to stick to the formula that had made
them so spectacularly successful. And eventually in September, it was announced
that Robbie had left Take That. The story made News At Ten. Fans threatened
suicide. There were marches in the streets of Germany, where a helpline was set
up to cousel distressed girls. Offers poured in for Robbie to do everything from
one week as a guest presenter on The Big Breakfast (which he did) to posing nude
for For Women (which he didn't). Meanwhile, he set about freeing himself
from his contractual ties and "finding out who I really was because I'd spent
all my growing up years in the band." Robbie joined Take That when he was 16.
He'd just left school and was selling double glazing when his mum heard Nigel
Martin-Smith talking on the radio about how he planned to create a British New
Kids On The Block. Robbie went to an audition where he sang a Jason Donovan song,
danced a bit like MC Hammer and acted cheeky because he was nervous. He got the
job. "I ran upstairs at home, threw the window open, and shouted out across
the pub next door, 'I'm gonna be famous!' It was top. Then I just had thoughts
about owning 911s and Ferraris for about three months. Thinking that you join
a band, then you get a deal, then you get loads of money and then you get loads
of cars and big houses. Of course you do. You believe that when you're 16."
The reality was a little harder. It was a long time before "It Only Takes A Minute"
became a hit and Take That kick-started the boy group boom. In the early days,
they played everywhere:schools, under-18s clubs, straight clubs, gay clubs,
travelling the country packed into a van together, rehearsing and working constantly.
When success did come, their lives became even more controlled by a hectic schedule
and an unwritten set of rules. "I left school and I was put into this cocoon,
and major conditioning went on. You are told these are the rules, this is what
happens when you become celebrity-and you believe that, because you know nothing
else. You'll do anything for you 15 minutes of fame. Dead right. I'd have signed
any contract, I'd had climed the Eiffel Tower in my Y-fronts with 'Shit on me,
seagulls' written on my back. So you live to all the rules that are set out for
you." So now Robbie is exploring life after teen. He sees his six years in
Take That as an extraordinary experience, but it's time to move on. He's been
writing songs. He's been hanging out with friends. He's moved to London. He's
found a new manager. He's been to a few clubs and parties. He's been to a lot
of meetings with lawyers. And now he's finally made a record. "Freedom" is
the first single on his new label Chrysalis, a perfect fusion between the music
Robbie was making as a member of Take That and the music he was listening to
for fun. It's a cover version of George Michael's classic pop hit made by someone
who likes Black Grape and Primal Scream. Listen to the lyrics, and the reason
for the choice of the songs is obvious-George Michael has been through similar
experiences in his career, and has been a great support to Robbie in this turbulent
period. Needless to say, George has heard this radical reworking of this song
and loves it. It would be wrong to say that "Freedom" is a fresh start, because
Robbie Williams isn't denying where he came from. It would be equally wrong to
say that this cover version is a new direction, because he will be singing his
own songs in the future. Perhaps we should just say that it's a quick postcard
on the way, a statement of intent. Or just that it's a stonking good single.
Oh yes, and in case you were wondering, Robbie won't be going to any festivals
this summer. He was crowned Ligger Of The Year by NME in 1995, and his partying
became so public that there's now a T-shirt doing the rounds saying "I'm with
Robbie Williams". So he's giving it a rest. But he'd like to go to Glastonbury
next year, perhaps even as a performer. And he'll be keeping it all low-key,
as usual. "I'd like to arrive backstage in a helicopter," he muses. "With a few
bottles of champagne, perhaps a few models."
Sheryl Garratt, July 1996