Celebrities
Life of a Pop Star

Robbie Williams – A Biography, Part 1.
(adapted from Wikipedia)

Robert Peter Williams (born February 13, 1974 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is a British pop singer.

Take That

Williams’ early pop career was with the hit boy band Take That which was fronted 1. singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The band was formed in 1991 and proved to be highly successful, with 8 UK Number 1 singles to their credit. Their popularity led 2. a succession 3. similar bands in the UK.

However, it has since been suggested that Robbie did not seem to fit as well as the other members in the band due to his ‘roguish’ qualities, and he frequently battled 4. his fellow band mates and his management. He left the band in 1995.

Solo Career

After leaving Take That, Williams immediately seemed to immerse himself 5. the rock and roll lifestyle with Britpop band Oasis. This led him 6. a highly publicized battle with drug and alcohol addiction during which he put 7. nearly 40 pounds (18kg) and was often seen in public poorly dressed, dirty and unshaven. After a well publicized fall out with Oasis , Noel Gallagher famously refused to recognize him as anything but “That fat dancer 8. Take That”.

At the time, the British media speculated that Williams would not be a success 9. a solo singer.

Life Thru A lens

By 1996 Williams was ready to launch his solo career proper. His first single, Freedom ’90 (a cover 10. the popular 1990 George Michael tune) was released in August 1996. After a period in a drug rehabilitation clinic, this was followed up 11. Old Before I Die in 1997. Both singles reached number 2 in the United kingdom charts and were considered successful. He then released the singles Lazy Days (Number 8) and South Of The Border (Number 14), but they were only moderately successful. This led to his first solo album, Life Thru A Lens, later that year.

The next single from Life Thru A Lens was “Angels”, co-written with friend Guy Chambers, released in December 1997. The song’s popularity propelled the album 12. number 1 in the album charts, 28 weeks 13. the album was first released. The ‘ballad’-style song has proved to be his most popular song to date, although it never reached the top of the UK Singles Chart, peaking 14. number 4. The song has been credited with saving the singer’s solo career, and is a major highlight at any of his concerts. It is often played at weddings and funerals.

Williams quickly became a celebrity in the UK 15. a number of other top ten singles, which would typically gather only minor interest in the USA.

Robbie Williams – A Biography, Part2.

Lifestyle and Lovelife

Williams has left the UK and now lives in Los Angeles, California. He remains single. Speculation about his romantic life is rampant in the British media. Williams likes to encourage an image as a smooth womaniser and there are numerous widely-circulated Internet accounts, allegedly written by Williams' female sexual partners, claiming his considerable prowess as a lover. He regularly plucks female fans from the audience of his live performances and french kisses them on stage.

Williams, a self-confessed attention seeker, has garnered a reputation for pushing the envelope in regards to male nudity. Though it is quite common for female celebrities to appear scantily clad in photographs (and in fact often expected of them), this is far less common for men. Williams' tendency to pose provocatively has gone from somewhat light-hearted "mooning" and "pants-down" photos early in his career to more sexually explicit content.

Williams has stated in a variety of press interviews that he considers himself to be a naturist/nudist at heart, jokingly commenting that he will "end up being one of those dads who embarrasses" his children. In late 2005 a campaign called "Get More" was launched by Williams' label to promote his album Intensive Care. A video at the website featured thirty seconds of various camera close-ups of Williams' nude body, culminating in a four second full body shot where he was frontally nude and fondling his penis. This was virtually the first time nudity was so blatantly incorporated in an advertising campaign for a pop singer.

Williams, now aged 32, has had mental health problems throughout his career, most notably his struggle with depression, insecurity and self-loathing. He has been clean from drugs and alcohol for over 5 years. In his fly-on-the-wall documentary Nobody Someday (2001) he repeatedly mocked his flamboyant but puppet-like behaviour on stage and felt that the persona and 'brand' of Robbie Williams Popstar was a fake that he increasingly felt uncomfortable with. In more recent documentaries he anguishes to become a credible artist in the eyes of the serious music press.

Williams is regarded with bafflement by some observers, who note that he seems to have achieved huge success in the UK with only moderate looks, a mediocre singing voice and an unimpressive musical background. His time as member of a boyband does not seem to have hampered his cool image.

Much of Williams' success can be attributed to his 'cheeky chappy' persona and ironic sensibility much loved by his UK fans. Williams has said in interviews he hates performing, and compares his style to old-school UK comedian Sir Norman Wisdom.

In fact, it doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to see Robbie as the heir to British Vaudeville, an end of the pier crowd pleaser.

Yet UK fans highlight the energy and entertainment value of his live performances as a major part of his appeal. Others remain unconvinced by what they see as mainly hype.