I only have a few of Robbie Williams’ stuff, but what I have I like very much.
Song recommendations for ya, FH:
Strong
Better Man
Angels
Supreme (sung in French)
No Regrets
She’s the One
I was channel surfing one day and was blowing past MTV Europe (didn’t realize yet that they play something besides italian music) when I heard ENGLISH! It was Robbie Williams and his ‘Let Me Entertain You’ video. I was hooked right then and there.
I had 3 lovely years of exposure to European pop music and Robbie Williams before I came back to the states. I don’t watch MTV anymore, can’t stand the crap that is played here, I don’t even bother with VH1.
I’m waiting on Robbie to make it big here or to decide to go into acting (though he says he has no interest in it).
I saw the video to “Let Me Entertain You,” once, and it scared the crap out of me. I thought he was going to jump out of the TV and ass-rape me.
But I do have that song “Millenium.” And I’m the only person I know who could name the origin of EVERY Bond reference in the video, including the opening sample in the song (it’s from the soundtrack of You Only Live Twice).
Lizard, not my favorite experience, but I think I would have let him. The boy makes me have happy thoughts.
He needs to do a year or two of constantly touring the US to get his name known, and his ego is too big to let him play small venues in out of the way places. He thinks he should immediately be playing massive venues and getting the same kind of adulation he inexplicably gets in the UK. Besides, his career is virtually at an end & you aren’t missing a lot anyway. Every song sounds pretty much the same. I’m not a fan as you can tell.
He’s not entirely unknown in the US, I had an online friend in Mississippi whose daughter was a big fan.
My personal theory why big UK acts sometimes have trouble breaking into the US is, simply they are used to being Big Fish in the British market, they are used to the deferential treatment and perks that that brings. And when they go to America, they are the unknown neophyte pop star who has to climb up the ladder from the beginning again, and a lot of people in that position can’t take that. It’s too big of an ego shock, if you get what I mean.
Also, there is a very significant culture difference-in Britain, there is that whole rebellious punk rock “If a rock star isn’t behaving badly he isn’t a proper rock star” philosophy. It’s very much-if a rock star throws a tantrum it’s endearing almost, and everyone sees it as contributing to the Gaity of the Nation.
In America though, such bad behaviour is looked upon as unprofessional, rude and arrogant, and offensive to the very strongly ingrained work ethic that many Americans have. In America, the philosophy is-you work for what you want, and you work hard. For example when Oasis came over they refused to do ‘meet and greets’. In the Uk, this would have been standard issue rebellious pop star behaviour-it looks uncool and un-punk rock to be shaking hands with capitalist pig dogs of the record industry 
-but to Americans, this sort of behaviour looks rude, arrogant and ungrateful to people who are working on their behalf to make them a success. (and it reinforces the stereotype that British people are concieted and think they are better than the hard working honest American common working man who built himself up from nothing through good honest hard work etc) In America, there is a much more business-orientated work ethicky philosophy. That whole ‘punk rock rebellion’ thing just doesn’t wash, and isn’t understood.
In order for a British act to break the US, they have to adjust to the subtle culture differences and be mucho humble. Not all egos who have been used to being cosseted and indulged for a fair old while can take this, not very many at all in fact, by the looks of things.
That’s my theory anyway.
If he’s popular with the gay record buying public, he should break through (after all it is his own market). This is exactly what happened with Take that, they were initially heavily marketed to gays, and the teenage girls followed.
As to why he’s not a big star in the USA the question really is why he is such a huge seller in the UK. He wasn’t the one out of take that who was expected to make the big time (that was Gary Barlow, currently in a panto near you). He was in the words of Liam Gallagher “the fat dancer”. He doesn’t write his own material, has a limited voice and is a bit of an all round wanker.
My mum likes him though.
American doesn’t like Williams cos he always has a persona of “I’m having a laugh, me” and acting the clown. UK fans like that, apparently, US fans don’t. They like their “megastars” to take things a bit more seriously, otherwise they suspect that the joke is on them.
Curiously it’s a lot more acceptable for US groups to act the fool, but maybe that’s because it’s a “all among the boys” group thing. A solo act, however, only has themselves and the fans, and the fans are not up for being the butt of the jokes.
IMHO, Williams has done a few ok songs, but I suspect that a lot of the credit for them goes to his ex-co-writer. His public persona gets on my nerves.
“He’s the fat dancer from Take That” Noel Gallagher once said, memorably and accurately describing the most overrated mediocrity of the last decade.
Good on the Americans if they’ve spotted the talentless posturing Karaoke twat for what he is. God knows he’s loathsome enough anyway, his great smug face in a permanent smirk and his fat empty head totally devoid of any ability to create the songs that have netted him the least-deserved fortune since a petty criminal won our National Lottery.
Personally I wish he’d fall off a cliff on to something sharp.
Infectious Lass: I don’t know (or care) why Robbie Williams isn’t popular in the USA, but wouldn’t your theory be confounded by the appalling professional reputation that performers like Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez have over here, and the way Britney Spears shed fans after refusing to sign autographs at the Crossroads première?
I’m sure you can think of plenty of non-US acts that are very popular in the UK, especially with teenage girls, and that have a squeaky clean image.
Take that!
:rolleyes:
Sweet Jeebus, no.
swing when your winning was horrible. He sounded and acted like a half arsed cabaret singer on a Larne to Cairnryan ferry.
Try as he might, robbie williams is none of the following
Sean Connery
Robin Friday
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
He gets a fair bit of airplay in Canada, at least in my city. Not that it means anything for the States though. We’re not a stepping stone or anything and most bands here can’t crack the US market either.
Moving this to Cafe Society.
My my my. That explains a lot.
I’ll take it that you have a more positive opinion of the Cheeky Chappie ™ than I do.
Look! - no rolleyes!
yeah that was the first Robbie Williams video I saw. Disgusting. A man peeling away at his flesh as he rollerskates…(reminds me of that CSI episode where the model cuts up her face)
anyway, what was the point of the video? :dubious:
I love listening to Robbie Williams, and enjoy most of his songs. I don’t pay much attention to how popular he is, interviews with him, nor do I really follow his career. He can be as pompous as he wants, as long as I get to listen to his music.
I don’t know if there’s a term ‘popcorn music’ as with movies. RW makes that, anyway. I have his albums (given to me, since I used to work in radio) and saw him live about two years ago (kinda small venue, some 6000 in the audience.
he concert was topnotch. Some people find him annoying. I detect a lot of self irony. Noel Gallagher may say what he wants, but to me, the songs Guy Chambers for RW have cranked out are a lot more Beatles-esque than most of what Oasis has regurgigated (sp?).
That said - RW is not a musician, not a singer/sonwriter, not a rockstar - he’s an entertainer. His swing album was ok. Lightweight, if you know the originals, but I’m not surpised he did it. He might not be the next Sinatra, but he’s trying to be the modern day version. He’s an entertainer. And I find him entertaining. Ending the relationship with Guy Chambers will prove to be a disaster, though.
I borrowed a co-workers RW CD after reading this thread to see what I was missing out on, having heard only Millenium (which I thought was ok, but nothing special). Seemed to me to be pop music but not very “hook-y”- I couldn’t picture myself humming the tunes. YMMV.