Released this week, currently leading the charge in the Official Midweek Sales Chart,
and featuring major league collaborators such as Lily Allen, Michael
Bublé and Rufus Wainwright, it marks the latest entry in a prolific
period for Williams that started with 2009’s Reality Killed The Video
Star, followed by 2010’s Greatest Hits package and the same year’s
reformation with his Take That bandmates for the record-breaking
Progress project.
Last year saw him release his first solo album
with Universal, Take The Crown, which stormed to No.1 – making it his
tenth LP to hit the UK top Spot - whilst lead single Candy became his
first No.1 single in nine years. Such a flurry of creative activity is
in marked contrast to the period after 2006’s Rudebox, during which
Robbie, in his own words, “sat on the sofa, ate crisps, watched reality
TV shows and seized up, basically”.
Featuring both covers and
original material, Williams debuted material from Swings both Ways last
Friday (November 8) at a filmed gig live at the Palladium in London.
When, where and how did you first hear that swing/big band sound?
Well
it’s always been around, on TV. There used to be these glorious films
that used to be on Saturday mornings, like South Pacific or Guys and
Dolls, and I used to find them fascinating. Great bit of fantasy and
escape.
Then when I was three, Dad left, and he left a load of
records, and they were Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, Frank
Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr, etc. So that was my library and
on many a cold, dark winter afternoon I would sit there and learn these
tomes, learn these words.
My father held these people in such
high regard that they weren’t mortal, they were Gods, so the whole
thing had me enchanted from the moment I can remember remembering.
How important was your Dad’s influence generally?
Like
I say, Dad considered these people to be Gods. He was completely
enraptured with the music and the artists of the time. He sent a dollar
bill to Frank Sinatra to sign and Frank signed it and sent it back. From
then on, whichever flat my Dad was in, and there were many, that
Sinatra dollar bill took pride of place. So yeah, it rubbed off.
In another era, would you have been happy to be a big band singer or would that not have satisfied you creatively?
I
honestly don’t know, it’s hard to put myself back in time. I’m just
lucky that I’ve been given the opportunity to create. I don’t think
everybody was given the opportunity back then, it was very set out:
these are the songwriters, this is the band, you’re the voice. It wasn’t
until The Beatles came around and changed all of that.
What prompted you to revisit the genre 12 years after Swing When You’re Winning?
I took three years off, a sort of enforced sabbatical, and my brain turned into swiss cheese; I sat on
the sofa, ate crisps, watched reality TV shows and seized up, basically.
I’d signed the biggest deal that had ever been signed [Williams’ ‘360’
deal with EMI in 2002 that saw him given a huge advance] and I made all
this cash and I was just like, Who am I? What am I? And it’s also a
tough world out here, in the media, and scary at times, especially when
you’re not sure who you are or what you do. But after three years of
getting fat I decided it was important that I went back to work and ever
since then I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m having a good time. I did
Reality Killed the Video Star, I did the second Greatest Hits, I did
Progress with Take That, I did Take The Crown and I just wanted to keep
going.
I can’t release another straight up pop record, because
I’ve just done it - it would be boring for me and boring for the record
buying public. And I had a good time swinging, I knew I would return to
it, I always thought it would be my pension, and seeing as I’m nearly
40, it’s time to get the pension. Pop stars should start to receive
their pension at 40. Dancers get theirs at 35.
Bearing in
mind that …Winning is still your biggest selling album, did the record
company push you in this direction as well? Or have they learned not to
try and tell you what to do?
Well I’ve got pretty middle of
the road tastes. I’m a commercial person. I want my records to do well.
Even with RudeBox I thought it was a commercial record. I’m trying to do
the best for a big career, they’re trying to do the best for my career
and their bonuses, so there isn’t a lot of grumblings, rumblings or
arguments.
In one sense there is less pressure on a Swing
record, because, unlike Take The Crown, it’s not your marker in the pop
world, to be measured against all the young pretenders, but in another
sense, the pressure’s on, because we already know these songs are good -
it’s all about your voice…
In the studio I can cobble
together an appropriate version of a voice, it’s live that’s the
terrifying aspect. Over the years I have conjured up an entertainer to
bypass the fact that I haven’t got the strongest of voices, or at least
that’s what I think. Also, to some extent at my pop shows, people are
drunk, and they want to shout, and they want to scream, and they’re
there for the vibe, and they want to sing along with you. At these swing
gigs, they just wanna listen. And it’s terrifying [laughs].
Now,
having said it’s not in direct competition with anyone, it is out a
week before Gary Barlow’s album. How gutted would you be if you don’t
sell more than him?
I really hope we both do well. In the
UK, I want him to sell a million and me to sell a million and one. But,
that being said, if that doesn’t come to pass, I’m still Robbie
Williams. I’ve still done… this. There’s still a pedigree. All is well.
Plus, Gaz has had it rough, a lot rougher than I had, and if he does do
better than me, then good for him.
Which is indicative of a much nicer atmosphere than when you two first had competing albums out at the same time…
Yeah,
it’s a very friendly, competitive rivalry, but it is a rivalry. I don’t
want anyone to do better than me, let alone someone I know really well.
In fact I think the only person in the world who I’d want to sell more
albums than me would be my daughter, apart from that everyone else can
fuck off.
And even then you’d probably still be grumpy for bit, right?
Yeah, I would, there’d be no pocket money for a week or two.
Let’s talk about the covers on the album and how they were selected. Is that down to you? Or is there a team involved?
No,
they’re my choice. I wanted ‘personality’ songs, with an eye on live.
Big songs that need a big person to front them. Minnie the Moocher,
Putting on The Ritz, I Wanna Be Like You. They are three solid songs
that will serve me well on stage.
And it was going to be a straight
up cover version album, like last time, but then I had all these songs
that were never going to find a home unless they were attached to this
kind of project.
Important question, especially given
that you’re going to have to do it live: can you sing Putting on The
Ritz without thinking of the Young Frankenstein clip?
That’s
where I first learned the song. It’s very, very difficult to separate
the two, and I’m sure that one evening out on the road I will go [sings]
‘…why don’t you go where Harlem sits [does pretty damn good impression
of the monster’s version of the song’s key line in Mel Brooks’ classic
film]’.
What about the collaborators for the album, how do they get chosen?
I sit down and rack my brains to think up who I’d like to work with. And when I run out of ideas,
I draft in my wife, or my work wife, Josie. We’ll sit and collab about the collabs. This time round
the only person I wanted that couldn’t do it was Hugh Jackman, and I really wanted him on
this record, but maybe in the future we’ll do something. Apart from that I was lucky enough to get everyone I wanted.
How do you feel about putting your own compositions in amongst these standards? Is that quite nerve-wracking?
I’ve
never thought of it. Maybe there’s a delusional aspect to that, or a
narcissistic aspect, or a touch of both. But I’m very confident about
the quality of what we’ve written, especially with Guy Chambers back on
board. During the period we worked together before, the songs we wrote
became part of the fabric of people’s lives, so if we can recapture a
bit of that magic, which I’m sure we have, then we’ll be fine. I’m not
worried about our stuff standing up next to these Amercian standards.
Since
your reconciliation, you’ve done the odd thing with Guy Chambers, but
this is your first sustained period of working together. How was the
process this time around?
I can remember Guy sitting at the
piano in my studio in Los Angeles and there was eighteen-and-a-half
minutes of ‘Er….’ And eighteen-and-a-half minutes of nothing is a long
time. Guy would go ‘Da-da-da’, and I’d go, No, not that. And he’d go
‘Da-da-dum’, and I’d go, No, not that. By the fourth one I’m thinking,
This is a nightmare, this is going completely the wrong way. Oh no. And
then bang, Go Gentle happens and… big sigh of relief. From then on in it
was easy. We’ve got good chemistry, who knew?
The last
time we spoke to you was just before the huge Take The Crown tour. You
have famously not enjoyed previous tours that the rest of the world have
perceived as amazingly successful, how did you find it this time round?
In
2006, when I’d done a world tour and ran myself into the ground… I did a
lot of damage to my psyche on that tour; I lost my confidence, and it
has taken years to get it back.
During that time, I was
convinced I couldn’t do it anymore, the spark had gone, the secret
ingredient to being a pop star had deserted me. All of this was very
true in my head. And that was sad, because I’d sort of come to rely on
it. It meant a great deal to me and a great deal to other people - and
without it, what am I? So off I went into my wilderness years, lack of
confidence etc.
And then bit by bit… the Take That shows really helped… I clawed back my Smug Gitness.
It’s
back to 100% now. It’s incredible, the power of the mind, because the
only difference was choosing not to be scared. Because you can...
indulge stuff. And I’d become addicted to indulging the fact
that I wasn’t very good anymore. And then one day I decided I wasn’t going to do that. I was going to be great instead.
And that’s possible, is it? To decide not to be scared?
[Joyously]
Yeah! It was as simple as that. And by the time we got to Dublin I was
sure we had an amazing show, I was on good form, and if the audience
wasn’t going to have a good time, it wouldn’t be my fault. Because of
who I am and what I do and the act that I’ve got, I kind of have to
attack it with that kind of arrogance. Anyway we got to Dublin and the
wife said, Just hold the possibility you might enjoy it. I said, It’ll
never happen; I’ll enjoy bits, but it’ll be so overwhelming, so
stressful, I’ll get no sleep and I was worried I’ll go mad again. As it
happens, I went on stage and was greeted with so much love…
Was it the first solo tour you’ve ever enjoyed?
Fully, yeah.
Let’s
talk about some of the specific songs. Go Gentle is obviously about
your daughter, Theodora Rose. Is that the first you’ve written for her -
and what’s the message in it?
It is the first one, yes, but
not the last. And the message is kind of bittersweet in the verses, but
then a promise of commitment in the chorus. I’m saying it’s not all
plain sailing: ‘Welcome to the zoo, bitter disappointments except for
one or two.’ But I’m going to shield her from those people as best I
can. I’ve had a lot of experience dealing with snakes and ne’er do wells
and I can put my arm round her and lead her in a different direction.
How has fatherhood changed you?
[Thinks
for some time] There’s not a lot of great adverts for parenthood. And
there’s not a lot of great adverts for marriage either, so I’ve always
been terrified of both of those things. I come from a broken home, many
many people do. And people that don’t come from broken homes tend to be
parented by angry people. So it’s always been way, way down on my to do
list. What I never knew was how much you get back.
Being a
parent always looked to me like a lack of sleep miserable nightmare.
What I didn’t understand is that the universe loves you back. My song
[Feel], cliched and cheesy as it is, says ‘I just wanna feel real love
in the home that I live in’: I’ve got it now. I’ve felt a love that I’ve
never felt before and I get to experience the true range of being
human. It’s a penny-drop moment: Ah, before there was no reason, and now
there is, I get it. I’m a better person for her being here, I look
after myself, because she deserves that. And I’m happy, I’m content, and
that comes from the wife and my baby girl. They’re all I need. Plus a
chef.
You duet with Michael Bublé on Soda Pop. How important was it to get him on this record?
I’m
in his lane and I’m doffing my cap to him. He’s the real deal when it
comes to this stuff. I’m a fanboy and I get giddy thinking about him. I
admire him a lot because he’s a pro’s pro. He’s really good at
everything he does. He’s got one of the voices of our generation, he’s
good looking, he’s a great mover and he’s a fantastic entertainer. And
we think the same way, which is nice, because it makes me feel less mad.
In the title track, Swings Both Ways, which you perform with Rufus Wainwright III, who are you teasing with those lyrics?
When
I was 16 and introduced to the gay world, via my manager [Nigel
Martin-Smith] at the time, who had us going to gay clubs, I learned very
quickly that a lot of gay people consider everybody to be gay. I was
definitely gay according to a lot of gay people, and a lot of non gay
people. That’s where the song started [sings] Everybody swiiiiiings,
both ways… It’s kind of not me singing it, it’s my manager singing it to
me, mixed with a lot of other characters.
Lily Allen is on Dream a Little Dream and has said she was nervous about singing it. Did she seem nervous on the day?
I
think she was nervous, yes, but then so was I. I’m always nervous when
I’m the host of the party, because I have to think of things to say, and
sometimes I just fill space with stuff that gets me into trouble and
people look at me and go, God, you’re weird, and I go, Yeah, you’ve
noticed. And also Lily’s so arch and smart, and I’m just a duffer from
up North, so I was a bit intimidated in her company, but she was lovely
and the moment she opened her mouth and that first note came in, there
was a release in my heart, because it was so lovely.
No
One Likes a Fat Pop Star is a funny track, but also pretty interesting
with tales of more or less starvation, and a lot of pressure, does that
happen? Did it happen to you?
I have probably lost and gained weight during the course of this interview. That’s what I do. I have
the
potential to be excessive generally, and I’m running out of options,
because I can’t do coke, I can’t do ecstasy, I can’t drink, I can’t
gamble, I can’t be loose sexually… you see where I’m heading with this?
There’s me and a pantry: go. That’s all I’ve got without getting a
divorce, or ruining my career or ending up in rehab.
In the early days though, would you and the boys be told by your management or label, Put the chocolate bar down…
When
I was 16 I was told by our then manager to lose two stone. And I was in
alright shape. There is a visual element to the medium and it matters,
unfortunately, that’s why it’s such an arse. Because I’ve got one foot
in Sport Billy land, where I’m an athlete, but I’ve got a
foot-and-a-half in the land of lethargy and potatoes.
What’s next for you?
I’m
thinking about what I’m going to do in the year that has to be fallow,
which is next year. I’d put another album out straight away if I could,
but it’s best for me, and my career, and the world at large, if they
don’t see me for a bit. Having said that, there are a few things in the
pipeline, they may or may not be musical, may or may not be a TV show,
may or may not be a film. But I’ve got to so something, because I don’t
want the brain turning into swiss cheese again.
Will you always go back to the swing genre do you think?
It depends what people want from me, but yeah.
If this is a success then I’ll return to swing at some stage. If it’s not a success then I’ll try and ruin country too.
source musicweek.com
Robbie Williams: 'My brain turned into Swiss cheese'
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