How Robbie has gone from a mess to a Messiah

LESS than five years ago, Robbie Williams was a drunk and drug addict.

He was an overweight, blearyeyed sight for sore eyes, famous only for his Take That past and his predilection for getting smashed. He had become his own worst nightmare, a rock 'n' roll clich.

Record industry chiefs gossiped about his unmanageability while the credible rock magazines he so wished to impress branded him a "fat pub singer who would go to the opening of a envelope".

After an unwise decision to pose, belly and thighs a-wobble, in a wig, girls knickers and a pair of high heels for a soft drink commercial, the readers of Smash Hits voted him Loser Of The Year.

Following a series of minor hits from his first album, Life Thru a Lens in 1996, which sold only 40,000 copies at first, it looked as if Robbie had little chance of reviving his career - or his self- esteem. So, what happened to transform him from pop mess into pop Messiah?

It is amazing that this week he has commanded a contractual figure of pounds 80 million when he doesn't even play an instrument or write his own material.

His music is good but, "no more than competent pastiches of other people styles", according to rock writer Robert Sandal.

While Robbie can certainly carry a tune, he is no Sinatra, as was evident when he released Swing When Your Winning in 2000, and while he looks okay, he's not exactly Brad Pitt. How extraordinary that the selfproclaimed-Joke from Stoke can be at the centre of a record company chequebook race and dictate terms to the mighty EMI.

Cynics will say that Robbie's career is a triumph of marketing over content.

Certainly, the Williams marketing strategy (the same team promotes Geri Halliwell) is clever, as it allows him to appear humble while being charmingly egotistical.

Either way, he is omnipresent.

Yet, for all the marketing and branding that surrounded Robbie's first album release, all was doom until a fateful coincidence.

As a last-ditch attempt at success, EMI released Angels in the autumn of 1997. It was never intended as a single and wasn't regarded highly by industry pundits. But, with the nation in mourning for Princess Diana, the song's sentiments and soaring melody struck a note with radio programmers.

Meanwhile, Robbie had confessed all about horrible Gary Barlow's dictatorial bullying during the Take That years, deftly drawing Gary into a public battle he could only lose and garnering Robbie enough public sympathy to see him through rehab, a diet and a therapeutic stint with celebrity shrink Beachy Colclough.

But it's unfair to suggest that Robbie's success is solely down to marketing and luck. He was always the most charismatic member of Take That. When you meet the man in the flesh he is totally engaging. There is an iconic whiff about him.

Yet his endlessly implausible relationships with famous females reek of PR stunts. Why continue when the effect is dubious? At best they make him seem calculating. At worst they indicate that he is incapable of having a proper relationship.

While we bought into his affair with Nicole Appleton, his public trashing of their relationship once it was over seemed churlish and yet he has come through her recent story of being forced to abort his baby without a blemish.

HIS unlikely link with Geri Halliwell served to help her career momentarily but made him look silly. So brief and timely was his dalliance with Nicole Kidman that one might be forgiven for thinking that it was simply a PR exercise for them both. He had an album to push; she needed a boost after the box-office failure of The Others.

His relationship with Rachel Hunter, which again appears to be based on other agendas, seems to have gone beyond the realms of good taste - the couple were caught in a naked embrace in paparazzi shots. If things turn ugly, Robbie will no doubt emerge smelling of roses again.

Yet, these stories aside, perhaps Robbie's cleverest stroke is to know his limitations. Unlike his fellow Take That stars he realised he would have to find a good writing partner. He found one in the shape of Guy Chambers, who took Robbie's charming yet childlike lyrics and set them to tunes you could sing along to.

Says an EMI insider: "I would not diss Robbie because he doesn't write the music. No one ever doubted the talents of Bernie Taupin (Elton John's lyricist). Robbie's lyrics are a large part of his success."

Ultimately, Robbie is one of those rare people who have genuine Judy Garland-style pizzazz and so he is forgiven for his foibles.

As long as he doesn't run out of tricks, he may be worth another pounds 80 million in five years' time.

What of the other Take That boys?

Mark Owen: after selling 700,000 copies of his debut album, Green Man, Mark Owen's promising solo career took a nosedive when fans found his grungy new look unappealing.

Take That's former heartthrob (he received 70 per cent of the band's fan mail) was dropped by his record company, BMG, in 1999.

He plans a comeback and lives in Lancashire.

Howard Donald: his solo career was jinxed by wrangling over marketing budgets and contractual obligations. By the time he was free, his solo appeal had peaked. He showcased new material in 1999 but there were no takers. He now works as a highly sought-after celebrity club DJ. He lives in Greater Manchester and is married with a daughter, Grace.

Gary Barlow: tipped to be the new George Michael after Take That disbanded, Gary Barlow's solo career crashed and burned amid fevered press hype surrounding his chart battle with Robbie. After a later failed attempt to reform Take That for a concert in honour of Princess Diana, and unable to get a record deal, Gary briefly quit Britain for America. He now lives in Chester with his wife, Dawn, and their two children. He writes material for other artists, with some success.

Jason Orange: a more spiritual creature by nature, Jason harboured no pretensions towards a solo career after Take That.

Anticipating the group's demise, he handled his finances sensibly. After a stint as a stage and TV actor, he questioned his need for continued fame and decided to give it all up and travel on a budget with an old friend. He remains single and spends much of his time on dangerous sports-style walks and climbs.

Copyright 2002
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