Robbie Williams on why ‘golf is the new crack’
Self-described “middle-aged pop star” Robbie Williams unleashes on getting real about mental health, social media, and why he wanted to make a Christmas album that “annoys many people”.
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Singer Robbie Williams on giving up on fame in America, his need to make a Christmas album that “annoys many people”, weaning himself off social media – and why golf is the new crack.
Is there still part of you that wants to be famous in America?
There’s more of me that doesn’t. But there’s also still part of me that wants to do cocaine – that wouldn’t be good for me, either.
You’ve started playing Vegas shows this year and they’re getting some incredible reviews in the US press.
It’s like a dream. It is nice to show off to a bunch of new people. There’s a magic there; it feels like it might open other doors, but I don’t know what those doors are. If it doesn’t, that’s OK too.
You’re good mates with Adele, who is globally famous. Could you handle that?
She deals with it incredibly well. The weirdest thing about going out with Adele is that when she takes her make-up off, she doesn’t look like Adele.
One time we got out of the same car going to a Christmas market and the photographers were going “Robbie, Robbie, Robbie,” and they didn’t even know I was with Adele.
Twenty years ago you were honest about your struggles with mental health, back when it was a taboo topic, especially for famous people. Have you found that has changed?
It’s definitely turned a corner. It used to be ever so shameful. You’d say, “I’m feeling this,” and people would say, “What the f*ck right do you have to be feeling like that for?
Pull your socks up and get on with it.” Now it’s more accepted that people talk about it.
Golf seems to be your new addiction – a healthy one this time.
Golf is the new crack. Alice Cooper was a raging drug addict and he used to play golf every day, and I totally get it because I’m one, too.
I get to raise my serotonin levels, I get to walk for five miles, I get to better myself, I have purpose – there’s a meditation in there because you’re just thinking about the next shot.
Many of the songs on your new album The Christmas Present are originals – how does writing festive tunes compare to what you normally do?
When you’ve got an album proper it feels like: “Get it right or everyone dies.” It’s an incredible amount of pressure that not a lot of people talk about. I wanted to remove that pressure and I have.
If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. I just wanted to make a Christmas record that stays around in the fabric of everybody’s musical history for the rest of time, and annoys many people.
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Streaming has changed how people consume music. Where do you fit in?
My audience doesn’t stream. I base what I deem successful on what the album does. I’m a middle-aged pop star. I need to invent a few more doors to go through that are in the entertainment industry, but are outside of tour, album, promo.
You’ve dabbled in TV, as a judge on The X Factor in the UK. Would you do more?
I think I will. I do enjoy it. I’ve always thought I’m a TV presenter who got lucky.
How are you going weaning yourself off social media?
I’m trying to delete my instant refresh page to see how much people hate me. It’s so self-lacerating. I don’t know what the f*ck is wrong with me.
I have to seek out all this negativity and I don’t know why. I’m 45 – you’d think I’d be over it by now.
So is it getting better?
I don’t think that will ever go, but it’s improved a great deal. I’m happy with my job, happy with my wife and kids, happy with my lot. I’m content.
The Christmas Present is out now.