Robbie Williams doc on Netflix

[MaliciaKeys]

I've just watched it (day off work and it's raining out, don't judge me) and would be interested to hear other people's opinions.

I thought it was telling how Jason left Take That again not long after they’d welcomed Robbie back for the Progress album.

Having watched/read all their interviews back in the day it seemed that Jason and Robbie were quite different. Jason has always seemed like a gentle, down to earth person, so I can see why Robbie would get right on his tits.

It always seemed to me that it was Robbie & Mark that were close, and then Jason and Howard, and Gary seemed to gravitate more to Jason, but would mix ok with everyone. (Apart from Robbie, obviously!)

I agree about the hand gel, we started using it when our kids were babies, several years before covid. If a whole tour, insurance, many peoples’ salaries, fans ticket costs, etc. rests on your shoulders and yours alone…of course you can’t afford to catch a cold or virus and have to cancel shows.
I’m sure I’ve seen TT, Jason included, say they regret the way they handled his sacking and that they were basically conditioned to protect their brand.

🙄

Don’t ever feel you need to explain yourself to someone who went out of their way to deliberately misunderstand you OP. I’ve almost finished binging it. I think he’s very narcissistic, very self indulgent with the pity party but there is no denying he was an amazing showman and entertainer. I’m still not sure why he done the whole interview in his pants 😂 it has held my attention for three episodes back to back so he’s still watchable! I was never a fan or a non fan back in the day, was a rock fan, but I always appreciated what he achieved. Not sure if Gary deserved the hatred though, he’s an incredible song writer, not a frontman though. It’s an interesting watch!

Just finished watching and I actually really enjoyed it.

I was a big Robbie fan when he went solo. I have seen him in concert many times. Of all the concerts there was never a bad one, he really entertained and never in a million years would I have guessed how sad he was during these particular concerts, how he struggled to get himself on stage.

We all know he had 'Demons' in his head, he spoke openly about this over the years. However, listening to him speak honestly and openly about how really bad they were made me feel so sad for him.

He became famous so young, he missed out on living a normal life, his mental health was so bad that he made bad choices and was obviously around people that were no good for him and drink and drugs easily available.

I like how the documentary was done, yes he could have put on trousers but he was obviously comfortable, I liked how he watched the footage and commented, he remembered most of it, he got to see himself in every state possible and he commented honestly on it all. It was better than someone sitting there firing questions at him, it gave us a chance to remember and see certain clips, years etc and see his reactions. His eyes showed so much, you could see a lot of regret, shame even.

It's just surprising, for me anyway who always thought he was confident , cheeky, happy, no worries to have been suffering the way he did.

They would have needed to add in more episodes to cover stuff mentioned on here. So much happened in his life.

His wife Adya seems like a wonderful person, she obviously is a great influence for him, you can see the love they have for each other. They are definitely soul mates.

The little girl is adorable, it was very sad at the end watching them all say goodbye. The only thing I don't like is the grey hair, it really ages him.

I've always loved Robbie and I liked it. It just shows how vunerable he is, and Neurodiverse. He was so young joining take that. Yes he comes across as arrogant but it's just his persona a front. Masking his anxieties and issues. I enjoyed it. I do think sitting in his pants throughout was a bit odd, but again I think it's just him showing he's relaxing at home, being himself, but not seeing the bigger picture that people may not like it.

You either like him or you don't, but I felt for him watching. I agree with the hair and he's lost far too much weight recently it just ages him. Ayda is lovely and his children are adorable

It really hit me just how young he was, 22ish when he went to rehab for the first time and only 60 days sober and straight back on the road promoting his new songs, so much pressure on him to succeed.

I’ve read some reviews of the documentary now and apparently him wearing his underpants throughout was to show how stripped back it was, showing his vulnerabilities, he wasn’t hiding behind anything.

I’d have preferred to see him dressed though! 😊

Ironically, when he did cover up, he put on a £3k Gucci cardigan. Not much stripped back about that! Bless him.

I can just hear the producer and director now
"Yeah, so Rob, we thought, like you could do it in (expensive) underpants yeah? Like to show you bare, vulnerable, stripped back, naked..if you know what we are saying. We think the audience will just love it. It's symbolic, right? Are you feeling it, Rob?"

Robbie: "OK, but I want a cushion"

It’s all relative. He can well afford a 3k cardigan. Personally, I am chuffed that a working class boy became minted. It happens so rarely.

And I quite like the underpants thing because it was a bit like him inviting us into his world. We are asked to take him as we find him. Compare that to the tight arsed social climbing Beckhams who in public are trying to curry favour with the high ups in order to become Lord and Lady B. Team Williams!

I just found it very self indulgent. The beginning was good, he was so young in Take That and you can see why he left with so much pressure and all the limelight and credit being on one member of what was supposed to be a 5 piece group. Going off the rails... understandable being 21, just left a very successful boy band and having freedom for the first time.

After that, he just became a prick. The first few albums were good with the help of Guy Chambers as they worked well together and came up with good stuff. After guy though, he never had another good album, it was really shockingly shite! He may have been fighting demons but he comes across as arrogant, cocky and without guy never had the good songs to back any of it up.

I enjoyed watching as I do all of these celeb documentaries, but it was really quite notable (and boring) that nobody else was really interviewed ? It would have been interesting to hear from people who were around at the time, maybe Gary Barlow, Ginger spice etc?
The wham one and the Liam Gallagher one were far better IMO, this one was as self indulgent as I’d anticipated.
I must have been as out of it as Rob through the 90s because I don’t remember his relationships with Nicole or Geri particularly , which is weird.
Far more, I recall the rumours about his sexuality.
Geri Halliwell seemed pretty articulate and mature in the films when they were holidaying. I don’t remember this about her so I guess the whole ‘ginger spice/ girlband label was pretty reductive. She can across well i thought.

There were lots of rumours about Robbie being gay or bisexual, yet he's only ever dated women. The most persistent rumour was that his friend Jonathon Wilkes was actually his lover, but having seen the documentary, and seen how he and Jonathon interacted, they weren't boyfriends, they were best friends. In my opinion, obviously.

@Ramalangadingdong this is a very good point about his working class origins. Fair play.

@Beentherewasntfun Which Liam G documentary is this please? Where is it?

@FernFae Is he ND? I never heard that?

So, was he actually romantically with Geri? It never actually showed them kissing etc?
Looking back, all the members of TT, aside from Gary, seem gay…I wonder what Robbies story is in that respect…

Someone I know said they saw him
in a restaurant canoodling with a boyfriend.

I thought it was telling how Jason left Take That again not long after they’d welcomed Robbie back for the Progress album.

Definitely. I think he agreed to go back to a five piece to provide some closure and heal some wounds, but in the end he couldn’t stand the dynamic.

I also think he’s really quite sensitive and low key and was just over being famous. It’s sad the way he’s kind of vanished out of their lives though. Afaik he isn’t in contact with them at all.

Not sure if Gary deserved the hatred though, he’s an incredible song writer, not a frontman though. It’s an interesting watch!

I disagree. I think Gary is a natural showman and a brilliant performer. He just doesn’t have the X factor and the charm that Robbie has. He would never have made it as a solo artist doing what Robbie did.

I actually think they both possess what the other lacks. Gary had the musicality and Robbie had the personality.

No mention of Ray Heffernan and "angels".

@Jesusitsfreezing Netflix also think it’s called as it was?