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.

Pretty much everyone can say something along those lines though. I could go on a gossip site like Tattle and tell everyone I saw Robbie Williams snogging the lips off some man in a bar in Canal Street.
I was told by a former workmate that he (the workmate) had slept with Jonathon Wilkes when he was in We Will Rock You in Manchester. Absolute bullshit because the night he claimed it happened Wilkes and his wife were photographed in a restaurant in Styal.
But it all added to the rumour mill that Robbie was secretly gay, if his best friend was also secretly gay.

Is he the man who sued him for plagiarism?

Apart from Jason they are all married with kids. I think Jason was in a relationship with Catherine Tate for a while and I remember when Take That first got back together there was a story about Mark cheating on his wife with lots of women. I don't get all the gay rumours?

Agree with pp who said Netflix is obsessed with 90s icons at the mo!

Pamela Anderson was one.

The gay rumours were mostly due to the fact some press outlets and large swathes of the general public were homophobic. Being called 'gay' was an insult back then. He's never said he is attracted to men, so we should believe him. The fact he may or may not have snogged men is a non story as far as I'm concerned.

He was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia a few years ago. Along with a couple of other conditions.

@Shakesapear I don’t think that was the reason at all

They played a lot of gigs at gay clubs at the beginning of the band, so maybe rumours came from that?
Robbie alludes to it in ‘Kids’ - his duet with Kylie. ‘Press be asking ‘do I care for sodomy?’ I don’t know, yeah, probably.’ He’s never really come out and said either way I don’t think, and neither should he have to.

I went to the Take That Uktimate tour and they did a " How to manufacture the perfect boyfriend set ".... it went along the lines of " No members of the band must ever confirm their sexuality as to appeal to men and women ".
They have a massive gay following, similar to Madonna,kylie ABBA.

@MaliciaKeys

Yes, RH had written most of angel, when he meet RW in a pub, recorded a demo in Dublin, RW claims to have rewritten it.

He paid RH to go away and for the rights. You don't need to pay someone for rights to your own creation.

I could be wrong but Angels was his first major hit after leaving TT and was for sure one of his biggest hits.

Completely ignored the whole saga.

I hot half way through the second half and then got a bit bored of the hum drum , repetitive information. Here I am not happy, I'm not happy here either. I was interested at the beginning and didn't realise he was so much younger than the rest of TT. It is pretty shocking to think he was still a child. Hopefully things have improved with looking after young performers but where we're his parents in all of this. I'm not sure he's telling much else new about a rock n roll lifestyle. I hope he's OK and his children have a good life.

I meant second episode

Haven't quite finished the second episode yet but can't decide whether Robbie has any skill as a song writer. Or whether Guy humours his ego while he actually writes the song and lets Robbie fanny around with the odd lyric.

Although it looked as if Robbie was writing Eternity so perhaps I'm being harsh. Either way, the song writing was clearly a f* you at Gary and Robbie wasn't going to be seen as 'just' a performer (which is ironic as it's where he naturally wipes the floor with Gary).

His feelings about Gary verge on an unhealthy obsession. It was decades ago and his daughter talks about hating him. No self awareness to look back and recognise that Gary was the reason he got his big break and the money that came his way.

Except that the “hate” feels very past tense. This is an interesting doc because it is an older man who has been filmed so much that he has the opportunity to actually see himself interacting with others as a callow youth. The rest of us don’t get to do that. We all think we were cool teens but most of us were arrogant a-holes in one way or another but we are never presented with the abject truth of that like Robbie is here. I love that he is by turns fascinated, admirous, embarrassed and cringed out or saddened by his trip down memory lane.

It must be weird to encounter again a younger self who troublesome as he was, gave the older you a lifestyle that is unattainable and unimaginable for most.

The source was very reliable (I can’t say why of course). When they told me they had just witnessed what they allegedly saw the day before. But I don’t really care one way or another. I am just being a gossip but my true feeling is that is his business and nothing to do with me. Although I do think it’s a shame that stars still feel they have to hide stuff like that.

Except that the “hate” feels very past tense.

I'm not so sure. His daughter (who isn't that old) coming in and saying which one do you hate made me think it's still there to some extent.

I was only vaguely aware of that. Angels was Robbie’s breakthrough single and established him as a solo artist. I’m going to read more about it. Thanks for your reply!

I can’t stand RW, I actually find him really triggering as he reminds me of all my abusive ex’s rolled into one. He’s quite clearly a narcissist. I even had to quit my much loved exercise dance classes because she introduced a routine to Rock DJ and I just wanted to run out of the building every time it came on. It’s been good to read the comments so I don’t have to watch it.

I was pretty shocked at that. It's just not something you do as a parent. (Share hatred of others with your kids)

I wonder why you feel you even have to read the comments if he is so triggering. It isn’t obligatory. You could be kinder to yourself?

Guy Chambers is not a nice man. My friend worked for him and he was vile to her and had some revolting habits.

There’s a bit in the doc where he tells RW to take a walk outside. He sounds patronising and belittling. RW says I would rather sit down actually. It feels like GC sees himself as the boss when in fact RW choosing him as his MD rescued him from imminent poverty. All of us saying RW is an a-hole etc aren’t seeing the rest of the industry which is full of sharks and a-holes. Most of us wouldn’t last 5 minutes.

There are indications for me in this doc that RW is bullied both in TT and in the record industry in general. He is quite tough to have survived all that (although his addiction exposes his mental fragility).

I think the way his daughter spoke so freely about "which one do you hate Daddy" shows that Robbie's dislike for his TT band mates is still a regular topic of discussion in the Williams household. It was very telling.

Revolting habits? Like what? Picking his nose, belching, farting or worse?

But then I’d miss out on the schadenfreude.