Robbie Williams says unfazed by US anonymity

Quoted from: http://today.reuters.co.uk

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By Erik Kirschbaum
BERLIN (Reuters) - Pop star Robbie Williams said on Friday he did not care about his glaring lack of success in the United States, blaming himself for his failure to break into the world's biggest market.
At a rare press conference before launching his first album in two years at a Berlin concert on Sunday, Williams said "Intensive Care" was as close to perfect as he had come and that he selected only the 12 best songs from about 50 written for it.
Williams also lashed out at what he called media hypocrisy for their stories on British supermodel and allegations she snorted cocaine, saying he had taken the same drugs with some of the very same people who were now writing about Moss.
"It's not important for me, it never has been," Williams said of the United States, where he has remained a musical dwarf despite his towering success in other key markets.
"Everyone is always going on about 'how Robbie Williams hasn't broken the States'. You know, Robbie Williams really hasn't tried to break the States. Robbie Williams hasn't been that bothered or else I would have put the hard work in.
"I would've worked 14 months over there, shaken everybody's hands, gone to some radio people's barbecue and done everything everybody does," he added. "You can't break into the States with two months in 10 years, and I don't want to, so shove it."
Williams signed a deal with EMI Group Plc in 2002, which record industry sources have said was the biggest in music history worth around 80 million pounds. Sales in the world's largest market are crucial to record labels.
DANGERS LURK
Williams, 31, said he had spent the last two years polishing "Intensive Care", to be launched in an arena in Berlin and simultaneously broadcast live as the first "cinecast" in high definition to 27 cinemas and special venues across Europe.
The concert will also be "live-streamed" for the first time to mobile phone users of marketing partner T-Mobile.
Brushing off fears about his mental health, Williams said he was as happy as he had been at any time in his life and said the album is called "Intensive Care" because of all the hard work.
"Everybody think it's because of my mental state and that that I need looking after in some way. Basically, it's taken me two years to write and record. I've spent a lot more care making sure this album is correct. I've 'intensively cared' for it."
He added: "I want to make a perfect album and haven't achieved it yet. But with this album I'm closer still and I think the next one will be the one."
In a 40-minute news conference in an empty airport hanger with 250 journalists from around the world, Williams had harsh words for journalists writing about Moss, who lost two deals with leading fashion houses over the cocaine allegations.
"The media has a lot to answer for," said Williams.
"You're talking about a woman who has never harmed anyone, has never pretended to be someone she isn't. I find the way some in the various media groups, who I have personally taken cocaine with, are now saying she shouldn't take cocaine."
He added: "She's an absolute icon, she's beautiful. I think people should just get off her back because she's done nothing wrong. I've been to rehab. It's not fun. I hope she gets well. She deserves to be happy."'