Past Chats: T4 Special - Robbie Williams

Quoted from: http://www.channel4.com/

'To celebrate the release of Robbie's new album 'Intensive Care' and his T4 Special, we took a selection of YOUR best questions and put them to Robbie. In short we let YOU entertain him. (See what we did there?)

Michelle Locke Erith, Kent : Hi Robbie, I really enjoyed the video to 'Tripping' it was something completely different to what you have done before and I was wondering how you and the producers came up with the idea?
Robbie : Well, basically the video for 'Tripping' is a few of my dreams cobbled together and, it's funny actually, in the original dream the guy in the lift that I try to beat up in the video (and fail miserably) was actually the lead singer of Queens of the Stone Age and I said to him, in the dream, 'Don't do that 'cos I'll tw*t you!' and he said, 'No you won't 'cos I'm 15 foot tall!' And he was! I've got nothing against the lead singer from Queens of the Stone Age by the way, I've never even met him. Another dream was that I was on a really good date with Jennifer Aniston and I thought to myself in the dream, 'This date's going really well, wait till she sees me levitate.' But I could only do it really badly with my a**e in the air and about 4cm off the floor. I looked at her like the Fonz would as if to say 'How you doin'?' and she looked completely disgusted at me. I've recently been dreaming about having a baby too but when I give birth it's just a head, they say that means re-birth. Dreams can pretty much be interpreted as anything though.

Keith from Cardiff : Hi Rob, glad to see you back, tell us about your new album - what are its influences, which tracks are you most proud of?
Robbie : God, what are its influences? I actually, when I started making it, couldn't get the song 'Louise' by the Human League out of my head. It kept popping up every time I sat down to write a song so a lot of tunes are my response to that song. There are all sorts of influences on the album though - from Scott Walker and Morrissey to U2 and the whole of the 80s. Neil Young and Glen Campbell too.

Ruth Morgan : My question is - I was at Live 8 in Hyde Park and thought you were fantastic, the best act there, what was it like to perform in front of such a large crowd at such a high profile even?
Robbie : Well two weeks prior to that I was really scared about it. I started hyperventilating because I hadn't done a gig for two years and I know that, at the moment, on that bill, I'm probably the only 'performer-performer' (as in someone who makes large gestures with their hands) so I kind of put it on my own shoulders that it was important for me to impress that evening. To tell you the truth, I got a kind of perverse calmness whilst on the side of the stage when I saw that David Beckham was even more nervous than me. It calmed me down. Then, to tell you the truth, I didn't do much after that; the crowd took care of it for me. There were a lot of people who liked me in the crowd so it was like a Mexican wave of adoration. I think they didn't have any chance to react differently because they wanted to be entertained. I just got on stage, sang and pointed at people lots and made big gestures with my hands. The rest was down to the crowd - they were amazing.

Lynsey Collier : Robbie, if you were a piece of underwear - what would you be and who would you like to wear you?!?!
Robbie : Erm... makes random noises* I'd be... you know, those under-garments that your granddad used to wear... long johns! And I'd like anyone who's cold to wear me :D

Mitzi, London : What's the most absurdly glamorous situation you've ever been in?
Robbie : Ahh right, well the first one was when we were in Take That. We were invited to Gianni Versace's house on Lake Como - it was just awesome. Elton John and Donatella were there. His place was like what the inside of Buckingham Palace must look like. At one point me and Elton went for a walk in the Versace garden and we were just having a chat and stuff and then after about five minutes it occurred to me that it was Elton John! I stopped him and I said, 'I'm going to have to have five minutes by myself, you're Elton John! But there have been loads more amazing scenarios too. I went to a party at Bono's house once, which was the party to end all parties. There were the most amazing amount of faces there - it was so surreal. But you know how, when you're young, you're always looking for the best party? That was it. I don't need to go to another one now. Ever.

Sally Henderson : Which of your own songs will you never get bored of performing and why?
Robbie : 'Angels' because I haven't performed it for the last ten years. The crowd does it all for me.

Granny Mitchell : What are you most bored of talking about? America, sexuality or addictions? And what would you LIKE to talk about?
Robbie : What I'm most bored about is sort of having to deny stuff that I've never said or that has been made up about me. The James Bond thing is constantly annoying. The America thing is just upsetting because the press seem to take great delight in 'Robbie Williams not breaking America'. You know... it does my head in because it's like well you're talking out of your a**e anyway because you don't know what my feelings are about the place or what I'm doing here or if it's important to me. Perhaps I should just let it go because I'm old enough now (and daft enough) to know that it doesn't matter what people write about me or ask me.

Sindy : If you weren't you and you only saw the media's image of "Robbie Williams" what would you think of him?
Robbie : Erm... *thinks* well if I wasn't me I wouldn't have an insight into knowing how the press and the music industry works so I'd begrudgingly like him, but I wouldn't admit it to any of my male friends. I'd be a closet Robbie fan ;)

Chris, Germany : Hi Robbie, what is your personal opinion about the gig in Berlin you just did recently? Did it go the way you were expecting it to and how did you like the German audience?
Robbie : I had am amazing time. I haven't been looking forward to doing the gigs but I've tried to have a different perspective on what it is that I do and how I do it. It seems to be working. In Berlin when people say it must feel amazing to be up there on stage - a lot of the time it just doesn't. It's a responsibility. People have paid good money to see me and I've got to be as good as the night before, or better. In Berlin though I just felt like, yeah it feels great to be up here and being a pop star is brilliant.

Hi Robbie, what would your perfect day would be like? Chris
Robbie : Oh I don't know... my perfect day would be: wake up, eat bread and butter pudding with custard, have a banana milkshake and then play football for 23 hours.

Odette Clargo : You've said that you'd like your music to give the same sense of nostalgia in 15-20 years time as some of your favourite songs give you, as many classic songs are covered years after they were first recorded, what song of yours would you really like to see covered in the future?
Robbie : Any of 'em. I'm always pleased if someone takes a liking to one of my songs and thinks they can do it. Even the Jessica Simpson version of 'Angels' - it doesn't matter who it is or how they do it, I always just think - nice one.

Lisa Wright : Robbie I have to do a lot of writing as part of my job and always find I produce my most creative pieces when under time pressure. What conditions work best for you when song writing - pressure? relaxed? emotional?
Robbie : Erm, I don't think it matters; not for me anyway. The best time is when I feel like it.

Ollie : I hear you're a big port vale fan. They've had a really good start to the season in League One, do you think they'll go up this year and do you get the chance to watch any games now you're in LA?
Robbie : I haven't been able to watch the Vale for a long time. But my heart's there. And one day I hope to own the club. I think the squad might be a bit too small to go up in the league and they might suffer after Christmas. They'll do really well though. My heart wants them to go up and my head thinks they may just be outside a play-off place but my mate plays for Southend and so I hope they do well too.

Nicole : I wonder what Rob would do if he could walk around in Europe anonymously one week without being bothered by fans or press. Is there a special place in the UK or someplace else in Europe where he would go?
Robbie : Yeah, I'd go around trying to convince everyone I'm Robbie Williams.

Diner : If you were stuck in a lift with the Gallagher brothers what would happen? Robbie : We'd try and figure out some way of getting out of the lift?! I'd teach them yoga and some meditation classes. We'd be at one with the universe. Oh and I'd be able to tell them both what it feels like to do a third night at Knebworth ;)

Stinkz : If you had to have all but one of your tattoos removed, which would you keep and which would you get rid of first?
Robbie : That's a bit like asking me what would you rather lose - your hearing or your eyesight? I've never thought about it.

Rachel Wiggins : If you could be a woman for a day...what would you do?
Robbie : I answered this the other week, and then all the press said, 'Robbie Williams wants a vagina!' I'd go to that place in Convent Garden where only women can go where they filmed 'The Bitch' or 'The Stud' - can't remember which.

Divas99 : If one of your songs comes on when you are dancing at a club do you still dance or are you too embarrassed?
Robbie : I'm always in two minds about it. I was with George Michael once in a club and he *only* got up when his songs came on! I really admired that because if you make the song then surely you'll like the song so surely you'll want to dance to it. 'Rock DJ' came on in Germany when I was there recently and I became very self-conscious. At the beginning I was embarrassed and then I thought 'Oh sod it'. I didn't sing - I just joined in with the odd word.

Newsy : What is your dream musician 5-a-side team is as you've played a lot of celebrity 5 a sides.
Robbie : Well in terms of just celebs, not necessarily musicians, I'd choose Jonnie Wilkes, Ralph Little, Ant McPartlin in goal, Harvey from So Solid and probably Dec on the bench.

Camilla, Norfolk : Is it true you have one leg very slightly longer than the other?
Robbie : Heh no. Right I have to shoot off now - off to do a Radio 1 gig.

Chat Ed : Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for Robbie, we're sorry we didn't have time to get them all in but we had hundreds! You can check out Robbie's website for details on his new album http://www.robbiewilliams.com