Here is one successful guy. He has taken the world by storm. He has a talent and loves it. Good on him. He has gotten over some huge hurdles to get where he is at right now.
His addictive nature has meant that he has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for most of his adult life. I heard on TV recently, that he is still a smoker and is trying to give up. I hope he can, as smoking would not be good for his singing, I wouldn't think. He has been in and out of rehabilitation clinics, and he has had the support of big names like Elton John. People have certainly taken him under their wing, to help him out.
Robbie keeps regressing, though, and he returns to substance abuse. I am not sure if he is managing that part of his life at the moment, or not, but I hope so. I am sure he has got a lot more to offer the world.
It was interesting to read how him mother still continues to be a 'dominant' force in his life, attending his business meetings, vetting girl friends and generally taking a high level of control over Robbie's life. His sister, who he is at times close to, has a role to play in his life, too, as does his father, at different, times, and depending on the state of the relationship.
Robbie has always been driven by proving people wrong. He gives it to his former teachers, who said he would not amount to anything. He can tell you everyone who has ever wronged him, and is driven by both revenge and proving his point or his capabilities. What ever motivates him appears to be working, as he is getting bigger and bigger.
He has always wanted to be the life of the party, which drives this entertaining character that he uses. You know, off stage, he hates the name Robbie - he is Rob. That is it. Robbie is his stage name only, and he gets in and out of character brialliantly from all reports. He actually hates the lime light, and gets quite depressed during and after his shows, though apparently this is changing, as his mental state improves (as he is becoming less dependent on substances for his sanity).
He has never seemed to find love, though, and it will be interesting to see how this area of his life progresses. He is a sex machine, and will get with anyone who shows some interest. He is just as quick to dump them, though, especially if they are fans.
Robbie Williams is also very paranoid of being injured by fans or being assassinated (mind you, he once got pushed off a stage by a mad fan), like JFK. It causes a huge amount of grief in his life, and he has body guards with him at all times now. He has a massive entourage, apparently, and he pays them well do be at his beckon call (good on him - he appears not to enjoy his own company much). Then, he criticises the loyalty of his employees, forgetting they are employees, and nothing more. Not servants, only alive to serve Robbie Williams.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book, the story was great, the star of the book was successful, but troubled. And, you know what, he really doesn't care. He really doesn't give a s*** what people think about him (in some ways), he is his own man and he will do as he pleases, when he pleases, for how long he pleases. Good on him, living the dream. Glad it is not me.
Showing posts with label Angels and Demons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Angels and Demons. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Book 9 - Blog 1 - Robbie Williams, Angels and Demons
Well, it has been a while since I blogged last time. I have been putting it off, as it takes too long to put all of the book information in. With that said, I am going to change the structure of the blogs from here on in. The new rules are:
1. No book information to be provided (too time consuming)
2. Only one blog per book - after this book (same reason as above)
3. Not too tight on learnings - if there are some, great, if not, no problem (same reason as above).
Anyway, onto Robbie Williams.
I think there are more demons than angels in Robbie's life.
It is funny again, where I feel like I am unqualified to discuss the life of someone so famous, and someone that people look up to and love. Robbie Williams is a true super star, and he has signed contracts for up to $80M as record deals, so he can be considered to have been very, very successful.
The book was a good read, without being great, and Paul Scott did a top job of researching the material and getting inside the life and time of the man, who, for all his successes, struggles with his excesses (what a play on words - look out).
Robbie was born in February, 1974, and has changed the world, but in many ways, nearly self destructed his own. His father was actually an entertainer, too, though is mother has been the one that has had most influence over Robbie's life. He has been estranged for long periods from his father, who no doubt suffers because of that, and would be one of the proudest dads on the planet. His parent's relationship ended early in Robbie's life, and it affected him greatly, from what I can tell. Although his dad though the weekend visits with his son, including taking him to the races, of all places, were great, Robbie disliked them immensely.
In saying that, he has an amount of admiration (and thanks) for his father, who he has said taught him some of his stage savvy. One of the problems with Robbie is that he changes his mind all the time, and one moment he is mates with someone, the next, he is bagging them in the media or in his songs, which appears to be his chosen avenue of revenge. Good on him, I suppose, if he has got it, flaunt it. He holds a bad grudge, too, apparently, and never forgets those who wronged him.
He started singing and performing at the age of 16, in boy band Take That. He was the odd one out, in the band, as he had some spunk and some flair. He was recognised for that, and he earned significant amounts of acclaim. Even at a young age, he was a famous rock star, though he did not get on well with the band members, who of course, he still bickers with or writes nasty songs about.
His exit from Take That was nasty, as was his split with other managers, and he has coughed up oodles of cash in settlements from litigation. This has to be seen as a sympton of his apparent inability to manage his personal relationships. In saying that, though, his relationship with his song writer (who really took Robbie's words and made them flow - and subsequently famous - before Robbie started writing his own lyrics, and the accompanying music) lasted many years, before it too soured.
Key thoughts
I hope my kids don't grow up like this bloke. He is a loose unit, and I hope they are successful, without the self destruction (and addiction - more in Blog 2) that Robbie has suffered with during his life).
1. No book information to be provided (too time consuming)
2. Only one blog per book - after this book (same reason as above)
3. Not too tight on learnings - if there are some, great, if not, no problem (same reason as above).
Anyway, onto Robbie Williams.
I think there are more demons than angels in Robbie's life.
It is funny again, where I feel like I am unqualified to discuss the life of someone so famous, and someone that people look up to and love. Robbie Williams is a true super star, and he has signed contracts for up to $80M as record deals, so he can be considered to have been very, very successful.
The book was a good read, without being great, and Paul Scott did a top job of researching the material and getting inside the life and time of the man, who, for all his successes, struggles with his excesses (what a play on words - look out).
Robbie was born in February, 1974, and has changed the world, but in many ways, nearly self destructed his own. His father was actually an entertainer, too, though is mother has been the one that has had most influence over Robbie's life. He has been estranged for long periods from his father, who no doubt suffers because of that, and would be one of the proudest dads on the planet. His parent's relationship ended early in Robbie's life, and it affected him greatly, from what I can tell. Although his dad though the weekend visits with his son, including taking him to the races, of all places, were great, Robbie disliked them immensely.
In saying that, he has an amount of admiration (and thanks) for his father, who he has said taught him some of his stage savvy. One of the problems with Robbie is that he changes his mind all the time, and one moment he is mates with someone, the next, he is bagging them in the media or in his songs, which appears to be his chosen avenue of revenge. Good on him, I suppose, if he has got it, flaunt it. He holds a bad grudge, too, apparently, and never forgets those who wronged him.
He started singing and performing at the age of 16, in boy band Take That. He was the odd one out, in the band, as he had some spunk and some flair. He was recognised for that, and he earned significant amounts of acclaim. Even at a young age, he was a famous rock star, though he did not get on well with the band members, who of course, he still bickers with or writes nasty songs about.
His exit from Take That was nasty, as was his split with other managers, and he has coughed up oodles of cash in settlements from litigation. This has to be seen as a sympton of his apparent inability to manage his personal relationships. In saying that, though, his relationship with his song writer (who really took Robbie's words and made them flow - and subsequently famous - before Robbie started writing his own lyrics, and the accompanying music) lasted many years, before it too soured.
Key thoughts
I hope my kids don't grow up like this bloke. He is a loose unit, and I hope they are successful, without the self destruction (and addiction - more in Blog 2) that Robbie has suffered with during his life).
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