Q Review: Robbie Williams - Rudebox

[Janet Street-Porter]

It is banal, totally, 100% banal and it doesn't pretend to be anything other than banal - and that's why it's funny, tongue in cheek and shouldn't be taken too seriously. Rudebox has an infectious bassline, catchy chorus, memorably ridiculous lyrics and a great video - all delivered by one of our generations great entertainers. Not a great songwriter, not a great lyricist and not a great singer - but a man who can deliver entertainment in bucketloads. Love it or hate it - but don't try and philosophize about it. It's just entertaiment surely?

So therefore the Halifax adverts are pop and bespectacled Brummie everyman Howard is the black Elvis? Rudebox is lazy - it's the sound of Phoenix Nights' Electro Night with freestyling to shame the most fifth-rate Eminem wannabe.

[gareth]

I'm at a loss as to how Robbie Williams can be considered "one of our generation's great entertainers." Each to their own and all that, but his appeal has passed me by...

I find your assertion that to criticise Williams would be to possibly condemn a huge number of people to the stupid bin somewhat amusing. It reminds me of the famous Mark Twain line: "Haint we got every fool in town on our side, and haint that a majority in any town?"

Drico.

Come on Drico - don't go all broadsheet music reviewer on me ......it's not "somewhat amusing" at all, the guy shifts a shed-load of product and is currently playing an enormous tour to a massive amount of people, isn't it a little pompous to suggest that they must all be stupid for liking him? What about the millions that saw him last time he toured? Were the million + people who watched the concert on Sky One all stupid too?

And whatever anyone's own opinion of him is, he can surely be placed as ONE of this generations greatest entertainers, the numbers don't lie. That's not to say that he is one of the best musicians around - which I thought I tried to point out in my previous post. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to place him up there with the best of the best, merely the most popular.

Re your comment JSP - I think you're the first to discuss the Halifax ads here! They do one thing very well, irritating as they are - they mimic those catchy pop songs that burrow their way into your brain for a short period of time - "Who Let The Dogs Out", the one by Big Brovaz (is that right?) etc. Would Rudebox fall in to that category - yep, I'd have to agree with you there. But then again, so does Go West - Sharwoods, Anchor etc.........

Cheers

G

[Drico One]

Come on Drico - don't go all broadsheet music reviewer on me ......it's not "somewhat amusing" at all, the guy shifts a shed-load of product and is currently playing an enormous tour to a massive amount of people, isn't it a little pompous to suggest that they must all be stupid for liking him? What about the millions that saw him last time he toured? Were the million + people who watched the concert on Sky One all stupid too?

I was merely trying to be, er, diplomatic. Let's face it, it doesn't suit me. Your contention that Williams must be a great entertainer simply because the "numbers don't lie" is, quite frankly, fatuous. Put simply, Williams appeals to the lowest common denominator. He's as deep as a pint of Boddingtons, but even more tastless. As Huck Finn rightly observed, fools make up the majority in any town. What else explains the success of The Sun, Big Brother, The Conservative Party, George Bush, The Catholic Church, Manchester United, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Adam Sandler, Silvio Berlusconi, Steve Irwin, PSB Community RIP threads, and the World Wrestling Federation? Eh?

Drico.

[Henrik Powers]

great post... but let's not forget that Robbie popularity is quite a lot due to is "sexy" appeal...

[gareth]

Come on Drico - don't go all broadsheet music reviewer on me ......it's not "somewhat amusing" at all, the guy shifts a shed-load of product and is currently playing an enormous tour to a massive amount of people, isn't it a little pompous to suggest that they must all be stupid for liking him? What about the millions that saw him last time he toured? Were the million + people who watched the concert on Sky One all stupid too?

I was merely trying to be, er, diplomatic. Let's face it, it doesn't suit me. Your contention that Williams must be a great entertainer simply because the "numbers don't lie" is, quite frankly, fatuous. Put simply, Williams appeals to the lowest common denominator. He's as deep as a pint of Boddingtons, but even more tastless. As Huck Finn rightly observed, fools make up the majority in any town. What else explains the success of The Sun, Big Brother, The Conservative Party, George Bush, The Catholic Church, Manchester United, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Adam Sandler, Silvio Berlusconi, Steve Irwin, PSB Community RIP threads, and the World Wrestling Federation? Eh?

Drico.

Morning Drico

I'm enjoying this discussion so I'll take the bait again!

To suggest that consideration of Robbie Williams as one his generations great entertainers is foolish, is foolish itself in my mind. You disagree that the numbers don't lie but back this up with a rather pompous sounding argument apparently based on social snobbery.

I find the contention that all those entities listed above symbolise the lowest common denominator rather blinkered - I buy The Sun occasionally (mainly for the football), I sometimes watch Big Brother, I support a major football team (but not Man United I hasten to add) and have done all my life, I find Adam Sandler "somewhat amusing" and both admired and found Steve Irwin quite watchable. Do I, or would society, consider me to be part of the lowest common denominator, not at all. Nor would the vast majority of my friends and colleagues who would answer in a similar fashion and probably add an enjoyment of Robbie Williams to the list.

People don't buy Robbie Williams releases or go to his concerts to to be intellectually stimulated - it is surely about pure entertainment? I don't buy The Sun to learn anything, I don't watch Big Brother as an exercise in psychology and I don't find Adam Sandler anywhere near as funny as Monty Python or Peter Sellers. But surely because they provide me with a modicum of entertainment I don't have to find myself condemned to society's lowest stratus - along with the huge number of people who do exactly the same thing? I get intellect and knowledge from different places, different programmes and different entertainers (although that's what they "Fundamentally" are at the end of the day).

I still think that Robbie will go down in history as one of the great's of his generation - you can't ignore that level of popularity over that period of time, whatever you think of him as an artist yourself, or indeed your opinion of those that do enjoy him.

Huck Finn also said "So kick off yer shoes, if yer wearin' em', and git ready for a spit-lickin' good time!". Bet he'd have loved Robbie!

Cheers

G

PS Henrik - very valid point too and one that hadn't even crossed my mind!

[!]

I'll say one thing Robbie's defence, he isn't fat. Why do people call him that? Was it the gobby Oasis brother (I get the names mixed up but I mean the t***) that called it him once or something like that?