Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74354 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-13
• Released on: 2001-09-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Robbie Williams's Somebody Someday takes fans behind the scenes of his 2001 tour, laying bare both the mechanics of the pop machine and a man who can undoubtedly claim to be one of the biggest stars in the business. Williams rose from the ashes of teeny boy band Take That, confounding critics who had housewives' favourite Gary Barlow down as the only member with a musical future. Robbie had a shaky start to his solo outing but the massive hit "Angels" sealed his position as Britain's Clown Prince of Pop. His 2001 Tour was the pinnacle of his career so far and writer Mark McCrum had unprecedented access. The result is not simply a diary of the energy and vibrancy of live performance and the backstage madness that helps keep the show going, but of a rather vulnerable and sensitive pop star who loves what he does. Robbie talks candidly about himself, revealing a far more mature individual than the egotistical womaniser image perpetrated by the tabloids. The photographs by Scarlet Page are wonderfully unintrusive but at the same time capture many sides of Robbie that are rarely caught on film. Yes, there is Robbie pulling his pants down (again) and weeing against a fence, but we also see Robbie relaxing in his hotel room, strumming away on his guitar and kicking a football about by himself in a stadium corridor. It's a far cry from the bright lights and over-the-top personality he lets emerge on stage. Robbie fans would buy this whatever the quality, but it's a genuinely well-written and enjoyable journey through a few whirlwind months of a true star. In one of his earlier hits Robbie sang "Let me Entertain You"--from the talent and star quality than shines through here, he shouldn't even need to ask. --Jonathan Weir

Review
In a much-publicised recent poll, Robbie Williams was acclaimed as the singer of the century (against such puny competition as Frank Sinatra), and (on the strength of a few songs) even beat Gershwin and Cole Porter as the old millennium's greatest popular composer. Which shows that there is an audience out there for this remarkable personality. Co-written with Mark McCrum, this is an autobiography that conveys the strange mixture of self-mockery and self-aggrandisement that make up the singer's complex personality. There is clearly more to him than the clown who drops his trousers to moon at photographers, and the energy of the book's text (written on his 2001 European and UK tour) vividly conveys what it's like to be at the centre of the media storm that follows him about. In the countdown to Christmas, here's a sure-fire winner if ever there was one.

The Sun
‘The rock book of the year’

Customer Reviews

like the saying: "don't judge a book by its cover"
At first glance this may seem like another shiny glossy item of merchandise you pick up from the stall at one of his concerts. It has all the right moves, the tour jokes, gleaming photographs and personal confessions and bravado. You can take it as that or you can choose to see something else. The small glances and looks in the photos which betray something deeper, the quiet and also load interplay between Robbie and his tour family and the way that this book is not just about robbie himself, but his world and those surrounding him. I'm not saying this is a work of epic proportions, or a cheesy pop profile either. It's a good book, with good people in it just trying to get along in life. How often can you say that nowdays?

An interesting and surprising portrait
When I got to read a pre-published extract from the book "Somebody, someday" in a German magazine this week, I was really surprised about Robbie Williams' mature views and his sensitivity because the information you usually get about that man present him as a loud, superficial and extroverted character who doesn't worry about essential problems in life at all. But you will see once again that it is just the one-sided artificial position musicians -or famous people in general- are pressed in by the media- the "sun always shines on TV" -image. In my opinion the book is definitely worth reading because you will be reminded of what really counts in life. You realize that having success does not automatically mean happiness and contentment. Surely an interesting portrait showing the vulnerable, thoughtful side of a superstar.

A great book about a great bloke
I saw Robbie in concert in July and this book was a great insight into the ups and downs he has, not just while on tour, but in his life generally. Reading 'Somebody Someday' made me really think how awful it must be sometimes to be famous, and also what a down-to-earth yet hugely talented man Robbie is. It struck me as ironic that in one bit, he mentions how his fans don't really know him; but I think he's underestimating his fans there. We know he's great, we know he's got problems, we know underneath it all he's a insecure man with a really cheeky side. That's why we love you, Robbie. The pictures in the book are fantastic, and the relationships the band and crew all have with him was intriguing to read. I laughed a lot, and also felt a bit sad from time to time. I'd love to see some sort of follow-up about his British Stadium tour.