SPIEGEL: Mr. Williams, a Christmas album, seriously? Are you entering the solid Cliff Richard phase of your career?
Williams: When I was still at Take That, we once played at the Brighton Civic Center. We drove past the hall and saw tons of women of a certain age camping outside, not because of us, but because of Cliff Richard, but he did not play in Brighton until five days after us.
SPIEGEL: Yes. And?
Williams: Last week I gave a concert here in London, and people camped in front of the club three days earlier. Well, yes, I'm approaching.
SPIEGEL: Are the fans who are waiting for their concerts because they are already at a somewhat advanced age or are they still a little younger?
Williams: Some are younger, but most are middle-aged. Like me. It's true: Cliff Richard had a career of five decades, it would be very fortunate if I could emulate what he achieved.
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Robbie Williams: Swing when it's Christmas!SPIEGEL: You've also done it for 30 years. Of course you can even bring out a Christmas plate. But why not a new studio album after a break of three years?
Williams: Going to the studio, recording a pop album, doing press events, going on tour - I did that twelve times, before that five times with Take That ...
SPIEGEL: You were bored?
Williams: I just wanted to do something different, I wanted a concept. And besides, I did not want pressure. Each album creates tremendous pressure, because in this business is mainly about external perception. That stresses me! It's more relaxed with a Christmas album: if it sells well, great. If not, too, okay. It does not have the same importance, it's not about all or nothing. And besides: I really love Christmas!
SPIEGEL: What were the Christmas celebrations of your childhood? They grew up after the divorce of their parents with their mother and step-sister in rather precarious circumstances in Stoke-on-Trent.
Williams: Yes. My mother has always worked hard to bring us beautiful Christmas memories. She scraped everything she could, and I'm very proud of her and what she achieved as a single mother. These moments of kindness, contemplation and togetherness have been deeply engraved in my psyche. They make me the person I am. And now, again, I live with a woman who is something akin to the personification of Christmas: she is incredibly romantic and eager to create these moments for us and our children as well.
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The Christmas Present (Deluxe)
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SPIEGEL: As a child, you usually do not appreciate that.
Williams: No, as a kid, it's all about gifts. Gifts, woohoo!
SPIEGEL: And as a teenager, you even take an anti-attitude to Christmas, right?
Williams: Sure. But you also start drinking alcohol early on Christmas Eve. Christmas has always been an excuse to drink more. Back then, before drinking became a problem for me, it was great fun. Drunkenness has a numbing effect that puts everyone on the same level, Kings and Queens and Paupers - the king as well as the beggar. This is literally intoxicating. That was also part of Christmas for me when I was 15, 16.
SPIEGEL: You also have a bit of social criticism hidden on your Christmas album, which consists of classics and some newly written originals. The single "Time For Change" could be understood as a contemporary commentary.
Williams: Well, it's not like I was thinking about the fate and the future of the whole planet, and then decided to write a song. I did not write it because of the current events, especially in my home country, but it happened rather by the way: Huch, that's relevant!
SPIEGEL: As a commuter between your residences in Los Angeles and London, you're experiencing the worst of both worlds: Trump in the US and Brexit in England. How does that feel?
Williams: My confidence in the system and the people behind it has never been very strong, but now it has completely dissolved. I'm aware that there are these sociopaths who rule the world, but they have nothing to do with me: just do it, I'll take care of myself and my family.
SPIEGEL: That's a bit hard to believe now.
Williams: No, really: What these people are doing is a pantomime, it does not exist. It's like a mirage in a desert full of shit. I'm not there, I do not care, do not look.
SPIEGEL: Does not your own power as a successful entertainer give you the responsibility to formulate an attitude or a political statement?
Williams: But I do not have such a statement! And it goes well beyond my intellectual horizon. All this will work out by itself, and then we'll have to deal with the mess that's left over.
SPIEGEL: Until then, do you want to give people some Christmas joy?
Williams: Hopefully! I have written a total of 35 songs for this album, which is not possible, if only cynical. Sure, I admit, it's a perfect opportunity for me to play it safe. And I enjoy that. But it's also about writing a song for eternity. Do you know how big the kick will be for me when the Christmas song I released this year will be played again next year? That means everything to me!
SPIEGEL: For a cynic, I've never actually held you ....
Williams: Oh, I'm already latent. But we also live in a cynical world.
SPIEGEL: All the more ironic that you, of all people, bring out a contemplative Christmas album.
Williams: Ha, but you have not heard the whole album yet! These are things that will upset people. Some things might even appeal to you. It's pop, but it also has punk moments, a kind of middle-of-the-road punk rock.
SPIEGEL: You wrote the songs of the album together with some close friends and colleagues near your home town. How important was this recollection?
Williams: Most of it has actually been recorded in Burslem, one of the five communities of Stoke-on-Trent. We loved being able to be ourselves in this place where we grew up. Only people who come from such small towns can understand that. I have always been sentimental when it comes to my background. But the boat was built there, and it had to be sailed elsewhere. That's the way it is.
SPIEGEL: You have steered your boat to a safe haven and are happy with your own family?
Williams: Yes, but that was not on any map. That was not foreseeable, anything but that. But luckily it happened. A: I am still alive. B: I became a father, C: I am a loving husband.
SPIEGEL: Do you feel safer and more secure now than before?
Williams: Yes, I do. I worked a lot on myself to become a better person. I can even pat myself on the back.
SPIEGEL: Any addiction is still bothering you, they say. Sometimes it was alcohol, then sweets. You just quit smoking, what is it now?
Williams: Golf. My current dependency is playing golf. It will be a few months now, and then it will be something else again.
SPIEGEL: What is your handicap?
Williams: 13. Better than the average, but not as good as it should be ... ... like my penis!