Monkeying with Superstardom: Why 'Straight Gay Man' Robbie Williams Couldn't Pass Up 'Better Man'

EDGE: I want to ask about your appreciation for the Rat Pack. Can you discuss how they inspire you?

Robbie Williams: Well, there is a magic that is created when people use humor and silliness to elevate and alleviate your human experience. They also happen to be from a time where glamor existed and people were allowed to be stars in every sense of the word, so cynicism had yet to take hold – the media's need and want to cancel, eviscerate, destroy, and kill everybody, if not physically kill, emotionally kill. They existed in a period of time where everything was more naive, and there was something intoxicating about glamorous grown-ups behaving in a silly way to make you happy – also, at the same time, having extreme talent. So, the beauty in that, and the magic of that, was very believable, because they believed it.

EDGE: You were a nominee at the Golden Globes.

Robbie Williams: Yes. I was there.

EDGE: Was it fun?

Robbie Williams: It is what the entertainment industry is. It's a beautiful lie. And you can notice the lie and not consent and be cynical towards it, or you can notice the lie and embrace it and find it titillating and humorous, while at the same time feeling like a sex worker... as you're lining up saying, "Pick me, pick me. pick me." The entertainment industry as a whole has done such a great job in selling this lie. We love this lie. It's intoxicating. What goes on behind the scenes, before and after these events and sometimes during, are the most interesting aspects – way more interesting than the show itself. How it feels for everybody concerned – if it's not your first time where you're just taking it in, you're beguiled by it – after a while, at these things, you sit back and process it and look at what it is. And, basically, you're in training to be a police horse and not react to the overwhelming stimuli that is happening to you. It is unnatural. It is unhuman. It is weird. And also, at the same time, you're lucky and honored to be invited to the party. So, it's highly unusual, as every aspect of this industry is.