Robbie Williams' attitude to show business

In this section, we will help you focus on Robbie Williams’ attitude to show business in the article “Robbie Williams: ‘My main talent is turning trauma into something showbizzy’ ” by Alexis Petridis.

Throughout the article, Williams expresses his attitude towards show business mostly in an indirect manner. His words reveal both his past attitude and his present attitude towards show business; when his past and present attitudes are contrasted, important changes in his attitude are emphasised. Nonetheless, readers need to draw their own conclusions on this topic by interpreting Williams’ references and language and Petridis’ observations.

For example, at the beginning of the article, Williams recalls how he gained weight after he quit smoking. This, in turn, led to him being compared with Elvis before he died by the Daily Mail. Although this was an offensive comparison, Williams seems to agree with it: “‘Yeah, I know, I look like Elvis before he died. Sorry, everybody, as I’m pointing at you suggestively, pretending that you think I’m sexy.’” (ll. 32-36). He then went on an extreme diet and started smoking again to suppress his appetite. These details reveal that Williams felt pressured to lose weight and felt unattractive as a result of his weight gain. Because he was willing to adopt unhealthy habits to lose weight, it ap...