No Rock And Roll Fun

YOU CAN CHOOSE AN ENDING, BUT NOT THE RIGHT ONE: The video for the new Robbie Williams single is - in a bid to raise interest/money - all interactive, with viewers being able to choose what ending eventually gets grafted onto it. Sadly, none of the options include the things we'd be prepared to splash text messages on - there's no option to see Robbie Williams being fed to hungry lions, or made to drink a bucket of Draino, or covered in the scent of a female grizzly on heat and sent into the Yellowstone hills at mating time. Instead, rather dully, you just to get to choose which of the lameass stars in their eyes Robbiealikes will be the overall winner. So far, so yawn.

Robbie has been told ("explains") the video is a dashing satire on the way pop idol et al forces people to queue up, audition, act in front of viewers on TV in the hope that they'll win their votes, and in return they get a stunted record deal, a few minutes fame and not much cash. He's done this by getting people to queue up, audition, act in front of viewers on TV in the hope that they'll win their votes, and in return get... um, to be the person who wins the most votes. Biting satire that wouldn't look out of place on Dead Ringers, eh?

There is a slightly satirical element, which even Williams himself recognises, to be fair. In the midst of railing against manufactured pop, Robbie remembers where he comes from. But, it turns out that although Take That were manufactured, it was... different then. Ah. I see.