Allen the family

Keith Allen is getting used to his time as the father of Lily, not milking her success for publicity for the new series of Robin Hood in exactly the same way she didn't milk his success for publicity for her record career. He seems a little confused about her biography, though:

“She was never the type to stand under the Christmas tree singing — and thank God, because I’d have walked out of the room.

“But I’m really proud because she spent two years sleeping on friends’ floors, doing all sorts of jobs — I got worried when she took up flower arranging — and made it work by herself.

“She couldn’t get a deal at first, maybe because of my name, but she basically said, ‘fuck you’ to the record companies and did it anyway by putting her stuff on myspace.”

Although, of course, she'd already had and lost one deal with Warners, and was on her second with EMI before she went anywhere near MySpace. You'd have thought a dad would have known that.

Mind you, clearly Keith doesn't know much about the music industry:

He said he even cancelled the re-release of his Fat Les hit Vindaloo during the World Cup so it did not clash with her album Alright, Still.

Yes... a re-re-release of a novelty single would have had a terrible impact on a mainstream pop album which was receiving the full might of the EMI marketing department. It's a little like not whistling in case it adds to the strength of a hurricane.

Keith, 43, praised Lily for making it without his help — taking on jobs such as working in a flower shop to make ends meet.

That is pretty impressive. How long does someone have to work in a flower shop to earn the fees to put yourself through Hill House and Bedales?

music keith allen lily allen robin hood fat les