Robbie Williams has confirmed that his new album will feature a co-write with former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow about Morrissey's stalker.
The Angels singer will release his 13th studio album, 'Britpop', which will arrive on October 10, which can be pre ordered here.
He hosted an exclusive playback for this album at the infamous Groucho Club in central London earlier this week, where he spoke to comedian Joe Lycett.
Along with featuring Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Williams says the new album will also include "a couple of songs" with Supergrass' Gaz Coombes, and one with Coldplay singer Chris Martin. He also revealed that his former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow will co write the new track, 'Morrissey', which will also feature on this album.
On his collaboration with Barlow, Williams said: “I’ve collabbed with Gary on a lot of tracks, actually! It’s great because that particular track is a song made by Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, about Morrissey".
On the track, Lycett said: “It surprised me because it’s really tender. You’re very considerate about him in a way that I wouldn’t be".
Williams replied: “Well, the reason I’m considerate about him is because I’m writing it from the point of view of a stalker. It’s somebody that’s stalking Morrissey and is completely obsessed and in love with him".
Elsewhere, Joe Lycett asked Williams how he is finding the European leg of his Britpop tour, which the comic called "fairly relentless".
“It is fairly relentless but I am really, really ambitious still and I have a burning desire to be quite good at what I do, which is lucky because people pay good money to come and see me. I am full of purpose; I have a burning desire to not let me down and not let them down", he said “By the applause at the end of the show, it feels like I’m not, so that’s good – and they might come back!”.
His chat with Lycett comes as Williams will play a show at the 600 capacity Dingwall, which takes place on October 9, the day before Britpop arrives.
“I’ve been told it’s your smallest-ever gig?” Lycett asked.
“Smallest-ever ticketed gig,” Williams corrected him, “because there was lot of shows with Take That where it was one man and his dog, and they hadn’t paid to come – and neither were we! But yeah… I am going back to the start".
“I’m gonna play the whole of ‘Life Thru a Lens’ [his 1997 debut solo album] and then I’m gonna play the whole of my new album, too. So it’s lulling them into a false sense of security and then having to do the bit for me. It’s not for them – it’s for me".
Joe Lycett added that Britpop is the album that Robbie was keen to put together following his Take That departure in 1995, before asking "In what way?".
“Well, I’ve kind of been musically a bit aimless for a little while,” replied Williams, “because I haven’t known, really, what to do. I’ve chased yesterday an awful lot, which happens".
“Fortunately for me, I was in the pocket for so long and my rise was so long. And then when commercial radio or whatever stops playing you, you think, ‘Shit! What was it that I did?’ And then you look backwards. I’ve just spent the last 15 years looking backwards".
“And I just think with this album, if I am gonna look backwards, I might as well just clear the decks, go back to the start and head off from there".
The album cover for 'Britpop' will feature the iconic photo of Williams at Glastonbury Festival in 1995, when he wore a red Adidas jacket and bleach blonde hair, with one tooth blacked out.
“I’ve worn a lot of clothes – we all have,” Williams said. “And you would think that out of everything I’ve worn, there would be several iconic moments. And it turns out there’s only one… For some reason, that has stayed in the hearts and minds of quite a few people that have seen it".
