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EP 82: Better Man | Fame is a Fuzzy Pickle

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Good Morning!!!

This week we delve into the life and times of Robbie Williams, a British pop star plagued by drug and alcohol addiction as most rock stars are in the biopic Better Man (2014). Spoiler alert - Robbie is played by an anthropomorphic chimpanzee. Trust us, it WORKS!

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Bridget:

Good morning.

Wendy:

Good morning.

Bridget:

I'm Bridget.

Wendy:

And I'm Wendy, and this is Flickin Beans.

Bridget:

What's the coffee?

Wendy:

It is a Maui coffee company. This was a gift from Maria, who is the boy's mom.

Bridget:

Okay.

Wendy:

For Christmas. And I had it in my freezer and I found it and I was like, oh, yeah, chocolate macadamia nut is the flavor. I put a little hazelnut in there.

Bridget:

Kind of like finding a $20 bill.

Wendy:

In a winter co. Like.

Bridget:

All right. Okay. So this movie was off the chain. Yeah, off the chain.

Wendy:

A Better man is the name of the movie. It's not about Pearl Jam. It's about Robbie Williams.

Bridget:

And it's Robbie Williams voice.

Wendy:

Yes.

Bridget:

Not his body, actually.

Wendy:

Well, yes and no. The. Well, the body is played by another actor and he also does the voice singing live. And then Robbie Williams is narrating it. So it's. It's really Rob. It's like his internal monologue, but the actor is playing Robbie.

Bridget:

Okay. Now the other part that is noteworthy about this film is he's a chimpanzee. Yeah. A chimp, but stands like a man.

Wendy:

Yes.

Bridget:

I am not kidding. Ten minutes in, you forget he's a chimp. It's not. It's a lot like Team America with the marionettes. This is an action movie. I don't even notice that they're puppets.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

And it doesn't take long yet. He's extremely expressive. Some scenes are pretty hard to watch.

Wendy:

It's emotional.

Bridget:

It's pretty dark.

Wendy:

Yeah. He had a rough go of it with his parents.

Bridget:

There are probably a lot of rock stars who have similar issues. And I go back to like when his dad said, Prozac.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

What do you got to mope about? That takes me back, too, to when my mom said, you know what I'm going to say? Why would Jim Morrison take Trump?

Wendy:

Drugs.

Bridget:

He's so good looking.

Wendy:

I thought of recently because Val Kilmer passed away.

Bridget:

Yes.

Wendy:

And he played Val Kilmer. Played Jen Morrison in the Doors.

Bridget:

Right. We should say, though I wasn't that familiar with Robbie Williams because he's super huge in Britain.

Wendy:

Yes.

Bridget:

But not so much in the United States.

Wendy:

No, he's had some. Like that Angel Song was a number one hit. And so that was big in the US and he had a couple others around the turn of the century. Or millennium also. Century. God, that makes you sound old. It was around the turn of the century. But it's true. Hey, I'm a millennial. It's the defining characteristic of my generation. Before or after?

Bridget:

Okay. So I wasn't familiar. I looked him up. You know, the. The person playing him is perfect with the swagger and it. The chimp shows in its expressive face the pain more than a human face could. And just like so many other rock stars, drugs, alcohol, drugs reminded me a little bit of Leonardo DiCaprio's role in Wolf of Wall Street.

Wendy:

I was thinking that. And the scene. Some of the scenes from the Dirt about Motley Crue. There's a particular scene for Tommy Lee where he talks about how it's just like a loop. He wakes and he's handcuffed to the bed. And he's like, oh, no. He gets up and he goes out and does his day and then gets so wild with drugs and everything that his manager handcuffs him to the bed again at night. And that's how he just keeps waking up for, like, a whole tour.

Bridget:

Really?

Wendy:

Yeah. So it's just like one big blur of, like, Groundhog Day. Yeah. And I was like, that's kind of what being on tour seems like, especially if you're doing a lot of drugs.

Bridget:

The fact that he doesn't feel loved by his father, yes, he gets it from his nan and mom, but it's just that it's so important and it shapes you. And dad was not very kind.

Wendy:

It's kind of a beautiful, sad, weird moment at the end because he actually thanks his dad of everything that he did for him, good and bad, because it got him where he is. Which, I mean, that's true. There's something about having an absent parent that makes you seek the fame more because you're looking for that validation from someone else. You're like, well, if the whole world loves me, it won't matter if my dad doesn't love me. Right.

Bridget:

But that's not true.

Wendy:

No. And they really portray fame in an interesting way in this. In a lot of the sequences, especially towards the end when it's getting kind of weird. And then he's, like, at his nan's funeral, and then there's, like, paparazzi there, and he's, like, having this really sad, deep moment, and all these people are screaming at him, showing him love. But it's. It doesn't feel that way. It feels like they need something from him, which I'm sure it feels like that a lot. Yeah. Because these people don't really know you. They have an idea of who you are and they want a piece of you.

Bridget:

And the point that was made is that he basically is a. For them.

Wendy:

Yes.

Bridget:

To entertain them. You think that's what you want because you love singing. Yeah, but once you get it, man.

Wendy:

It doesn't seem like it's that much fun. No, I want. But don't you want that job, though? Like, that's. That's the trade off, I guess. Like, you get to do that, which is, like, so much fun. Performing, maybe, Maybe. But then you have to give. You have to give something away to get that. And that's your. Your privacy and a piece of you.

Bridget:

Performing is fun, but fame is the worst.

Wendy:

His songwriting friend in the movie said something that I thought was really poignant. But when Robbie first goes off into being a solo artist, he is struggling to write things, and he's writing what he thinks people want to hear. And instead of, like, his actual feelings. And the guy is like, you' to get a hit, unless you give something, you have to give a piece of yourself away or people won't accept it. And that's just part of it. You have to be vulnerable. And he. And Robbie calls it getting naked on the first date because it's like the first time he's worked with this producer. And he's like, okay. But yeah.

Bridget:

He basically tells him, be your authentic self, and it's good enough. That craving the love for the parent overshadows all of the good things he hears about himself. That's tragic, really. You want to believe that they're having the time of their life up there performing.

Wendy:

They probably are for those couple hours every day.

Bridget:

I mean, he really pulled it out. What did he always say? Light it up. So it's like he is up beyond all recognition, yet he just kind of shakes it off and runs out there like the big starry is. There are moments where he's seeing his detractors, I guess, in the audience.

Wendy:

It's himself always. Other correct.

Bridget:

When you're having intrusive thoughts and you're telling yourself or just hating yourself. Yeah, I can imagine it would be fun for those two hours, but not fun. Seven days a week living on a bus and being f***** up.

Wendy:

That tires me out just hearing about it. We've even tried to just play two gigs in one day. And we're like, no, we can't do.

Bridget:

A lot out of you. Yeah, it's something like that. I would come off stage and just want to go to sleep. Maybe after a little pot, but there.

Wendy:

Was a lot of that going on, too. Well, he had more of a coke habit because he couldn't sleep.

Bridget:

When you have endless money.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

And fame, that's not hard. That's not hard to get.

Wendy:

Yeah, absolutely. He was also drinking a lot and I think that's a common cycle of use a cocaine to make you stay awake. So you can keep drinking or you can perform.

Bridget:

Right. Woohoo. Coffee break. Let's talk about our beans.

Wendy:

Hey, Bean flickers. Have you followed us yet? We are on Instagram and Facebook at flicking beans Pod. Make sure you like and subscribe and leave us a review. Interesting thing I read about the decision to do an eight. It came from the director because of something that Robbie had said in the past of like he felt like a dancing monkey for everyone. Which is a big theme of. Of this is that he is. It's a facade that he's putting on and he just has to do this no matter what. And the. All the people that he sees in the audience, if you're not familiar with Robbie Williams, those are all outfits that he's worn Videos.

Bridget:

Okay.

Wendy:

So they're like different parts of his career. It's sort of like his Taylor Swift eras tour all those. So when he's fighting them at the end, all the crowd turns into different Robbie Williams. And they're all. Yeah, they're all from his different videos.

Bridget:

Right.

Wendy:

And I thought that was kind of cool. Nod.

Bridget:

And he has a lot of videos. Yes, a lot of songs. There were some funny moments. My favorite funny quote was when someone described his d*** as a fuzzy pickle. It's true. He was hairy all over.

Wendy:

Yeah. He's short, furry and funny, right? Yeah, like Robin Williams.

Bridget:

Wow.

Wendy:

Yeah, Full circle.

Bridget:

Almost.

Wendy:

Yeah, almost. Well, that's what I think made me think of this movie too. Well, we had ditched on Robin Williams.

Bridget:

He really feels like he only shines when the light's on him. But it's lonely up there.

Wendy:

Lonely at the top, they say.

Bridget:

So that. Yeah, imposter syndrome. Basically. Fake it till you make it Right.

Wendy:

It's an impossible because you become version of you that people love, but it's never going to be you and you can never live up to it because it's not real. So then you're just like, who am I?

Bridget:

When he first auditions for the boy band spot, he didn't nail it. But as he's walking out the door, he stiffens up. He kind of turns it on and tells that producer, you found your guy. You know, he just gets cocky.

Wendy:

Yes.

Bridget:

That might the turning point.

Wendy:

When he turns around, he says something cocky and then he winks. And then that's like, ding. A little magic moment where the producer is like, oh, this guy has the thing. And we just need his charisma. And it worked.

Bridget:

Yes. Loads of charisma.

Wendy:

Yeah. And later, the producer manager says something like, oh, man, I wish I'd never seen that wink.

Bridget:

Oh, my God.

Wendy:

Or all of this over a wink or something when. Because they have to end up kicking him out of the band. Robbie. Because of his problems. I think it's around that time.

Bridget:

That happens a lot.

Wendy:

Yeah. That's in, like, every behind the music. Somebody gets too into it and then gotta kick him out of the band.

Bridget:

Well, I mean, yeah, if you're ruining everything. And doesn't it always seem in those situations that the whole rest of the group is clean and sober?

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

Okay. I don't believe that either.

Wendy:

No.

Bridget:

And they probably all have gonorrhea.

Wendy:

Oh, definitely.

Bridget:

Yeah. It's like, why wouldn't people want to be famous and idolized? Because, as we said, it gets so.

Wendy:

Bad that he attempts suicide at some point. And I believe that's real happened. And that part's, yeah, really sad. But it's sort of like saved by his nan a little bit. She made a comment when he was a kid about, it's in your heart, and there's a light that shines on his heart and it's a little.

Bridget:

And it does start shining.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

I'm surprised that razor blade could cut through all that fur. Not joking. And he picked it up a few times during the film. He contemplated suicide a lot. It's so sad. But he does use humor as a defense mechanism. That's part of that impossible syndrome, you know? I mean, so there were funny moments. Especially like before he got all messed up and it wasn't so funny.

Wendy:

Yeah. He said something about all, it's not that hard. You just gotta be fake it and have. Be a bit cheeky.

Bridget:

Be a bit cheeky.

Wendy:

That's a British thing to say. But yeah, he was always making, like, sexual jokes.

Bridget:

So is bollocks.

Wendy:

Bollocks?

Bridget:

Yes.

Wendy:

Speaking of sexual words, the British is. Are much more liberal with their use of the word c***, too.

Bridget:

And f**** isn't the b***. It's the front.

Wendy:

Your front b***, not a front b***. So I actually met Robbie Williams one time.

Bridget:

So you're just bringing this out now.

Wendy:

I spent a semester in London and it was around the time that Robbie's, like, greatest hits were. So he was plastered, like, everywhere in all the tube stations and everything. And then when I got back, it wasn't long after that, and I saw in the paper that he was going to be in Des Moines because he owns a soccer team and the soccer team was playing our soccer team, the Des Moines soccer team. So it's like a minor league soccer team that he owns. My friend went and watched the game and he stayed afterwards and like signed autographs and met us all and everything and it was really sweet. I have autograph and I have. I've met him.

Bridget:

Wow. And what was he like in person?

Wendy:

It was kind of one of those situations where he was standing there and everyone is like yelling at him and handing him stuff, you know, but sweet. Like he was polite and said thank you and made little quips, you know.

Bridget:

So charismatic. But not the freaky rock star.

Wendy:

No. Yeah, definitely like a charming guy. You can. More attractive in person than. He's sort of like a funny heartthrob because he's not like. Like you said, he's furry and short and a little odd. But he is good looking. Yeah. There's something. I think it's his swagger too.

Bridget:

Yeah.

Wendy:

But I remember thinking, like, wow, he's even more good looking in person. But I think that's true of a lot of celebrities because we compare them to really good looking celebrities.

Bridget:

We've also commented on how they're shorter in person than they are in movies.

Wendy:

Yes. Like Humphrey Bogart.

Bridget:

Huh? Or Tom Cruise.

Wendy:

Tom Cruise.

Bridget:

Oh, my God. All right. And what was the significance necessarily about the watermelon? Was it just because he said he just got up and took it when they kicked him out of the band?

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

Comes back around, though.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

As an. I'm sorry.

Wendy:

Yeah. Did you notice how he signed his name? It was coming out of a d***, squiggled a little drawing of a d***. And then coming out of it was his signature.

Bridget:

Oh, yeah.

Wendy:

On the watermelon.

Bridget:

That's perfect.

Wendy:

Speaking of cheeky, I thought that was funny. Yeah. I guess it just the. He had the fight and took the watermelon.

Bridget:

Why do so many boys like to draw dicks?

Wendy:

I don't know.

Bridget:

It's real.

Wendy:

Yeah. He talks about. He has like a condition where he can't stop drawing dicks.

Bridget:

What do you think it's called?

Wendy:

Well, he says you get stuck at the age you become famous. And I've heard that before. That's something that Lady Gaga said in her documentary is that you kind of get frozen at this stage of that you become really famous because it's hard for you to evolve beyond that.

Bridget:

Yes. He said, I'm unevolved.

Wendy:

So he was 15, never got to mature into a normal adult. So that probably messes with your thinking.

Bridget:

You have to be grounded, really grounded with family and close friends. Like true friends would be almost impossible to make true friends in that world.

Wendy:

You really would have to depend on the people that knew you. Before he touches on this in the movie. Has that buddy from home and he kind of ruins the relationship. His friend is one of the only people that's still worried about him as a person trying to help him, and he pushes him away. But he makes amends once he goes to aa. And that was a nice moment. I don't know how you really can trust anyone.

Bridget:

Everyone wants something.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

Whether it's money, drugs, just to be in your posse. Close to the fame.

Wendy:

Well, because being close to the fame is like better than the fame. Probably because you get the perks. But then you can also still go to the grocery store. I don't even like running into people I know at the grocery store. I can imagine. Like, being famous would be really tough.

Bridget:

Oh, my God. Deer in the headlights.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

I hate running into somebody I know. What are you up to? Shopping.

Wendy:

Yeah. I will actively avoid them. Even if it's somebody. It's not that I don't like the person. I just get weird. I don't know what to say.

Bridget:

I just push right past. I'll go, hey, Hi.

Wendy:

Just don't.

Bridget:

Keep going. Keep going. I didn't need anything in this aisle. I'm just cutting through and then come back. Circle back.

Wendy:

Right.

Bridget:

Well, this movie is really, really good.

Wendy:

I was pleasantly surprised how deep it was, I guess too. Just well done and poetic and funny all at the same time.

Bridget:

And talk about vulnerable. It's so honest.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

I read that his dad didn't really sing with him at that point. He wasn't really on stage with his dad. But for the movie's purposes, it just shows that they made amends. And it's so sad. Here is the human tragedy really is that we don't begin to process these things until we're much, much older.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

And wouldn't you just rather be able to move on at the moment?

Wendy:

Yeah. We're unable to see the big picture and we're out of it. Oh, regrets. I've had a few. There's an obsession with Frank Sinatra and those kind of crooners that because his dad is into that. I always. That singers have gotten so much better since then.

Bridget:

Well, actors too.

Wendy:

Because I didn't grow up in that era. I just don't have a strong connection to those guys that my way song is. It's a great song. The lyrics and everything are very powerful, so I'm not knocking that. I just was curious.

Bridget:

I mean, he really belts it out and the audience must have loved it. He probably ended a lot of shows with it. Yeah, it's an homage to his influences.

Wendy:

Yeah.

Bridget:

Lovely. Did we do it?

Wendy:

I think we did it.

Bridget:

We flick some beads.

Wendy:

Okay. Love you. Bye.

Bridget:

Bye. Party all night long.

Head Shot

Bridget

Co-host
Head Shot

Wendy

Co-host