Robbie Williams: A better man?

This article presents a history of Robbie Williams. However, the meaning of that word — history — does not convey a seamless narrative of linear, normalizing truths of a great man. Instead, the recent past is fractured, severed and then quilted. Four keypads of culture are pressed. First, an exploration of boy bands is enacted, followed by a survey of masculinity theory, Generation X and dance culture. These four snatches of myth and memory are summoned to offer an innovative trajectory through an un(der) written history of the pop present.