Ask Lemmy

This is Lemmy, which crowd are you expecting to know him, the Marxists, the distro-snobs or the furries?

As an American I didn't recognize his face. Then I read that he is Robbie Williams and I also didn't recognize his name.

Im from Germany and Im quite shocked right now that there are people who dont know him. I was under the impression he was famous all around the world, kind of like Michael Jackson or Elvis. I think if you ask 100 random people in Germany at least 90 will know him.

I don't. Looks like a talk show host

Isn't this Robbie Williams? I've never been in UK.

He is quite known here in Germany, take that !

Yeah, it's Matt Damon and Patton Oswald's fusion dance result.

robin williams rip

Germany here, this is:

Robbie! One of the better musicians to rise from the age of boy bands.

German here. He's super famous in Germany. I used to think he was an international superstar and only learned a couple of years ago that nobody knows him in the US. Still don't quite understand how that happened. How is "Feel" and "Angels" not stuck in everyone's head every once in a while?

Usa, No

Robbie something. A singer, right? (France)

he is the OG meat suit before lady gaga was even a concept. He did a stint in rehab for 'caffiene addiction' (but cmon, we all know it was cocaine lol)

He is well known in australia. but since i was travelling away from there people just think im mispronouncing Robin William's name if i bring him up.

That's Andy Burnham, our new Prime Minister.

French guy in his late 30s here.
I recognize Robbie Williams. He had at least one song in the charts (Angels reached n°7 in France in 1997-1999).
Probably saw him on MTV at the time. Also heard him on the radio more than a few times.
Used to mix up his name with Robin Williams' ^^

Didn't know Patton Oswald started dyeing his hair

Most of Europeans will recognize him.

!askusa@discuss.online will probably be different

No

Well yeah, who doesn't know Robbie Williams? Isn't he more or less one of the best known solo artists internationally?

Though he now isn't as young as in that picture anymore.

For reference: I'm Swiss, and in my early 30s

I don't know him very well. But he looks like the kind of person who would have gone and spoiled it all by saying something stupid like "I love you". Sometime around the Millennium.

I'd recognize that man anywhere. That's Bear Grylls.

No.

Middle-aged French woman who never really was in the loop about pop culture: No idea whatsoever.
I thought about this over-memed wrestler, then the TV chef who screams (and whom I only know through memes.)
Then I saw a comment about Robbie sth, so I thought about Margo Robbie, who might have played Barbie. And now I'm pretty sure this man is Robbie William, who was in a boys band when I was a kid? teen? and who might have gone on to have a solo career of not-quite-as-bad music.
I gave it my all.

Robbie Williams? (from US, best friend used to have "Millennium" on repeat for a spell) I honestly thought at first that this was a Jonas brother or maybe post-reconstructive surgery Zac Ephron, but that didn't make sense with the UK part of the question.

Edit: I see I'm correct. But I honestly only dug into that part of my mind because I recalled both the aforementioned single and the general thing, stemming back to those days, that he was like huge in the UK but practically nowhere else. In other words, the question itself served as a clue to who he was (meaning he is apophatic--I only recognize him because I am aware of his absence)

I grew up in the US but have been living in Japan for 11 years and spent maybe one total month in the west between 2017 and 2023. I've seen a picture of this person before, I think, but couldn't tell you who he is. Looking at the other comments, I do know the name but only from watching UK panel shows on YouTube.

TIL I haven't seen a photo of Robbie Williams in 20 years.

Robbie!

He’s the Carson Daly we have at home.

That's Robin Williams his son, isn't he? Robbie? /jk

Yeah, I know him, his hits were also popular in the Netherlands.

you should have asked this 20 years ago buddy. doubt many ppl in the uk now know who he is either!

He looks like an ape I saw in a movie last year.

Haha! A lot of us know Robbie now. I feel like when his movie came out, Europe figured it would be recieved as well as a movie about Michael Jackson but it just didn't work out that way.

Robbie Williams. Grew up in Indonesia and in the 90s and 00s US and UK boybands/pop acts were quite popular. UK/Irish bands might be more popular than US ones. I would say my friends would know more Westlife songs than they do *NSYNC songs

Aussie here. He made some of the coolest music videos ever.

Not British. I'm a grown ass straight man with a wife, kids, back pain, and a mortgage, but FFS I'm still such a Robbie fangirl.

I always thought he should have played James Bond instead of Daniel Craig. But then again I always like Roger Moore better than Sean Connery. Robbie could have brought an Archer vibe back, instead of overcompensating for that 90s casting fail.

If only Robbie had been an actor. It may out my age quite a bit, but escapology is IMO one of the best albums ever. And it doesn't even have Rock DJ, Angels or Let Me Entertain You. As I age, I love how Robbie started crooning... It makes it easier to follow the speed regulations on my commute.

Britty McBritface?