In the first of a special series of episodes, we’re delighted to welcome everyone’s favourite music video director, Vaughan Arnell, to Robbie Williams Rewind!
Described by Robbie Williams’s own website as “a collaborator almost as central to Robbie’s story as Guy Chambers”, Vaughan has directed some of the most iconic music videos of Robbie’s career. His extraordinary CV also includes videos for the Spice Girls, George Michael, Terence Trent D’Arby, Jamiroquai, One Direction and many more.
In this episode, Vaughan takes us right back to the beginning, recalling the first time he worked with Robbie when, alongside Anthea Benton, he directed Take That’s ‘Back For Good’. He shares his first impressions of Robbie, as well as some valuable lessons learnt from spending a music video shoot working with a lot of water!
Vaughan then took the helm for ‘Angels’, immortalising Robbie in stunning black and white on the beach at Saunton Sands, before filming him amongst netball-playing girls in London’s Paternoster Square. Vaughan reveals what happened the night before the Devon shoot, when he and Rob were very nearly refused dinner at their hotel, and remembers the extraordinary reaction Robbie received in London while filming the kissing scene.
Following the success of ‘Angels’, Vaughan directed ‘Let Me Entertain You’, bringing Robbie’s vision of becoming a member of KISS spectacularly to life — complete with leotard, make-up, a full rock ’n’ roll band, pole dancers and groupies.
It was on the set of ‘Let Me Entertain You’ that Robbie first played Vaughan his new song ‘Millennium’ and announced that he wanted to be James Bond in the video. Vaughan helped turn that idea into reality in glorious Sean Connery style at Pinewood Studios — where he and Robbie even received a rather unexpected visitor while standing beside 007’s Aston Martin! The video went on to win Best British Video at the 1999 BRIT Awards.
And then came perhaps Robbie’s most iconic video of all: ‘Rock DJ’. Voted the third greatest pop video of all time by the public in a 4Music poll in 2010, and winner of Best British Video at the 2001 BRIT Awards, its unforgettable concept became a defining moment in Robbie’s career. Vaughan tells us how the video was brought to life, including the unexpected challenge of discovering that some of his roller-skating models… couldn’t actually roller-skate!
From rain-soaked Take That to Angels on the beach, Robbie as James Bond and the extraordinary creation of ‘Rock DJ’, this is a fascinating journey through some of the most memorable music videos in British pop history.
We hope you’re as excited as we are to hear Vaughan’s stories on Robbie Williams Rewind!
Watch below & available on all major podcast providers – listen here!
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