"Somebody Someday" by Mark McCrum - Book Review

At first glance, "Somebody Someday" appears to have been written by Robbie Williams. That seems to be what it says on the cover. But in actuality, the words are by someone called Mark McCrum. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because the author has spent plenty of time with Rob and the book offers some excellent insights into life on tour.That's where we find ourselves at the start of this book. After a handy listing of "who is who", the crew are rehearsing and preparing for life on the road. There will be changes, this time around. Rob is trying to live a clean lifestyle and he is determined to stick with it. It's going to be different. It's going to be a challenge. Nobody quite knows what to expect, least of all Rob himself.Throughout the book we are introduced to the various people in Rob's life. This provides nice background information and helps us get to know them that bit better. The relations between everyone become clear and some interesting insights are offered.As we tour along we share the various ups and downs, we learn what goes on behind the scenes of such a massive project, we learn more about the press, the music industry and the general madness that accompanies it. Above all, we learn more about Rob, the man, and Robbie, the media figure. There is a difference between the two.The events illustrated in this book take place before "Feel" by Chris Heath. Between these two projects, a person feels as close to Rob as one can get without actually speaking with him and meeting him face to face. These novels, combined, cover a significant amount of time in the life of the artist."Somebody Someday" contains a generous amount of photographs, some printed in colour, some in black and white. This is a pleasant bonus and Rob's fans will surely appreciate their addition.The author did a decent job. The book is not amazingly well-written, but then, it does offer a pleasant read and I had no problems with feeling involved. With a cast of "characters" as large as he was tackling I do feel he did a good job, giving everyone a bit of limelight.I would recommend "Somebody Someday" to any Robbie fan who would like to learn more about him than is commonly shared in the media. It's an enjoyable and entertaining read. I would also recommend it to anyone who would like to learn more about life on tour, and the life of a modern-day artist. You won't be disappointed."Somebody Someday" was first published by Ebury Press, with ISBN 0-091-88473-X. dr seuss cat in hat history