‘I spend less time self-sabotaging’: Robbie Williams and Joe Lycett on making art

Last August, Williams posted a painting of a small, saintly looking child (not him), and captioned it with an account of how he had once made the mistake of reading the comments below a Mail Online piece.

“How about, Joe, you write a thoughtless stream of consciousness piece and send it to go behind a paywall at Mail+,” they said, “and in addition we will dedicate this issue of the New Review to your home city of Birmingham?” My high-intensity prescription antihistamines had kicked in by that point, and I agreed.

The comedian also paints and makes ceramics (you can see his “after Hockney” portrait of Harry Styles, a rude vase he may – or may not – have designed for H&M, and several other works on his website); in 2018, his sculpture Chris was accepted by the Royal Academy for inclusion in its Summer Exhibition.

Lycett, who is 35, was at home in Birmingham, in a pink room with a big cupboard in which he houses some of his beloved outlandish stage outfits; Williams, 50, was in London, where he lives with his wife, Ayda Field, and four children (one of whom appeared fleetingly on screen).

Joe Lycett with his painting ‘‘I drink a crisp, cold beer in a pool in Los Angeles while Gary Lineker looks on in disgust’ at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2023.

I went from being this good boy in a Catholic school in Stoke to being this person who had just bombed a gram of speed and had three E’s in my pockets, dancing in my Vivienne Westwood bondage trousers and shirt with a high collar and tie that had the same gingham pattern.