Where politicians lead, rock stars follow. And so when Robbie Williams is pictured in several of today's papers walking the streets of Amsterdam in a woolly hat and greying beard, his spokesman rushes to the phone to insist 'he didn't smoke any weed'.
There is no reason to doubt the good word of Robbie's PR. So, what was he doing there? Having breakfast, apparently, with an unnamed brunette. And taking a bit of time out from recording the latest album.
And why the Netherlands? For the tulips, the town planning, the bicycles and the barges, of course.
In the past, Robbie has had this to say about drugs:
'Some of the best times in my life happened under the influence of drugs. I'm not saying "go out and do drugs, kids," but I enjoyed them. I'd still be doing it if I could make good judgement calls. I'd still be doing it if I didn't blow up to the size of an aircraft hangar, you know, because it was a great time.'
I'm not sure that these days any kids would do something just because Robbie suggests it. And I'm not sure he was talking back then about the sort of drugs that are legal in Amsterdam...
But I have a suspicion that certain other celebs might be responsible for making narcotics appear so, frankly, disgusting these days that someone like Robbie fears for his reputation if he's seen to be into them.
Thanks, Amy, Pete, Kate...Thanks for making Robbie Williams prefer to seem like Bill Clinton than like you.
