Just as I’m working myself up into a right royal lather about weddings – the expense, the pomp, the insincerity – a Facebook message ping distracts me from a daydream in which I’m pushing a bridal princess head first into a muddy puddle. It’s another member of royalty – music royalty – Mr Martin-Smith himself. He’s got a right cob on and understandably so, it would seem.

“They’ve been slagging me off again,” he writes with hurt and indignation. He is, of course, talking about the five ordinary, moderately-talented Manchester lads he turned into superstars. Despite their wealth and success they don’t seem to be able to resist having a go at their ex-boss, as demonstrated in Saturday’s documentary, Look Back, Don’t Stare.

One would have thought Martin-Smith would have hardened to it by now, after all, when do celebrities ever show gratitude to the people who made them famous?

But he’s been down this road before. In 2007, Robbie Williams apologised publicly and agreed to pay undisclosed damages (thought to be around £500,000) over an allegation in the lyrics of the song The 90s, in which Williams appeared to suggest Martin-Smith had stolen funds from the band.

Robbie Williams’ legal team said after the case that he had never intended to suggest that Martin-Smith stole from the band or anyone else.

“There is a huge story behind all this. I could have sold out and made a lot of money but I did the honourable thing – why, I will never know. They have behaved so badly towards me.”

At the time Martin-Smith was magnanimous, saying: “I told Robbie I didn’t want damages and that I would happily waive them if he would meet me face-to-face to chat about what has happened and put all this negativity behind us. I said we should just be friends again. But he refused to meet me. It’s a real shame it has come to this.”

The popular belief is that Martin-Smith had never liked Williams and was one of the key movers to remove him from Take That, with whom he split acrimoniously in 1995. Martin-Smith then sued Williams for breach of contract.

But as the model and acting agency boss so eloquently puts it – “that’s bullshit”. Although he’s refrained from spilling the beans, he has hinted that it was another member of the famous five who wanted rid because he “hated” Robbie.

Says Martin-Smith: “You’d think they’d be grateful I created them and then relaunched them. Even if I had ripped them off and stuck pins in their eyes, at least I gave them a career … twice. All I did was look after them yet they still they attack me. I’ve had enough.

“They need reminding that there are people out here who are losing their jobs, their homes and their sons in wars. What the hell have they got to moan about? They forget that I re-mortgaged my house to set them on the road to success because no one was interested in them at first.

“In the documentary they were constantly referring to my controlling management and how unhappy they were. Do they think people are stupid? They looked HAPPY, singing happy, upbeat songs. Now they look UNHAPPY singing self-indulgent twaddle. They’re based in London now surrounded by yes men and hangers-on who are too scared to tell them they have turned into pillocks.

“After I spent a year on their comeback they breached my trust and dumped me, but I never told anyone and this is how they repay me. I worked just as hard as they did for six years and yet they cut me out, blaming me for what THEY did to each other and now they attack the only thing I have left – my reputation. I am disgusted with them.

“There is a huge story behind all this. I could have sold out and made a lot of money but I did the honourable thing – why, I will never know. They have behaved so badly towards me.”

Well, Nige, even in the music business there’s such a thing as karma and after seeing the lads’ amateurish performance with goggle-eyed Robbie at the helm on Sunday’s
X Factor, I came to the conclusion that Westlife were the better band – and I can’t stand them.

The Take That tour may be sold out, but in the humble opinion of myself and many others, taking Robbie back on was a huge mistake. If it’s any consolation, no one’s going to listen to their whingeing about an old boss when they’re deposited back into has-been wasteland.

Источник: http://www.thenatter.co.uk/2010/11/exclusive-nigel-martin-smith-looks-back-in-anger-at-take-that/