About Me
As well as being a Performance Poet and Singer/songwriter,Rob is an all round Entertainer.Real name Robert Ian PalmerBorn in Weymouth, Dorset England, on the 26th of June 1965.I moved to Tredworth,Gloucester in England with my parents at the age of five.Dad left the family by the time I was seven and never came back.I grew up in a one parent family with Three older sisters and one younger on a council estate in Coneyhill Gloucester.In my early teen's we moved to a larger council estate in Matson Gloucester, We were never really well off and I can still remember how my Mother had to struggle just to keep us kids clothed and fed, She would often go without herself to provide for us. She really did us proud. Thanks Mum xx.In the late 70s /early 80s I discovered Punk , or it discovered me ! I'm not sure how it happened But this was an outlet, Atlast people were standing up and saying what they really thought about all sorts of things, Freedom of speech was born.I started writing at about the age of fourteen, I've alway's been an entertainer.I joined the G.O.D.S (Gloucester Operatic and Dramatic Society) in 1983 and played a character called Scrantum Slim (a small part) in the Chorus line of the musical Guys and dolls. That was my first real taste of live performing, I was bitten right from the start. Later I played a bigger part for the G.O.D.S in a farcical play called Outside edge.By 1985 I was working for Club 388, A youth based programme at Severn Sound radio In Gloucester, I was on that for about two years. At the same time I was performing Live Solo gigs around the Country as Ranting Rob ,Sharing Stage's with the likes of : Maddy Prior (Steeleye span) Kenny Ball and his Jazz men - Amazulu (Remember them ?) Ian Dench (EMF) - and Atilla the Stock Broker (Performance Poet) to Name a few !I often featured in both Local and National press publications aswell as other Local and National radio stations including: BBC radio one with simon bates - BBC radio 4 and on National TV.The press Acclaimed me as "The People's Poet and Champion of the Working Class, But my favourite was The Bard of Gloucester . I think that was probabbly because in those day's I actually was barred from a fistful of venues due to the fact that my offbeat Rantings often contained Four letter words !Because of my Offbeat style , I landed the leading role in a Childrens play called One cool Cat, Commissioned by the actress Virginia McKenna (Born Free / Living Free ) and loads more, to promote Ecology Through her Charity: Zoo Check. We Packed the Commonwealth institute in Kensington London for three consecutive nights.Toward the end of the 80s I met and Married my wife Sarah, We started a Family so I decided to stop traveling for a while and settle down with my wife and kids. I did not want them to grow up in a one parent family like I did. But I always promised myself that, as soon as the kids were old enough to understand that Daddy had to work, I would just go back to performing. But it wasn't that easy, Time and people change.Throughout the early 90s Ranting Rob lay dormant, But I still had this incredible need to entertain.I started to do Kiss'o'Grams to Earn a few bob here and there. The character RED HOT ROB ! was born.I know it sounds corny but it was all done in good taste, I never went out to be smutty or humiliate the recipients, I went out to thrill and excite, but most of all, to entertain. I treated every job like a ten minute gig, It became more of a comedy routine than anything else.That, in-turn, Lead to the creation of THE NORMS, A Comedy strip group founded by myself and good friend Mark Harding. The Norms notched up a few Local gigs but things didn't really take off (excuse the pun) The group dispanded, But Red Hot Rob lived for a little while longer.I landed a role, playing a stripping headmaster in an episode of a Welsh television programme called, "Pam fi Duw" Which translates as: "Why me God" For HTV Wales alongside Actor's such as Brian Hibbard (Of Flying Pickets Fame)and a very young and undiscovered Rhys Iffans. The programme was a Welsh comedy, sort of a cross between Grange hill and Emerdale !!! But all good fun.Aswell as the HTV role, I Appeared as Red Hot Rob on several more TV shows including: Trisha - Carol Malone's Guilty - and alongside Julia Bradbury (now on Watch Dog with Nicky Campbell) on Chat's Moral dilema's, Produced by Anglia Television for Sky TV and satellite TV.At The End of the 90s I took a job with Airtours (The holiday people) and became an entertainer for them overseas, I worked for Airtours for a couple of years and performed almost every day in all sort's of cabaret show's to all sorts of audiences, young and old alike. I have entertained in some fantastic hotels and other five star venue's around the Med, under the name of CRAZY ROB.Even after Leaving Airtours, I continued to travel and perform, I can honestly say that I have worked under many names throughout England - Scotland - Ireland and Wales, aswell as, Cyprus - Malta - Tenerief - Mainland Spain - Ibiza - France and Italy. I have met many People and have made many Friends in My travels and each of them know me for different reasons ! For the main part, Sarah and kid's, (Dean and Bradley) Travelled to many places with me, But then there was the patter of more tiny feet, We now have a Daughter called Georgia Who was born in 2000, nearly in Malta, But that's another story ! Sarah and myself have been married for 20 years now and we are all back in the Uk for the time being! and guess what ? RANTING ROB has finally woken up again. I,ve learnt over the years to strum a few chords on the guitar and the new material that I am producing is just as good , if not better (as far as I'm concerned) as the old.I'm itching to get back out there, Who knows where it will lead us to this time ?Thanks for visiting my site, Please check out some of the other pages on it by clicking the link's on the left at the top of this page. and don't forget, Who ever you are and for who ever you know me as, don't for get to sign my guest book, It's always a pleasure to hear from you. So keep intouch, Cheer's for now and may your God go with you. All the best Rob.
