Misplaced Pages

On September 1 2004 The Sun reported that Williams was planning to release material under a new identity: Pure Francis. He said the material would be like "Neil Diamond with a bit of Kraftwerk or Depeche Mode and he's not afraid to do a big chorus." He added that he might spend time "dressing like him, eating like him, living like him" and would wear a "false nose and a wig".

If you were to actually read the reply to your message on my talk page then perhaps you'd not be getting into such a stupid mood. The Sun is not a reliable source, and if you were to check RobbieWilliams-info then you'd note that they too ran with the story but quickly pulled it (google cache helped with that one). Next time check back to a talk page you've posted on and you'll be able to see any replies. violet/riga (t) 09:34, 9 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Ok, to clarify this. The whole Pure Francis thing is actually stated in his quasi-autobiography Feel, which was written by Chris Heath. So maybe The Sun is an unreliable source, but I don't think they're lying about this one. I'd grab the quotes, but I don't have the book with me currently. Maybe someone else can help fill that gap? But to be honest, I don't know why that Robbie Williams site pulled The Sun article down. It is actually true, after all.

1 Giant Leap

I read the article, and I noticed that it doesn't say anything about the 1 Giant Leap project in which he featured. Should that be included, or should it just be left out? --JB Adder | Talk 05:33, Jun 17, 2005 (UTC)

It certainly should be mentioned. (oo - I last wrote on this talk page one year ago today!) 22:09, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Robin Williams versus Robbie Williams

There are one or two anonymous editors who keep adding the text "For the American comedian see Robin Williams." atop this article. () In my opinion, this is unnecessary, but I wanted to bring this up here for discussion in case there is reasonable cause for disambiguation. Have there been any documented cases of the media or other prominent news sources confusing Robbie Williams the pop singer with Robin Williams the comedian/actor? If so, please WP:CITE any source(s) and I will personally reinstate this link. Hall Monitor 19:12, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Their names are a little similar, and in conversation I can imagine occasional confusion, but I don't think there is a problem when they are typed. violet/riga (t) 19:26, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

While all reasonable measures should be taken on an international site to accomodate those whose are non-native English speakers, in this case I think the burden is on the non-native speaker to understand the difference without everything being explicitly explained. It is unreasonable to accomodate every disambiguation for non-native speakers and I think Misplaced Pages should maintain the burden of understanding English on the non-native speakers. If a native speaker typed this disambiguation, there's no reason to do that. Robin and Robbie are not related. I believe Robbie is the diminutive of Rob, which is short for Robert. Robin does not traditionally have a shorter name nor a diminutive. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 72.181.177.154 (talk • contribs) 06:37, 4 December 2006 (UTC).

Copyvio text

I've just removed a big chunk of text for the 4th time. I'm getting a bit bored doing this so the person who keeps adding, please read on.

The text was taken verbatim from It's very good text, nicely written etc and that's exactly why someone was paid to write the text. Somebody also owns the copyright on this text, and if you look at the bottom of the page the text was stolen from you will see "© 2001 - 2005 Softpedia. All rights reserved." That means you/we can't just copy it - in fact it states on the page that using information without permission is "prohibited".

If you can rewrite the text into your own words to convey the same information I will allow it to stay in the article. If you continue to blatantly copy it back into the article, I will remove it and I will also consider you to be a vandal and will report you accordingly. Rossrs 01:24, 15 October 2005 (UTC)

Escapology

At the end of the Escapology paragraph it was stated that the album sold poorly out side europe, which simply wasn't true. As it turned out it was WIlliams' lowest sellign album in the UK( 1.9M) whereas it went on to sell more than 5 million albums outside the UK taking the total up to 7million, making it his biggest selling album to date.

Covers from Amazon/Random House

I've added a few album covers from Amazon and a book cover from Random House. In a perfect world there should be no copyright issues, because I am using images made availible to promote the albums and books in segments that actually discuss them. But of course Amazon and Random House might assume they hold copyright of images they created, even if these images are of box and book covers. So I have e-mailed these places (and several other online stores) to see what their policies are for this sort of thing. I will post details about it on my talk page for those that are interested. It's not that I think I'm using these images wrongly, I just want to get an official answer once and for all so we can all get over the "using images of other images" stigma.

Also, I did not add captions for the album covers because it seemed redundant. Someone else can change it if it looks better. --Foofy 14:37, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Sources

This article is full of stuff that is unsourced. We need to go back and do some fact checking before this gets out of hand. From this point on you should not add anything if you can't back it up. --Foofy 13:26, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

Mirror News Group

Is it Mirror News Group or Trinity Mirror? -- SGBailey 14:51, 16 December 2005 (UTC) It's true Robbie has got Prostate\Testculiar Cancer i can back it up. i am a Huge Fan i know heaps of stuff about Robbie Williams.

Edit POV paragraph?

After leaving Take That, Williams immersed himself in the 
rock & roll lifestyle. This included pretending to have a 
knowledge and interest in Rock music, an affected swagger 
and an infamous appearance during Oasis's headlining set 
at Glastonbury in 1995. 

I'm not a fan or an expert on RW, so I don't really know how to fix this POV phrase, so I just removed it. Perhaps someone with more knowledge/interest could get to the bottom of the allegation and add some sourced info. --Anchoress 07:24, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Popularity in the US POV

Here's a quote from the article's "Lifestyle" section:

This is perhaps a major reason why Williams has failed to make any impact in the USA - without appreciating his ironic persona Americans see him as arrogant and self-aggrandising

Isn't this POV? Speculation? Is it any different than saying "a major reason Williams has failed to make any impact in the US is that he is viewed to be lacking in talent" - ? So what, he isn't popular in the US. He is very popular in Europe, and whether that's because of talent, culture, marketing strategy or the view expressed above depicting Americans as "not getting it" is speculation. 84.253.198.193 08:38, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, he's very popular in the whole industrialised world outside North America; one can reasonably say he has the talent. There is something that makes the difference, and while that sentence is speculative, it's a reasonable suggestion about something essentially unprovable, and it is marked as such. 87.123.7.104 17:00, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Robbie Williams has the Talent but he's going to stop touring cause his sick of all the travelling, Robbie williams has a medical problem that needs to be sorted out. i think he should leave the singing behind and become a soccer player instead.

Actually there is a small faction of us North Americans who are fans. But unfortunately most Americans don't take the time to appreciate cheek enough to understand Robbie. --User:Bouncehoper

Besides that small faction, there is no POV or anything to understand about Robbie Williams in the US because no one knows who he is. How could they have an opinion or even want to have an opinion of someone they don't know?

Negative

I feel that this whole article is written in a negative mood... Focusing on downfalls and bad behaviour. Sure he is no angel, but Wikiedia is supposed to be objective right? And also, referring to him as "Williams" is just wrong - he is known to all of europe as just "Robbie".

• Yes, because it's not like referring to someone by their surname is an established method in biographical works, and has been done for centuries. Is it? Skinmeister 00:25, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

Links

I'm no wikipedia expert, but why does this page link ("see also") to top-selling world artists page that Robbie Williams doesn't seem to appear on...?

Robbie Williams Got Cancer

I have recently found out that british Pop star Robbie Williams has prostate cancer it's hard to believe but it's true and that's the reason why he doesn't have any Children. It's gonna be really sad to see him stop touring cause he's a great singer but i think he just sick of all the touring and he has enough money.

no matter what happens i will always be a Robbie Williams Fan.

lots of Love Alice

That's simply not true. No news site (reputable or otherwise) has mentioned this. --Foofy 04:18, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

Article cleanup

Who else is tired of the cleanup tag at the top of the page? It wouldn't be hard to get this article in shape, it's not so bad as it is anyway. Here's what I think needs to be done.

• Split the "Personal Life" section into appropriate sub-sections.
• Move all the random, unrelated anecdotes to a "Trivia" section.
• Go through each section and find references for all the bits or delete them.

Also, there are individual articles for each album. That's fine, but we should make it more consistent because some of the sections don't look anything like their articles, and there's a mix of personal stuff in the articles that probably would be better placed in this one. --Foofy 11:25, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

Amen Foofy. I agree with everything you say. A lot of this is just a freakin' mess. Like the random paragraph at the end of the career section about his lyrics-who cares? What's the point of it?

Also, is it just me, or is some of the stuff in "recent career" not really recent anymore? Can we delete that?

And I'm really sick of people making random crap about what he's done in America. Please, just ask us, people. --Bouncehoper

Random Comments

Why are people adding completely random comments such as "dont give up the day job Robbie!" to this article? Sorry to be a bore but this isn't some teen magazine. Please keep your own ramblings to yourself.

People are stupid. I've seen entire articles blanked so somebody could use the space for personal messages and notes. --Foofy 01:07, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

• No worse than the sycophantic, pompous and pretentious ramblings which form the majority of this article. Just see my post "Recent career: lyrics" for an hilarious example. 86.17.247.135 00:13, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Main Picture

Don't mean to be picky or anything, but was just thinking that there must surely be a better picture that can be used for the main one than a weird sweaty live photo where he doesn't look like he normally loks if that makes sense? A photoshoot one would be much better.

For being only 32-years-old, he looks like he could be in his late 40s. But otherwise, a picture of his face would be best instead of his finger.

Did Gallagher alone really drive Williams to drink and drugs?

At the beginning of the Solo Career section, in the After Take That subsection, it says: "Noel Gallagher, the lead singer for Oasis, often referred to Williams as 'that fat dancer from Take That.' This led to a highly publicised battle with drug and alcohol addiction..." Did Williams really take Gallagher's disdain that seriously, or were there other factors involved? What is this source for this statement? Herostratus 01:06, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

Almost everything in this article is unsourced! We could prune all that out but I don't know where to start... --Foofy 05:01, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

NPOV violations

This is the most shockingly POV Misplaced Pages article I've ever read. It reads like a nine-year-old child's attempt to sound like Smash Hits, and will have to be thoroughly reworked. --81.103.144.136 00:02, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

if only it was like Smash HitsJocasta shadow 16:01, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Live at the National Bowl

It would be great if anyone going to the National Bowl in Milton Keynes next month would take and release a picture of the Bowl at full capacity (sold out for four days in early September). The Bowl article could do with a good pic. If you need help, leave me a message. --Concrete Cowboy 18:20, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Rudebox 74 or Rudebox?

Please check the correct name of the album. --Red-Blue-White 21:59, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

The single is called 'Rudebox', the album is 'Rudebox 74' 81.174.140.46 13:39, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

The album has now been renamed to 'Rudebox'. -- Sarz 03:47, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

Strange comments about "mental health"

The following sentence appears to be more opinion than fact : "Williams, now aged 32, has had mental health problems throughout his career, most notably his struggle with depression, insecurity and self-loathing."

Who says that he feels insecure and loathes himself? Is there a reliable source where the man himself has said these things? It looks a little like speculation to me.

THe documentary about Stephen Fry, in which he discussed his bi polar disorder, featured Robbie. In this he discussed his own experiences with the condition. It was on BBC2 in the UK for two weeks.

Actually, he talks about his experiences with clinical depression in the Stephen Fry documentary, describing how his manic behavior is an onstage persona. Ariedana 03:04, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

tone

Somebody should fix the tone of the article. I started but then again, I don't really care about this article. In particular, "Williams" should always be used instead of "Robbie". There are many sentences which are clearly written by fans. It's ok for his fans to be involved of course, but it should not be so apparent when you read the article. Pascal.Tesson 14:29, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

'recent' career

I was wondering why there was nothing in the article that mentioned his music career from late 1995 - early 2000s, which should include his first single "Freedom" (a flop) and "Old Before I Die", as well as his first album "Life Thru a Lens" (including hit single "Angel") and his other albums like "Sing While You're Winning" and "The Ego has Landed". Recent career doesn't cover everything, as 2002 seems to be the earliest reference in this section. I have some information with regards to that, and if no one would like to provide the information, I'd gladly volunteer. Mirshariff 05:10, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Full Name and list of Band

For his christening, RW chose for himself the name "Maximilian". It is mentioned on the German page obout RW. Furthernore you find a list of the members of his supporting band there. You might add this to the English page if you like. Many greetings, Manu

Recent career: lyrics

• " Williams' lyrics emphasize the philosophic concepts of objective reality, reason, rational egoism, and laissez-faire capitalism, while attacking what he sees as the irrationality and immorality of altruism, collectivism, and communism. He believes that people must choose their values and actions by reason; that the individual has a right to exist for his or her own sake, neither sacrificing self to others nor others to self; and that no one has the right to take what belongs to others by physical force or fraud, or impose their moral code on others by physical force. Williams' politics have been described as minarchism and libertarianism, though he never uses the first term and detests the second. However, taking into account the often frivolous and impetuous nature of their creation (e.g., one of his best known hits, Rock DJ, had its lyrics created in fifteen minutes simply to fit the music, and means very little), one should not look too deeply into them. "

Funniest thing I've read in many a month. Thank you, whoever wrote this utterly ridiculous, pompous and pretentious crap (and indeed the chap who recently saw fit to correct the grammar yet did not question a word of the pathetically absurd statement itself). Hilarious: I've submitted it to Pseuds Corner at Private Eye so hopefully I'll make ten quid out of this sub-student rubbish. 86.17.247.135 00:08, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

• You have no reason to delete this and you cannot show that it is not true so I have put it back. Just because Robbie Williams was in a boy band it doesn't mean that he isn't an extremely intelligent and gifted individual. His songwriting speaks for itself: please leave the passage in the article and respect the artist, and indeed, his fans! (one of whom I presume wrote this excellent and honest critique of the man's chosen artform). 62.25.106.209 21:14, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

• You're 'aving a giraffe. Firstly, it's more an appraisal (an overblown, pretentious and sycophantic one at that) than a critique (oh for the latter); secondly, this is an unsourced and uncited statement of someone else's opinion of his, ahem, art form, and therefore the burden of "proof" lies with those who added it and wish to retain it not those who wish it consigned to the bin marked "sub-student fangirl crap". Finally, did you keep a serious face when you called this self-obsessed pub singer got lucky an "extremely intelligent and gifted artist"? But I digress. If you can directly quote Williams making a statement to this effect, then come back. Otherwise, run along and finish your homework, then you can swoon along to his (and Chambers') music while you kiss your posters and go to bed dreaming that he is there with you. 86.17.247.135 01:03, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for removing that junk, whoever you are. You'll be pleased to know that it has indeed got into the latest Private Eye (issue 1175, I think).--A bit iffy 10:23, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

One could, of course, suggest that since the piece was published in the Eye without any mention of the fact that it was removed by more responsible Wikipedians (it was simply credited to Misplaced Pages), it has made us all look like a bunch of berks. Most Eye readers won't check the wiki and won't realise the context. I don't mean to have a dig, I found it damn funny as well, but perhaps we shouldn't make a habit of holding up the dafter contributors as examples of Misplaced Pages, in the wider media.Sceptic-all 17:13, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

It was lifted from Ayn Rand, with a few modifications. --Cherry blossom tree 13:50, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

I came here having read the eye with the express intention of removing that daftness - but it was very funny - thanks for removing it and all the entertainment of the ensuing discussion. Ukurko 22:28, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Gay or not gay?

If the "gay" portion was vandalism, it was removed but the article still does not read well (i.e., Elton Johns' supposed quote, then having William's state that he's not gay) Further, it needs some serious help. I don't know enough about Williams but I hope that someone who isn't as immature as whoever is vandalising the page can get this page in decent order. Trodaikid1983 18:07, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

He's not gay; He is going out with Lisa D'Amato from America's Next Top Model. Someone is just posting idiotic vandalism. BishopTutu 12:01, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't think he's gay, but I think he's bi (definitely bi-curious) - anonymous 18:01, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

Added references to his many female romantic relationships, including his relationships with Nicole Appleton, Geri Halliwell and Rachel Hunter, as well as his sexual conquests detailed in "Feel". Williams has repeatedly said that he hasn't had sex with men. Unless you have a sex tape you haven't shared with the class, any mention of him as a homosexual is unattributed gossip. Ariedana 03:09, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

Definitely not gay

Robbie willims is 100% positivley not gay. Though people do question his songs for being gay. Songs such as "Come Undone" where he sings "Because I'm scum, I'm your son, I come undone" mothers have lots of problems such as this when their sons are gay.

Recent changes

User 195.92.40.49 recently deleted virtually everything that was less than adulatory. Whomever is "watching" this article (as claimed in the edit page) is not doing a very good job. Compare 16:35 7 Dec to 18:22 7 Dec to see the deletions made by this obvious fangirl/boy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Robbie_Williams&diff=92742296&oldid=92722127

86.17.247.135 01:48, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

• Seeing as those "watching" this page ignored the fact that a user deleted nearly all the critical or less than sycophantic text from this article, I have restored it myself. 86.17.247.135 00:23, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Catholic categories

Williams is cited as saying he is against religion, therefore should not be added to Catholic categories. One chooses religion, it is opinion. It is not like gender or ethnicity which are facts. If he is against organised religion he may still believe in a god, but cannot be called (Roman) Catholic. We may not assume his current theistic beliefs based on his upbringing. For instance, I am from a Roman Catholic family and was educated by priests in an RC institution yet I am an atheist with a complete collection of Dawkins' works. So let us not label this individual until we have incontravertable proof of his church or beliefs. 86.17.247.135 01:32, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

You're a wanker.

Removed his mobile number

There was something on the page which was allegedly his UK mobile phone number. I removed it given that it's breach of privacy. Scmods 05:07, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

There was nothing of the sort and you just blanked a section. SteveLamacq43 17:28, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Actually I requested Misplaced Pages:Oversight to remove the offending number from the history which they have done. Apologies for not posting this earlier. Regan123 20:39, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Place of Birth

This has been changed to Newcastle under Lyme, but surely he was born in Stoke and grew up in Burslem? See here. --Regan123 01:11, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

Pseud's Corner

This article was featured in the "Pseud's Corner" feature of the current edition of Private Eye. Something for Misplaced Pages Signpost, or a reason to hang our heads in shame?? AndyJones 13:09, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

• PS our Private Eye article is already aware of the fact. AndyJones 13:23, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Rudebox

The album did reach #1 in the UK. The title track reached #4 as a single.

Dead

Only minutes ago this page referred to Robbie Williams in the past tense, and stated that he died on January 25 as a result of a head on car crash. I wouldn't call myself a fan but this still shocked and saddened me, as I searched news websites I could find no information, yes silly me for believing all that is on wikipedia...but WHO WOULD LIE ABOUT A DEATH?. Some very deranged individual made this up for his/her own amusement, who would wish another human being to die in a car accident? Who would wish for that persons family and friends to be in mourning? Obviously someone with some form of serious mental disorder.

Reception in Canada

I noticed in his discography it doesn't show Canadian charts, understandable. But in his page it says he has not undergone success in U.S. or Canada, as someone who has lived in three different major areas of Canada in my life, I disagree. Quite a few of his songs have gained popularity, mostly Angels, Millenium, Rock DJ, and most recently, Feel and Tripping. I think the "Reception in U.S." should be changed to either mention a larger appeal to Canada or removed all together. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Leethal (talk • contribs) 20:52, 3 February 2007 (UTC).

Links in the page.

I noticed that in this page there are loads of links that really don't need to be there. I'm extremely busy for a few days, so could someone try and start it?

Thanks a lot Shealer 09:24, 8 February 2007 (UTC) '

What is about his family?

What is about Robbie Williams family?somebody know who is his fahter?is true that is Frank Williams?(i really don´t know please answer me) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 189.135.221.177 (talk) 07:53, 20 February 2007 (UTC).

Sales Figures

The current editing of the overall sales is under dispute. One User keeps amending the page to say that total sales are 55m for albums, then 15m for singles. There is NO reference that states 55 million. In looking at the link to state how many singles were sold, it says 51m inclusive of singles. In looking at the link that says he is a top favourite in Latin America, it also makes a sales reference and states (from EMI) that his sales are 50m inclusive of singles/DVD's etc. Therefore to do such mix-n-match editing to achieve a figure that goes against other references is non encyclopedic. I have therefore amended back to as it was (which still goes against the references) 60.234.242.196 20:38, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

Biography

This is supposed to be a biography, but there is only facts about is music history, nothing about is childhood?--Domingo Portales 00:50, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Best selling male artist?

He is currently the best selling male artist in the world according to the United World Chart, and the third artist overall behind Madonna and Britney Spears

This quote is completely misleading. Hasn't Michael Jackson sold MANY more albums than Robbie Williams? TheKillerAngel 21:10, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

I agree that is it seems misleading... If he is the "CURRENT" best selling male artist... does that mean he currently sells more albums on a daily basis then Michael Jackson? - Antmusic 21:56, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

I suppose. TheKillerAngel 15:04, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Robbie intensivecare.jpg

Image:Robbie intensivecare.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Misplaced Pages article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Misplaced Pages:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Misplaced Pages policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 04:53, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Onstage violence

This section is particularly poorly written, should probably be rewritten Protiek 13:28, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Discography gallery

Fair use images are not permitted in galleries under Non-free content criteria 3a and 8. I have therefore removed the album cover gallery. Additionally, it is not clear to me that all of the other fair use images on this page are needed. ~ BigrTex 17:05, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

Fair use image removal

I've just removed 20 fair use images from this article . In particular, I did this because 19 of the 20 images were not discussed in anyway on the article, and were there for decorative purposes only. The majority of these were video shots that were little more than headshots of the performer. We already know what his face looks like from free license imagery on the page. There was nothing iconic in the video stills that was discussed in the article. In one case, a video could have been discussed with a still due to the controversial nature of the video for "Come Undone", but the still had nothing to do with the controversial content. Album covers were not discussed in any way except for the cover for "Sing When You're Winning", but the same content of discussion of the cover exists in the album's specific article, thus the use here isn't supportable. Please understand we are a free content encyclopedia, and per terms of Misplaced Pages:Non-free content criteria item #8, the material must contribute significantly to the article, which was not the case here. Further, item #3(a) from that policy strongly encourages minimal use. Since we already have three free license images on the page, the fair use images serve little purpose and their functionality has been replaced by the free license images. --Durin 14:01, 27 June 2007 (UTC)