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'''Robbie Williams''' (born '''Robert Peter Williams''' on ], ] in ], ], ]) is an ] pop artist/songwriter. His career started as a member of the immensely successful band ] in 1990, which he left in 1995 to begin his solo career. Since then, Robbie Williams has grown to become one of the most successful male solo artists in British history. Despite his lack of success in United States, his album sales stand at nearly 47 million worldwide and has sold approximately 15 million singles around the world. In the UK alone he has sold nearly 5.5 million. This brings his total sales to more than 60 million records{{fact}}. He holds 8 number one albums, 6 number one singles in the UK and has been the recipient of a number of awards. He is also the best-selling international act in Latin America. ] recently described Robbie Williams as "the #1 star in the world right now"{{fact}}. '''Robbie Williams''' (born '''Robert Peter Williams''' on ], ] in ], ], ]) is an ] pop artist/songwriter. His career started as a member of the immensely successful band ] in 1990, which he left in 1995 to begin his solo career. Since then, Robbie Williams has grown to become one of the most successful male solo artists in British history. His album sales stand at nearly 47 million worldwide and has sold approximately 15 million singles around the world. In the UK alone he has sold nearly 5.5 million. This brings his total sales to more than 60 million records{{fact}}. He holds 8 number one albums, 6 number one singles in the UK and has been the recipient of a number of awards. He is also the best-selling international act in Latin America. ] recently described Robbie Williams as "the #1 star in the world right now"{{fact}}.
==Biography== ==Biography==
{{main|Take That}} {{main|Take That}}
Robert Peter Maximillion Williams was born into a Catholic family in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on February 13, 1974 Robert Peter Maximillion Williams was born into an ] family in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on February 13, 1974
In Exposay he is quoted ''"I was raised a Catholic and still have the guilt, but I'm against organised religion. I had a look at Kabbalah on the internet out of interest but I wouldn't go to a meeting."'' In Exposay he is quoted ''"I was raised a Catholic and still have the guilt, but I'm against organised religion. I had a look at Kabbalah on the internet out of interest but I wouldn't go to a meeting."''


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In 2002 Williams appeared on the track 'My Culture' on the '']'' album, alongside ]. In 2002 Williams appeared on the track 'My Culture' on the '']'' album, alongside ].


Since his split with songwriter ], Williams has faced some questions about his own songwriting abilities. Armed with a new writing partner, ], Williams has penned several new songs, including the UK number 1 hit "]" and the more reflective "]". Both tunes are taken from Williams' 19-track "]" album, released in October 2004. In February 2005, Williams received the British music industry's award for the best song of the past quarter century, "]", the song Williams credits with giving him a solo career. Armed with a new writing partner, ], Williams has penned several new songs, including the UK number 1 hit "]" and the more reflective "]". Both tunes are taken from Williams' 19-track "]" album, released in October 2004. In February 2005, Williams received the British music industry's award for the best song of the past quarter century, "]", the song Williams credits with giving him a solo career.


In 2004, he performed the song ] by ] in the biopic '']'' and recorded the song on the soundtrack. Williams also performed at the ] concert in 2005 where he was acknowledged as one of the stars of the show. An amusing incident occurred when he asked the crowd to sing along with his hit song "]", which many in the crowd in ] were not familiar with. He jokingly covered it up and got a well-received laugh from the incident. During his set, the crowd chanted along with ]'s "]" and 'duetted' with Williams on "]" (as has become traditional at his live performances). In 2004, he performed the song ] by ] in the biopic '']'' and recorded the song on the soundtrack. Williams also performed at the ] concert in 2005 where he was acknowledged as one of the stars of the show. An amusing incident occurred when he asked the crowd to sing along with his hit song "]", which many in the crowd in ] were not familiar with. He jokingly covered it up and got a well-received laugh from the incident. During his set, the crowd chanted along with ]'s "]" and 'duetted' with Williams on "]" (as has become traditional at his live performances).
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April 2006 saw Williams embark on a five month ] which kicked off in South Africa. The tour will conclude in ], where Williams says he will begin a ] from touring in the near future. During the tour, he performed for the first time in the ]. On May, 2006 he played at a sell out concert in ], ]. The performance was held at the world famous Millennium race course. Williams also played a record five nights at Milton Keynes Bowl and he managed to raise the highest viewing figures on Sky since 2002 when his Leeds gig was broadcast in high definition{{fact}}. April 2006 saw Williams embark on a five month ] which kicked off in South Africa. The tour will conclude in ], where Williams says he will begin a ] from touring in the near future. During the tour, he performed for the first time in the ]. On May, 2006 he played at a sell out concert in ], ]. The performance was held at the world famous Millennium race course. Williams also played a record five nights at Milton Keynes Bowl and he managed to raise the highest viewing figures on Sky since 2002 when his Leeds gig was broadcast in high definition{{fact}}.


Williams released his much anticipated dance/electro album "Rudebox" on October 23rd, ]. The first single "Rudebox", which reached #4 in the UK Singles chart, was hailed a flop by the Mirror, yet managed to have the same chart peak as Robbie's most famous song "Angels". It was also a worldwide hit, reaching #1 in various countries around the world, including Chile, Germany, and Italy, among others. It was the second best-selling single in Europe for a number of weeks and was also the fifth best-selling single in the World for a time, according to the United World Chart. Williams released his much anticipated dance/electro album "Rudebox" on October 23rd, ]. The first single "Rudebox" reached #4 in the UK Singles chart - the same chart peak as Robbie's most famous song "Angels". It was also a worldwide hit, reaching #1 in various countries around the world, including Chile, Germany, and Italy, among others. It was the second best-selling single in Europe for a number of weeks and was also the fifth best-selling single in the World for a time, according to the United World Chart.


The second single "]" was released on November 13th. The video, shot in Vienna. It is a cover version of a song by ], which follows the original quite closely. The high-pitched vocals in this song have also prompted comparisons to ]{{fact}}, an artist greatly respected by Williams. His previous George Michael cover, 'Freedom' was a huge success charting at No 2. The second single "]" was released on November 13th. The video, shot in Vienna. It is a cover version of a song by ], which follows the original quite closely. The high-pitched vocals in this song have also prompted comparisons to ]{{fact}}, an artist greatly respected by Williams. His previous George Michael cover, 'Freedom' was a huge success charting at No 2.
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Robbie also features on a double CD titled "Concrete", which was released on the same day as "Rudebox". The CD features a concert for the BBC featuring the ] and Robbie singing their classic hit 'Jealousy'. Their joint effort "She's Madonna" will be released as a single in January 2007 as confirmed on the official ] website. Robbie also features on a double CD titled "Concrete", which was released on the same day as "Rudebox". The CD features a concert for the BBC featuring the ] and Robbie singing their classic hit 'Jealousy'. Their joint effort "She's Madonna" will be released as a single in January 2007 as confirmed on the official ] website.


Williams' lyrics emphasise the profound 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.
⚫ According to the German magazine "Der Spiegel"{{fact}}, Williams is not going to renew his current contract with ], claiming he's sick and tired of the music business, and he wants to sing and play music independently of the music industry.


⚫ According to the German magazine "Der Spiegel"{{fact}}, Williams is not going to renew his current contract with ], claiming he's sick and tired of the music business, and he wants to sing and play music independently of the music industry.
Ironically, despite Williams' immense popularity worldwide, he has yet to become a major chart or concert success in the United States. His first U.S. single, "Millennium," made it to only #72 on the U.S. ] charts, and his second, "Angels," hit #41 (becoming the more commonly known Robbie Williams song to America.) "Rock DJ" was also released, but failed to chart as many Americans were disturbed by the gory video. However, more recent singles (particularly from '']'') have performed somewhat better, particularly in dance clubs.


==Lifestyle and love life== ==Lifestyle and love life==
] ]
Williams has left the UK and now lives in ]. Officially he remains single but is rumoured to be dating model ] as of October 2006 after meeting at a Hollywood party<ref>{{cite web | author=| title=Singing star Robbie Williams finds a new love | publisher=chinadaily.com | year= 2006 | url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2006-11/20/content_737653.htm}}</ref>. Speculation about his romantic life is rampant in the British media. Williams likes to encourage an image as a smooth womaniser and there are numerous widely-circulated Internet accounts, allegedly written by Williams's female sexual partners, claiming his considerable prowess as a lover{{fact}}. He regularly plucks female fans from the audience of his live performances and kisses them on stage. Williams has left the UK and now lives in ]. Officially he remains single but is rumoured to be dating model ] as of October 2006 after meeting at a Hollywood party<ref>{{cite web | author=| title=Singing star Robbie Williams finds a new love | publisher=chinadaily.com | year= 2006 | url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2006-11/20/content_737653.htm}}</ref>. Speculation about his romantic life is rampant in the British media. Williams likes to encourage an image as a smooth operator and there are numerous widely-circulated Internet accounts, allegedly written by Williams's female sexual partners, claiming his considerable prowess as a lover{{fact}}. He regularly plucks female fans from the audience of his live performances and kisses them on stage.


Williams, a self-confessed attention seeker, has garnered a reputation for pushing the envelope in regards to male nudity. Williams' tendency to pose provocatively has gone from somewhat light-hearted "mooning" and "pants-down" photos early in his career to more sexually explicit content. Williams, a self-confessed attention seeker, has garnered a reputation for pushing the envelope in regards to male nudity. Williams' tendency to pose provocatively has gone from somewhat light-hearted "mooning" and "pants-down" photos early in his career to more sexually explicit content.
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Subsequently Williams has stated in a variety of press interviews that he considers himself to be a ]/] at heart{{fact}}, jokingly commenting that he will "end up being one of those dads who embarrasses" his children. In late 2005 a campaign called "Get More" was launched by Williams's label to promote his album ''Intensive Care''. A video at the website featured thirty seconds of various camera close-ups of Williams' nude body, culminating in a four-second full body shot where he was frontally nude and fondling his penis. This was virtually the first time nudity was so blatantly incorporated in an advertising campaign for a pop singer{{fact}}. Subsequently Williams has stated in a variety of press interviews that he considers himself to be a ]/] at heart{{fact}}, jokingly commenting that he will "end up being one of those dads who embarrasses" his children. In late 2005 a campaign called "Get More" was launched by Williams's label to promote his album ''Intensive Care''. A video at the website featured thirty seconds of various camera close-ups of Williams' nude body, culminating in a four-second full body shot where he was frontally nude and fondling his penis. This was virtually the first time nudity was so blatantly incorporated in an advertising campaign for a pop singer{{fact}}.


Williams, now aged 32, has had mental health problems throughout his career, most notably his struggle with depression, insecurity, and self-loathing. He has been clean from drugs and alcohol for more than 5 years. In his fly-on-the-wall documentary '']'' (2001) he repeatedly mocked his flamboyant but puppet-like behaviour on stage and felt that the persona and 'brand' of ''Robbie Williams Popstar'' was a fake that he increasingly felt uncomfortable with. In more recent documentaries he yearns to become a credible artist in the eyes of the serious music press. Williams has been clean from drugs and alcohol for more than 5 years. In his fly-on-the-wall documentary '']'' (2001) he repeatedly mocked his flamboyant but puppet-like behaviour on stage and felt that the persona and 'brand' of ''Robbie Williams Popstar'' was a fake that he increasingly felt uncomfortable with. In more recent documentaries he yearns to become a credible artist in the eyes of the serious music press.


His time as a member of a boyband does not seem to have hampered his image. Much of Williams’ success can be attributed to his 'cheeky chappy' persona and ironic sensibility much loved by his UK fans. Williams has said in interviews he hates performing, and compares his style to old-school UK comedian Sir ]. In fact, it doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to see Robbie as the heir to British Vaudeville, an end-of-the-pier crowd pleaser. Yet UK fans highlight the energy and entertainment value of his live performances as a major part of his appeal. His time as a member of a boyband does not seem to have hampered his image. Much of Williams’ success can be attributed to his 'cheeky chappy' persona and ironic sensibility much loved by his UK fans. Williams has said in interviews he hates performing, and compares his style to old-school UK comedian Sir ]. In fact, it doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to see Robbie as the heir to British Vaudeville, an end-of-the-pier crowd pleaser. Yet UK fans highlight the energy and entertainment value of his live performances as a major part of his appeal.


Williams has always had tabloid rumors about his sexuality. These aren't helped by the fact that he has been embraced by many in the gay community as a gay icon. He has repeatedly denied the rumours, though Williams himself has added fuel because of his seemingly 'show-off' behaviour with women, behaviour which has led some to speculate that he has something to hide. He questions his own sexuality in some well-known songs, such as "]", where he sings, "Am I straight or gay?" He won a libel case against MGN and Northern & Shell in December 2005 relating to articles which had reported he was a secret homosexual . In the libel action that resulted from this, Williams accepted substantial damages and the publishers accepted that the stories were untrue. His counsel, Tom Shields QC, told the court: "Mr Williams is not, and has never been, homosexual". Gay rights campaigner ] called for any damages paid out from the libel case to be donated to gay charities, claiming Williams' legal actions had created the impression that it is "shameful to be gay" . Williams openly admitted that he was not bothered about being labelled gay, and he would have taken the same action had it been about a female relationship. He also publicly vowed that he would have sex with a guy in order to save a rabbit's life . Robbie Williams also created the charity that is set up in his home town ]. He won a libel case against MGN and Northern & Shell in December 2005 relating to articles which had reported he was a secret homosexual . In the libel action that resulted from this, Williams accepted substantial damages and the publishers accepted that the stories were untrue. His counsel, Tom Shields QC, told the court: "Mr Williams is not, and has never been, homosexual". Gay rights campaigner ] called for any damages paid out from the libel case to be donated to gay charities, claiming Williams' legal actions had created the impression that it is "shameful to be gay" . Williams openly admitted that he was not bothered about being labelled gay, and he would have taken the same action had it been about a female relationship. He also publicly vowed that he would have sex with a guy in order to save a rabbit's life . Robbie Williams also created the charity that is set up in his home town ].


Williams is a life long supporter of ], based in his home town of ]. In February 2006 he bought £240,000 worth of shares in the club. Williams is a life long supporter of ], based in his home town of ]. In February 2006 he bought £240,000 worth of shares in the club.


Williams with the help of his best friend ] recently organized a charity football match in an attempt to raise funds in Africa. This match was played in May 2006 at Old Trafford, Manchester. The participants were an England team full of legends and celebrities. It was a very successful event raising more than one million pounds for charity. Williams with the help of his best friend ] recently organised a charity football match in an attempt to raise funds in Africa. This match was played in May 2006 at Old Trafford, Manchester. The participants were an England team full of legends and celebrities. It was a very successful event raising more than one million pounds for charity.


According to The Sun, he spent £8 million on a 115ft Athena cruiser from Italy's leading boat company, ]. According to The Sun, he spent £8 million on a 115ft Athena cruiser from Italy's leading boat company, ].

Revision as of 18:22, 7 December 2006

For footballers with the same name, see Robbie Williams (footballer).

Template:Infobox musical artist 2 Robbie Williams (born Robert Peter Williams on February 13, 1974 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English pop artist/songwriter. His career started as a member of the immensely successful band Take That in 1990, which he left in 1995 to begin his solo career. Since then, Robbie Williams has grown to become one of the most successful male solo artists in British history. His album sales stand at nearly 47 million worldwide and has sold approximately 15 million singles around the world. In the UK alone he has sold nearly 5.5 million. This brings his total sales to more than 60 million records. He holds 8 number one albums, 6 number one singles in the UK and has been the recipient of a number of awards. He is also the best-selling international act in Latin America. Elton John recently described Robbie Williams as "the #1 star in the world right now".

Biography

Main article: Take That

Robert Peter Maximillion Williams was born into an Irish Catholic family in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on February 13, 1974 In Exposay he is quoted "I was raised a Catholic and still have the guilt, but I'm against organised religion. I had a look at Kabbalah on the internet out of interest but I wouldn't go to a meeting."

Williams' early pop career started with the hit boy band Take That. The band was formed in 1990 and had nine United Kingdom Number 1 singles. Their popularity led to a succession of similar bands in the United Kingdom.

Williams' roguish qualities meant that he did not fit into the band, and he frequently battled with his fellow band members and his management. After leaving the band in 1995, the final Take That album Nobody Else was re-issued in some markets excluding songs where Robbie Williams was the lead vocalist. The final Take That single "How Deep Is Your Love" was the only one that didn't feature Williams.

In November 2005, ITV1 screened a documentary on Take That, including the reasons behind Williams' departure. This documentary contained interviews with Williams and his former fellow band members. Williams declined the offer to reunite with the band, but spoke to them via a pre-recorded video message.

Take That, who reformed without Williams and toured in 2006, have extended an open invitation for Williams to join them on stage if he wishes. Williams has apparently given the reformation his blessing. During a concert in Leeds in September 2006, he observed that while the invitation had "pulled on the heartstrings", he then realised that he'd sold three million concert tickets on his own. He said he was on good terms with his former bandmates, and sang "Back For Good", dedicating it to Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Mark Owen.

Williams has also recently moved in to film, enabling a series of seven short films by up and coming directors. In addition, a film competition, in partnership with Shooting People, was set up for amateur film makers to enter, with two prizes awarded (one by a panel including Lord Putnam, Jonathan Ross and Williams himself, and the other prize by viewer vote). See the link for a clip to one of the films, Goodbye to the Normals, to be screened on Channel 4 in the UK - http://www.youtube.com/v/pRPi_dNLliY

Recent career

In 2002, the UK public voted Williams number 77 on the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest Britons. He was also voted 17th in Channel 4's 100 Worst Britons poll.

File:Chris Heath Feel cover.jpg
Cover of Feel, a biography by Chris Heath.

A best-selling official biography written by Chris Heath, Feel, was published in 2004. It chronicled events that led up to the "Live Summer Tour 2003", during which Williams performed live to more than 375,000 people over three nights in August 2003 at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire; this was the biggest UK pop concert ever.

Former Take That band member Mark Owen appeared with Williams on the third day, while 3.5 million more watched live on television and on the Internet. Leading up to Knebworth, in December 2003, Williams toured Australia and New Zealand alongside Duran Duran.

In 2002 Williams appeared on the track 'My Culture' on the 1 Giant Leap album, alongside Maxi Jazz.

Armed with a new writing partner, Stephen Duffy, Williams has penned several new songs, including the UK number 1 hit "Radio" and the more reflective "Misunderstood". Both tunes are taken from Williams' 19-track "Greatest Hits" album, released in October 2004. In February 2005, Williams received the British music industry's award for the best song of the past quarter century, "Angels", the song Williams credits with giving him a solo career.

In 2004, he performed the song "It's De-Lovely" by Cole Porter in the biopic De-Lovely and recorded the song on the soundtrack. Williams also performed at the London Live 8 concert in 2005 where he was acknowledged as one of the stars of the show. An amusing incident occurred when he asked the crowd to sing along with his hit song "Feel", which many in the crowd in Hyde Park were not familiar with. He jokingly covered it up and got a well-received laugh from the incident. During his set, the crowd chanted along with Queen's "We Will Rock You" and 'duetted' with Williams on "Angels" (as has become traditional at his live performances).

Robbie Williams has claimed the title of Britain's biggest-selling pop act of the 21st century, selling 6.3 million albums since 2000, narrowly beating Coldplay to the top rank. He also set a world record, as defined by the Guinness Book of Records, by selling over 1.6 million tickets for his 2006 world tour in one day on 19 November, 2005, beating a previous mark of 1 million tickets set by 'N Sync in 2000.

In the UK version of the 2005 movie The Magic Roundabout, Williams voiced the dog "Dougal."

Williams' sixth album, Intensive Care, was a number one in the British charts, before being overtaken by the Westlife album Face to Face. He released a third single from Intensive Care, "Sin Sin Sin," on 21 May, 2006.

There were rumours that Williams was about to launch a dance album and 'Swinging II' which would fulfil his commitment to the EMI contract. Work on the dance album surfaced in the form of the first single, "Rudebox", also known as "Rudebox '74"-- a sparse electronic production nostalgic of early 80's hip-hop. The project had been kept tightly under wraps in order to gauge public opinion, but when the single was first broadcast anonymously on the Pete Tong show, Williams' signature voice was easy to spot in the final seconds of the track. Even though neither the album nor the single have been released Stateside, "Rudebox" has been popping up on dance music stations in the U.S., gaining airplay.

April 2006 saw Williams embark on a five month world tour which kicked off in South Africa. The tour will conclude in Melbourne, Australia, where Williams says he will begin a hiatus from touring in the near future. During the tour, he performed for the first time in the Middle east. On May, 2006 he played at a sell out concert in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The performance was held at the world famous Millennium race course. Williams also played a record five nights at Milton Keynes Bowl and he managed to raise the highest viewing figures on Sky since 2002 when his Leeds gig was broadcast in high definition.

Williams released his much anticipated dance/electro album "Rudebox" on October 23rd, 2006. The first single "Rudebox" reached #4 in the UK Singles chart - the same chart peak as Robbie's most famous song "Angels". It was also a worldwide hit, reaching #1 in various countries around the world, including Chile, Germany, and Italy, among others. It was the second best-selling single in Europe for a number of weeks and was also the fifth best-selling single in the World for a time, according to the United World Chart.

The second single "Lovelight" was released on November 13th. The video, shot in Vienna. It is a cover version of a song by Lewis Taylor, which follows the original quite closely. The high-pitched vocals in this song have also prompted comparisons to George Michael, an artist greatly respected by Williams. His previous George Michael cover, 'Freedom' was a huge success charting at No 2.

Robbie also features on a double CD titled "Concrete", which was released on the same day as "Rudebox". The CD features a concert for the BBC featuring the Pet Shop Boys and Robbie singing their classic hit 'Jealousy'. Their joint effort "She's Madonna" will be released as a single in January 2007 as confirmed on the official Pet Shop Boys website.

Williams' lyrics emphasise the profound 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.

According to the German magazine "Der Spiegel", Williams is not going to renew his current contract with EMI, claiming he's sick and tired of the music business, and he wants to sing and play music independently of the music industry.

Lifestyle and love life

Williams kissing a fan during a performance

Williams has left the UK and now lives in Los Angeles, California. Officially he remains single but is rumoured to be dating model Lisa D'Amato as of October 2006 after meeting at a Hollywood party. Speculation about his romantic life is rampant in the British media. Williams likes to encourage an image as a smooth operator and there are numerous widely-circulated Internet accounts, allegedly written by Williams's female sexual partners, claiming his considerable prowess as a lover. He regularly plucks female fans from the audience of his live performances and kisses them on stage.

Williams, a self-confessed attention seeker, has garnered a reputation for pushing the envelope in regards to male nudity. Williams' tendency to pose provocatively has gone from somewhat light-hearted "mooning" and "pants-down" photos early in his career to more sexually explicit content.

In 2004, the German website set up by his record label to promote his music posted an allegedly nude photograph of Williams with his crotch area blurred out. They promised that if one million people clicked on the photo they would unblur the area and reveal the nudity. Once unblurred, it was revealed that Williams was in fact holding some sort of phallus in front of his actual genitals so that they could not be seen; 24 hours later, even this was covered by a miniature cut-out of his album cover.

Subsequently Williams has stated in a variety of press interviews that he considers himself to be a naturist/nudist at heart, jokingly commenting that he will "end up being one of those dads who embarrasses" his children. In late 2005 a campaign called "Get More" was launched by Williams's label to promote his album Intensive Care. A video at the website featured thirty seconds of various camera close-ups of Williams' nude body, culminating in a four-second full body shot where he was frontally nude and fondling his penis. This was virtually the first time nudity was so blatantly incorporated in an advertising campaign for a pop singer.

Williams has been clean from drugs and alcohol for more than 5 years. In his fly-on-the-wall documentary Nobody Someday (2001) he repeatedly mocked his flamboyant but puppet-like behaviour on stage and felt that the persona and 'brand' of Robbie Williams Popstar was a fake that he increasingly felt uncomfortable with. In more recent documentaries he yearns to become a credible artist in the eyes of the serious music press.

His time as a member of a boyband does not seem to have hampered his image. Much of Williams’ success can be attributed to his 'cheeky chappy' persona and ironic sensibility much loved by his UK fans. Williams has said in interviews he hates performing, and compares his style to old-school UK comedian Sir Norman Wisdom. In fact, it doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to see Robbie as the heir to British Vaudeville, an end-of-the-pier crowd pleaser. Yet UK fans highlight the energy and entertainment value of his live performances as a major part of his appeal.

He won a libel case against MGN and Northern & Shell in December 2005 relating to articles which had reported he was a secret homosexual . In the libel action that resulted from this, Williams accepted substantial damages and the publishers accepted that the stories were untrue. His counsel, Tom Shields QC, told the court: "Mr Williams is not, and has never been, homosexual". Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell called for any damages paid out from the libel case to be donated to gay charities, claiming Williams' legal actions had created the impression that it is "shameful to be gay" . Williams openly admitted that he was not bothered about being labelled gay, and he would have taken the same action had it been about a female relationship. He also publicly vowed that he would have sex with a guy in order to save a rabbit's life . Robbie Williams also created the charity that is set up in his home town Give It Sum.

Williams is a life long supporter of Port Vale F.C., based in his home town of Stoke-on-Trent. In February 2006 he bought £240,000 worth of shares in the club.

Williams with the help of his best friend Jonathan Wilkes recently organised a charity football match in an attempt to raise funds in Africa. This match was played in May 2006 at Old Trafford, Manchester. The participants were an England team full of legends and celebrities. It was a very successful event raising more than one million pounds for charity.

According to The Sun, he spent £8 million on a 115ft Athena cruiser from Italy's leading boat company, Riva.

Williams owns a Ducati 999S, 1973 Jaguar E-Type Convertible, and a Jaguar XKR convertible (1st generation).

2006 Close Encounters Tour

Williams is currently on his Close Encounters World Tour which has him playing to more than 3 million people around the globe. He broke the World Record for selling 1.6 million tickets in a single day. He kicked off the tour in South Africa. BBC Probe Orson and Basement Jaxx are the support acts for his European dates.

Discography

Further information: Robbie Williams discography

Robbie Williams's Other Album Appearances

References

External links


Robbie Williams
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Live albums
Video compilations
Concert tours
Musical theatre
Related articles
  1. Agence France-Presse (2005). Robbie sets ticket sales record. Retrieved 27 November 2005.
  2. "Singing star Robbie Williams finds a new love". chinadaily.com. 2006.
  3. EMI Music Mexico
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