| Ricky Wilson | |
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 Wilson at Lollapalooza 2005.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Richard Wilson |
| Born | 17 January 1978 Keighley, West Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Indie rock, Post-punk revival, New wave |
| Occupations | Singer–songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, drums, |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Associated acts | Kaiser Chiefs, Parva |
Ricky Wilson (born Charles Richard Wilson, 17 January 1978) is the lead singer of English band Kaiser Chiefs. Wilson has also been on the panel of the BBC Television comedy series "Shooting Stars" in 2009, Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2005, and was a guest host on the show in 2006.
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Personal life
Wilson was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire. He studied at Leeds Grammar School, then at Leeds Metropolitan University. Whilst setting up the Kaiser Chiefs, he worked part time on the art and design national diploma at Leeds College of Art.
Wilson was recruited by the other members of the Kaiser Chiefs in 1998 (then known as Parva [1]) to be the lead singer.
According to NME[1], Wilson is allergic to chocolate and milk products.
It is known by locals in the area that Ricky lives just outside Garforth, Leeds.
Character and Style
Wilson is well known for wearing stripy blazers, waistcoats, turn-up jeans and winkle picker shoes, a style that won him the Shockwaves NME Award For Best Dressed Person in 2006 (Wilson has reportedly been spotted in Priestleys, a vintage clothing shop in York).
On stage he is well-known for his ability to scamper gaily about the stage whilst simultaneously playing either the cowbell or the tambourine. At the Glastonbury Festival in 2005 Wilson dived into the audience to drag a large green inflatable dinosaur on to the stage. Now inflatable dinosaurs, known as Kaisersaurs to the fans, make a regular appearances at Kaiser Chief concerts.
Wilson is also known to take matters into his own hands, such as at Dublin's Bud Rising Festival, when he started to climb up scaffolding on the stage, to the dismay of a nearby cameraman who immediately attempted to shout him down; he also climbed the scaffolding at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2008. At the 2008 Rock Werchter festival in Belgium, Wilson ran through the crowd and proceeded to climb the mixing box opposite the stage, where he stated he was "Watching my favourite band right now", a reference to his bandmates still playing onstage. At the 2009 festival, he climbed up the scaffold supporting the loudspeakers, singing a chorus whilst hanging from the bars. Also at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen in 2009 he ran down the stage and into a nearby restaurant during the end of I Predict a Riot. He then performed Take my Temperature from the balcony of the restaurant.
Wilson often 'surfs' the crowd at concerts, most often during the playing of I Predict a Riot. Wilson says that this is because he likes to "get out and see the crowd, see what they smell like".[2]
References
External links
- Ricky Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
- Gigshot.co.uk - Kaiser Chiefs at Paradiso Amsterdam, 29 May 2007
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