Talk:Richard Clapton

Compilation album II
Richard's 2006 Rewired album is listed in the "Compilation albums" category. Given that the album consists of re-arranged versions of old songs (and not just note-for-note re-recordings as some artists do to get around licencing issues), shouldn't Rewired be classified as an original studio album rather than a compilation? Neb-Maat-Re (talk) 00:56, 31 January 2017 (UTC)

would appreciate some help
Richard Clapton in an important Australian musician. This page ought to reflect that. I'll try to write a biography over the next couple of days, but I wouldn't say I have awesome html skills, so would appreciate some help in setting up some of the internal and external links.

OK- I have at least made a start on improving the page. As mentioned above, I would be grateful if someone more competent than myself with html could provide internal links to the Wikipedia articles on, for instance, Neil Young, Jackson Browne and Cold Chisel. - Mickey

Clapton's real name
I edited this a few weeks ago to include Clapton's real name, which according to The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia (page 54) is Terry Gonk. I also included a reference to the book.

Here is a searchable link to the page: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ELACebeQEgcC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=%22terry+gonk%22&source=web&ots=aavRShE40W&sig=jk4vfK9R3ZcjvjyUswa9LODUSGU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result

Don't know why the name should subsequently have been removed; I will leave it up to a more experienced editor to decide whether or not it should be reinstated.

Yiptahooty (talk) 03:14, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I have deleted on a couple of occasions, reference to Richard Clapton's real name as being "Terry Gonk", as it is incorrect, as is the reference in The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia. Of course, his real name is Richard Clapton, as he has firmly indicated on his fan website, stating that he has had numerous passports bearing the name "Richard Clapton". I do happen to know Richard's birth name for a certainty but I would not publish it here without Richard's permission, as I respect his right to keep these things private if he chooses to. Similarly, I would not reference here my "source" as it is personal information and again, I would not disclose that information without Richard's permission.

If a more experienced editor chooses to re-instate the name, "Terry Gonk", perhaps the article could state that references to this name are questionable or remain open to speculation (like his year of birth).

I'm sorry that I cannot provide more specific information but I respect Richard's rights to privacy. No doubt, Richard will clear things up when he chooses to publish his memoirs.

Mainstreet1 (talk) 01:56, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for clearing that up. I had no reason to doubt the Dictionary Of Performing Arts, so am happy to bow to superior knowledge. Someone else has now added his birth name as "Terry Gronk". I can't find any verification for this anywhere but will leave it to those who know the artist personally to delete if it is incorrect.

Yiptahooty (talk) 02:07, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

I have also deleted "Terry Gronk" as that is also incorrect. Richard's comments on a previous entry claiming that he is Eric Clapton's cousin can be viewed on the forum on his fan website, here: http://richardclapton.net/phorum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=836&st=0&sk=t&sd=a. Quite amusing, really.

In the forums, he also replied on 15 January 2005 to a question about his real name where he stated that he just collected his "5th passport in 30 years and it says RC on there so I guess that must be me". Source: http://richardclapton.net/phorum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=220&p=1127&hilit=stupid+rumour#p1127

Mainstreet1 (talk) 12:49, 5 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Mainstreet1, would I be able to contact you? I have a question to ask. Neb-Maat-Re (talk) 10:39, 13 June 2022 (UTC)

Stagnant? Are you mental??
I must vehemently dispute the laughable assertion that ... "The early 1970s are often regarded as a stagnant time for Australian rock music." Frankly, only an idiot would say that. There is abundant evidence to the contrary -- the early 70s was in fact one of the most fruitful and exciting periods in the history of Australian music. It might have been "stagnant" if you were stuck in a country town with only one radio station, but in the capital cities and larger towns it was a boom time - there were legendary bands playing every night, Mushroom Records was starting up, GTK was on the air, etc etc, etc. Unless anyone has a major objection I will remove this stupid statement forthwith.

I've added some additional info and citations -- am I the only person editing Wiki who has a copy of Ian McFarlane's Encyclopedia? Get it together, cavemen! This article needs considerable improvement. Richard IS an important Ausrtalian artist and deserves better representation here; I'll do what I can to over the next few days.Dunks (talk) 15:14, 5 September 2009 (UTC)

Clapton's Ethnicity
I see that the Wikipedia article makes no mention of Clapton's ethnicity. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Clapton half or part Chinese ? I seem to recall in an interview in the 1990's his mention of this. (Marinesuper (talk) 09:50, 16 November 2009 (UTC))

Appreciate your point but why does ethnicity have to be mentioned at all? What's the relevance? Mainstreet1 (talk) 02:17, 23 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Well maybe it doesn't. I did think that is he was part Chinese then it may be of interest to those who have an interest in Asian or part Asian Australians in the music buisness. (Marinesuper (talk) 06:57, 18 January 2010 (UTC))

Proposed major edits
As an ARIA Hall of Famer, Clapton deserves a B-class or better article, I intend making some major edits over the next few days/weeks. Interim edits may be disorganised or incomplete.––shaidar cuebiyar (talk) 05:30, 11 June 2010 (UTC)
 * I've done my major edits, it should be at B-class now.shaidar cuebiyar (talk) 22:18, 16 June 2010 (UTC)

Deleted at request of Richard Clapton?
On 11 July 2010, according to article history, user Mainstreet1 deleted considerable material from this article. Some of the edit summaries included a statement that it was "Deleted at request of Richard Clapton 11/07/2010" or similar. Some deletions were also made because the material was claimed to be irrelevant. Mainstreet1 also deleted the reference tabs along with the information. A subsequent editor deleted a reference which was no longer being used in the remaining material.

Whilst I understand that some of the information is sensitive to Clapton, however according to Wikipedia's policy on Biographies of living persons: public figures we have the following, "If an allegation or incident is notable, relevant, and well-documented, it belongs in the article—even if it is negative and the subject dislikes all mention of it."

Some of the deleted material includes:


 * 1) Clapton's membership in a German band. The reliable source for this was Ed Nimmervoll's article on Clapton at Howlspace, see second paragraph last sentence. This same source is used several times elsewhere in the article.
 * 2) Description of Clapton's early life. The sources for this information are McFadyen and Browne. The relevance of this material is supplied by Clapton himself in his interview with Peter Thompson on Talking Heads from 2008 (see transcript). Clapton recalls his childhood, and then concludes "it has contributed a lot to the nature of my song writing, because, I guess, no pain, no gain". This makes the information that was deleted relevant to Clapton's career as a songwriter. The information is well documented, it was published in news articles, broadcast on National TV and has been transcribed on the web for years. It is notable as background to his success and inspiration for his writing.
 * 3) Whole section on 'Personal life'. This repeated some of the same information from his early life. It also included additional details of his wife, two children (including their names and ages) and a medical condition. Additionally it stated that, in May, Clapton had indicated he was due to publish his autobiography. The deleted information is supported by Browne, Thompson, Katherine Tulich in a Who magazine article from 1996, and by Moran (which is the ref that was subsequently deleted). According to Browne – who gives details on his wife and daughters – they are "the three of whom he credits with saving him from the music industry's worst excesses". Browne furthermore reinforces the impact of his upbringing on his song writing with Clapton stating it is his early upbringing that supplied his inspiration and made him a better songwriter.

All of the above, makes the material relevant, notable and widely documented in reliable sources. It should be reinstated in this article. Note that Clapton, himself, supplied much of the information by giving the interviews with reputable journalists and a television presenter. As far as I can tell, Clapton's "tell-all" autobiography has still not appeared.

If Mainstreet1 can show, by use of reliable sources, that any information is factually incorrect, then it should be modified appropriately but sections that are reliably referenced should not be deleted without discussion.shaidar cuebiyar (talk) 11:35, 3 December 2010 (UTC)
 * It is now a week since I made the above request for Mainstreet1 to discus these issues, with no response I will now revert those edits and return the information. I further request Mainstreet1 not to delete the returned information without first presenting reliable sources to show the information is factually incorrect.shaidar cuebiyar (talk) 08:59, 10 December 2010 (UTC)
 * If Richard Clapton wishes to maintain the myths surrounding his identity, that is of course his business. Wikipedia however is an encyclopedia, it's meant to list what is true and correct, not what an artists doesn't want written or revised. Blogs and forums on wikipedia are not considered reliable sources. As for the claim of Terry Gonk, The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia is also not the only source of that claim. I have many music encyclopaedia's including The Oxford Companion to Australian Music by Warren Arthur Bebbington, Encyclopedia of Australian Rock by Noel McGrath, and Dreams, Fantasies, and Nightmares from Far Away Lands by Vernon Joynson, which all list his birth name as Terry Gonk. Neuterz (talk) 06:18, 20 May 2012 (UTC)

External links modified
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Compilation album
There seems to be a typo here:

He said the only real money he ever made out of Girls on the Avenue was when it became available "on one of those bargain ''Explosive Hits" (compilations) and they sell about 400,00 each time."

Can any one with access to the publication confirm it should be 400,000?

I can confirm that the compilation album in question is actually Ripper as I own that album - sadly it can't be added though (verifability not truth.) Format (talk) 06:05, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20121010113718/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/c/claptonrichard.html to http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/c/claptonrichard.html

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October 2019 reversion
I have just reverted a lot of content, which was deleted in the previous month. Mostly it from the Early years and/or Personal life sections. Some of the same content as indicated above had been deleted without any discussion. These deletions result in broken or missing references.

I will now go back through the article to update it from the last time I edited.shaidar cuebiyar (talk) 00:49, 18 October 2019 (UTC)
 * Another editor, has deleted some of the same material indicated above. Again, the deletions are disputed and disrupted the article.shaidar cuebiyar (talk) 03:39, 18 October 2019 (UTC)