In 2007 the Internet meme of ‘rickrolling’ became a phenomenon. For the uninitiated, the concept is a simple bait and switch – hyperlinking the victim to something seemingly relevant to conversation, before leading them to the video of Astley’s 1987 hit single Never Gonna Give You Up (a song that went to #1 in 25 countries). Rickrolling is arguably one of the most famous memes of all-time. In 2008 Astley performed a live rickroll at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, in the same year on April Fools’ Day each of the featured videos on YouTube’s homepage hyperlinked to the video, and in 2014 the multiple versions of the video upload across the web have now clocked up hundreds of millions of views.
Astley however has always seen the lighter side to the joke, stating that he finds the whole concept “hilarious” and his only concern is that it doesn’t embarrass his daughter. In 2008 Astley was ludicrously nominated and subsequently won the award for Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Realising the absurdity of the situation, he went on to watch the stunt backfire tremendously on MTV. “I knew it was ironic. They really set themselves up and shot themselves in the foot,” he laughs. “They deliberately put me in a category that they shouldn’t have and then loads of people voted for me because they knew how ridiculous it was. So in the end they had to give the award to me – and I’m telling them, ‘Nope, I’m not coming.’ I knew Paul McCartney was going to be there, I knew Bono was going to be there. There was no way I was walking onto that stage and accepting that award.”
While the rickrolling phenomenon no doubt introduced Astley to an entirely new and youthful audience, in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s he was a bona fide pop superstar – selling over 40 million records worldwide. In 1993 he announced his retirement in favour of spending more time with his family. However he maintains even two decades on, music has always played a foremost role in his life. “My main hobby my entire life has always been music – even after I retired,” he notes. “I’ve still got a studio and home that I love to tinker about with. I’ve always played drums and I’ve always kept kits around the house. In fact I’m currently playing drums in a band with a few friends of mine, but we all realise that it’s a mid-life crisis type of thing,” he laughs.
Following the rise of rickrolling, global interest for Astley to perform live grew rapidly. He then returned to the stage and has since been touring the world. However, he notes he’s under no disillusions of what fans wish to experience from his shows. “Basically I just play my old hits. That’s what the majority of the audience have come for and I totally understand that,” he laughs. “I just try and enjoy it, y’know? I feel that at this point in my life, if I’m playing these shows, it’s not like I’m trying to build a career out of it. When you’re releasing records and your label is fighting tooth and nail with other labels there’s a whole lot of different pressure about it. I’m just doing this now for the fun of it. People come to my shows to relive some memories and have a good night out – I’m really happy with that. I like having a good relationship with my audience rather than trying to maintain that I’m the coolest guy around town, which obviously I’m not.”
In 2012 Astley toured Australia for the first time in over two decades, and this weekend will see him return to Melbourne on his Together Forever tour. “I’ve actually already been to Australia this year. Well, at least for one night,” he laughs. “I sung at the Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix and then had to get straight to South America. It was the quickest route I could take. So I flew to Sydney, had dinner with a friend, then flew to South America. For a guy who doesn’t really like flying that was pretty intense. My wife’s really looking forward to coming to Australia because she’s never been before. It’s a real bonus to be able to bring her. The gigs were so good last time – I had such a great time. I’m really lucky to be able to do this.”
BY TYSON WRAY
