Talk:Rick Astley

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[edit] Astley music used in the American invasion of Panama

I have yet to find a verifiable source for this, but just came across a reference to Astley's music being used by American troops in their invasion of Panama in 1989. Info on the invasion can be seen at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Panama, while a reference to the use of rock music is also found in the Noriega article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Noriega.

The reference to Astley came in the 3rd episode of the 17th series of Never Mind the Buzzcocks. I personally find this very humourous, but also consider it a reasonable addition to the article here. Is anyone else familiar with this use? --198.96.36.120 (talk) 22:25, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Rick Roll equals 532 million hits?

I don't think so.. does anyone wanna fix it? -(BrutusCirrus (talk) 21:27, 16 March 2008 (UTC))

[edit] RickRoll...again

Has Rick Astley himself ever commented re: the rickroll phenomenon? Just curious. Alcy (talk) 22:17, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

A current pic of Rick Astley would be cool --Rusober (talk) 02:12, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
some info here [1] on what Rick thinks of the internet fad. Not sure if it's a legitimate news site, though. — Sandtiger 20:30, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
The only thing on that site right now is a cybersquatter's page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.191.158.158 (talk) 14:20, 22 March 2008 (UTC)
News clip about this, at the end it has a comment about Rick's opinion. This is not a rick roll. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tD4Tgx1fsU&feature=related 131.91.92.184 (talk) 18:42, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The Ultimate Duet

I always thought that Rick Astley and Aaron Neville should do an album together. The picture on the front of the jewel case, coupled with the music inside, would provide endless confusion to music fans unfamiliar with their work. --M.Neko 19:24, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

A photo of Rick should be added to this page, perhaps along with an image from the album cover. LLP 15:31, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Does Rick Astley have extra vocal cords? 168.209.98.35 04:10, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)

If you're speaking of the deep and forceful presence of his unusual voice, the word is that he purposefully enjoys an extremely high fiber diet and refrains from having a bowel movement for at least 48 hours before a singing engagement.
I'm going to try this. 76.102.62.11 21:48, 23 May 2007 (UTC)
24 hours so far.

It's nice to see an article about a man so forgotten in the music world, especially in America. Good article. -Amit, 13 Aug 2005

For a man who has been apparently "forgotton" in the United States, many radio stations still choose the play his hit's 74.65.39.59 14:11, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the info. I've wondered what happened to him.6/oct/2005

I see "so that he could raise a family" but there's no mention of a wife or girlfriend...no mention of children. Is it possible to get more personal info in this article?
I decided to add it myself.

Rick Astley also became very popular in Asia. I hope that some sort of statistics can be added to show how he performed in the music charts.

In what parallel universe are 'Vincent', 'Nature Boy' and 'Close To You' defined as 'soul standards'? Widmerpool 12:09, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sK3AqFYAWQ <-- HABEEB IT.

(That video has been removed due to "terms of use" violations, btw)Rusober (talk) 02:14, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Needs more information on the RickRoll'D Internet Phenomenon

I'll get information on it and when more info's out...

Here, I found this link fairly informative but I'm not good at writing articles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0 SockMonkeh 21:12, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

If I hadn't seen that link so many times already... I woulda clicked it >.< That being said, I don't think the fad started on IGN. I remember reading something about "duckrolling" and 4chan, which would make far more sense. There is no question that gaming forums helped proliferate the meme (and Seth McFarlane didn't help at all), but it would be surprising if something this random got started on one.Jklharris 07:53, 22 May 2007 (UTC)
This, like every other funny meme started at 4chan, more accurate; /v/ "Posting links to videogame-related (or not) Youtube videos is very popular on /v/. On March 29th 2007, there were a large number of threads discussing the recently-released GTA4 trailer. A mischievous Anonymous posted a Youtube link to what he described as a "GTA4 gameplay vid". At the time there was much speculation surrounding the new GTA installment, so the link drew a large amount of curiosity, curiosity that was quickly squashed upon finding that the youtube link actually directed users to the music video of "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Many /v/irgins shat bricks when they found a skinny white boy singing like a black man instead of anything even remotely videogame related, and cries of "ONDORE!" soon echoed within the commentary of that particular video. The residents of /v/ found this hilariously absurd, and soon enough, Anonymous stealthily inserted links to this video in many threads on /v/, resulting in much hilarity when other posters get a vintage 80's surprise. Due to the fact that this meme relies on cunning deception much like Duckroll, the practice of tricking people into viewing this song is called the Rickroll, trolls who do it are called Rickrollers, those who fall for it exlaim they've been 'rickrolled,' etc. etc. etc. This meme has also leaked over to /x/, and then to the rest of 4chan."
I was RickRoll'd by an LUElinker. It's the biggest craze there.
See also the article for Never Gonna Give You Up and associated talk page. Snarfies 16:09, 22 May 2007 (UTC)
This did indeed start out, as far as I know, on 4chan. The original craze was "Duckrolling", where users post a link to another post on the forum. Thinking it's a relevant link, many users click on it, only to find it is a picture of a duck with wheels - the infamous "Duckroll". It's then traditional to post a Duckroll elsewhere on 4chan (almost always 4chan/b/). Then someone came up with the idea of Rickrolling - say "There's a youtube video of this" and post the Rick Astley link. A newer version has the song playing over an image of the Duckroll, cementing this as an offshoot of Duckrolling. However, as Wiki doesn't like mention of the 4chan trolls, I'll refrain from adding this into the article and leave it for a more respected user Mysticaloctopus 11:53, 24 May 2007

(UTC)

the wording should be changed from initial "duckroll" image to duckroll image or duckrolling image. it would help if the image of a duckroll was described since there's no stub on it.
As far as I know what you are saying is true. Problem is, there's no way to prove it, and many wikipedia editors are uptight blockheads who would rather have proper procedure than truth, so any statements to that effect would be quickly zotted out of the article. See also Talk:Loituma_Girl#Origin. Snarfies 03:56, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
Wikipedia is about verifiability, not truth. If you have a problem with that, try effecting a change in policy instead of bitching and ignoring policy. DarkSaber2k 13:34, 29 June 2007 (UTC)
Indeed. It started on 4chan's /v board. An anonymous user posted a link to Youtube, claiming it to be pornography of some kind. However, the link actually pointed to the video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" and from there the phenomenon spread. Naturally, once it hit the World of Warcraft forums, it exploded in popularity. The Family Guy episode recently, however, is not believed widely to be influenced by this at all, since it mentions nothing of Rickrolling, and is merely a hilarious coincidence. I don't really see why there can't be a small paragraph or mention of Rickrolling on this page. There's no good reason why a trivia/pop culture reference which appears on MANY MANY other pages in very similar styles can't be on Wikipedia.TheMadRussian 04:23, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
I'm pretty sure it wasn't /v/. And about the Family Guy thing, Family Guy couldn't possibly have referenced it, given the time it makes one episode of a TV show and the fact that it was shown barely a month after the meme began. (whoops I forgot to sign my thing forever ago)Razorthe6249th 12:39, 17 July 2007 (UTC)
Whoever adds this section should probably make a reference to the Goatse.cx entry as well.Branciforte3241 01:43, 5 June 2007 (UTC)
I think this is a large enough phenomenon to warrant an entry. RickRoll could redirect to this article. Has its own site now: http://www.yougotrickrolled.com/ Jredwards 23:56, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

It wasn't originally a fake link to porn. Here's from Lurkmore:

Rickroll
Posting links to videogame-related (or not) Youtube videos is very popular on /v/. On March 29th 2007, there were s large number of threads discussing about the recently-released GTA4 trailer. A mischievous Anonymous posted a Youtube link to what he described as a "GTA4 gameplay vid". At the time there was much speculation surrounding the new GTA installment, so the link drew a large amount of curiosity, curiosity that was quickly squashed upon finding that the youtube link actually directed users to the music video of "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Many /v/irgins shat bricks when they found a skinny white boy singing like a black man instead of anything even remotely videogame related, and cries of "ONDORE!" soon echoed within the commentary of that particular video. The residents of /v/ found this hilariously absurd, and soon enough, Anonymous stealthily inserted links to this video in many threads on /v/, resulting in much hilarity when other posters get a vintage 80's surprise. Due to the fact that this meme relies on cunning deception much like Duckroll, the practice of tricking people into viewing this song is called the Rickroll, trolls who do it are called Rickrollers, those who fall for it exlaim they've been 'rickrolled,' etc. etc. etc. It soon leaked over to /x/, and then to the rest of 4chan.
The most common video used to Rickroll is this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7sK3AqFYAWQ However, be wary, as sly /v/irgins have uploaded the 'Never Gonna Give You Up" music video themselves, and they have also started to link to other Rick Astley songs, such as "Take Me to Your Heart."
Since Rickroll has been used on Seth MacFarlane's cartoon Family Guy[5], it is now an old and tired meme.
It should also be noted that Youtube Rickrolls have been posted so often in gamefaqs, their TOS has been amended in which posting a Youtube video with Rick Astley's song "Never Gonna Give You Up" is now a violation with the note being, we shit you not, "Posting a RickRoll? That's a paddlin'." -Annon3
Just because the song was used in Family Guy does not mean it was a 'rickroll'. Family Guy has a long history of spoofing songs, such as 'Shepoopie' (however it's spelt) in Patriot Games, or 'Somewhere that's green' as sung by Herbert. Regardless, unless sources are provided to prove it is indeed a 'phenomenon' (never can spell this right) then the information should not be included due to the core polciy of verification and the guidelines for neologisms. DarkSaber2k 13:31, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia contains plenty of other references to memes, none of which can be provided to wikipedia's harsh and demanding standards. But they still get a mention. --86.128.77.245 13:29, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

WP:OTHERCRAPEXISTS, We aren't talking about those memes, we're discussing this one. DarkSaber2k 08:04, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

I believe it is notable and the source was reliable. the_undertow talk 09:39, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
One source of merely local (i.e. Wigan area) significance is far short of the 'wide usage/mentions in reliable secondary sources' that is required for a neologism/meme to be included in Wikipedia. DarkSaber2k 09:44, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
Is the Internet local? the_undertow talk 04:08, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
No, but the Internet can surely provide more than 1 reliable source for such a 'wide-spread phenomenon'? DarkSaber2k 08:02, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
Does Carson Daly using it on his show count? Crystallina 04:05, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
Only if it's verifiable through reliable sources. DarkSaber2k 08:36, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
21 June 2007 episode of Carson Daly, quote, "You just got RickRolled."Bubbaprog 10:26, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

I'd just like to point out there is a way to prove it was 4chan that started it; if one were to go through the early comments you'll see a change around page 750/749 from nostalgic posts reminiscing about rick to posts questioning why the video isn't GTA4. Now, you may argue that it had been used before but no one posted any comments those times. But considering how many comments were posted most of which referencing /v/ and other 4chan memes, you'd have to wonder why no one else said anything about their internet communities if it had indeed started on those. 4chan also has a bit of a semi-followed rules 1&2 which say one mustn't speak of 4chan, which would also lessen(abet minimally) the likelihood of their doing it first if it had indeed been around before the GTA trailer.


Found a citation: http://www.cwyohba.org/noexit/news/rickastley/rickastley.html (and no, that's not a rickroll in disguise) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.255.77.81 (talk) 22:30, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Basic career information

This article lacks information on what record labels distributed Astley's albums; if memory serves me correctly, RCA distributed two of his albums in the United States during a brief period in the 1980's. Be sure to include the labels in sequence on the Infobox musical artist once verified. - B.C.Schmerker 16:02, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Rick Roll"

The "Rick Roll" section needs some serious help. It's hardly limited to one YouTube video, nor even to YouTube. It's been featured on a number of TV shows (Robot Chicken is but one), and other media (xkcd, etc.). --Kickstart70-T-C 08:11, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

Does it really need to be the #2 section on this page? Seems more appropriate is a Trivia section or link to a page that specifically talks about it on 'internet memes' or something, eh?

[edit] Video blog rant -- where is it?

"Although the idea originally developed as a joke, Astley himself was reportedly unimpressed at the use of his hit single as a target for mockery and posted a rant against the craze on his blog, a video of which ironically went on to prove even more popular."

Where is this so called rant of his? If it's even more popular than the actual video, how come I can't find it (yet I can find over thousands of videos of "Never Gonna Give You Up" labeled as "RickRoll")? It would be nice if whoever found this rant could post a link to it, you know sort of state the reference. I'm pretty sure if it was as popular as this article says or if it even exists at all, I would be able to find it on YouTube without even having to ask here. --Machriderx (talk) 23:42, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

In addition, this interview seems to counter the idea that he hates it:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/webscout/2008/03/rick-astley-kin.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.98.249.59 (talk) 01:20, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Soul Standards

Current article reads: In 2005 Astley released the album Portrait in which he covered many classic soul standards such as "Vincent"[3], "Nature Boy" and "Close to You".

I don't think "Vincent" is "soul" in anyone's books. Ordinary Person (talk) 03:29, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] NPOV on Nick Lowe Reference

The paragraph that refers to Nick Lowe rhyming "Astley" with "ghastly" feels a bit derisive and seems like it would be outside the spirit of NPOV. I don't feel comfortable making an edit, though, since I'm a WikiRookie. Thoughts? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.82.211.121 (talk • contribs)

Someone has fixed this. --Xyzzyplugh (talk) 17:57, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Leo Laporte

"Astley is the twin brother of radio personality Leo Laporte".

I'm pretty sure this isn't true..... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.40.107.112 (talk) 22:31, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Paragraph in the middle of Rickroll section

No sources, and while a fraction of it is true it says on another page he won't try and capitalise on the meme. The paragraph is written in a definitely not encyclopedic style, and it contains a great deal of opinion. While some effort should be made to salvage the extent of rick rolling on 2008's april fools day, what's there at the moment is utter trash (86.143.12.235 (talk) 17:48, 3 April 2008 (UTC))

[edit] External Links

Added an external link to an Unofficial Rick Astley website, as the "external link" section looked a bit sparse. Red dwarf (talk) 14:33, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Recent vandalism

This article has been the subject of repeated vandalism for the past few days. I restored the last correct version (Revision as of 07:52, April 13, 2008) of this page. No new relevant change has been done since then. I will set a semi-protection if this childish behaviour continues. Glloq (talk) 09:57, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it looks good now. thank you! and whoever put up that picture, you're my hero! One of his better photographs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.245.36.179 (talk) 00:24, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Aphex Twin

Is the article correct in saying that Astley was part of a band called "the Aphex Twins"? If so, did that band have any relation to *the* Aphex twin? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.57.90.83 (talk) 05:48, 15 May 2008 (UTC)