Rick or treat? (Rick Astley flattered by rick rolling)

The Guardian (UK) ^ | September 6, 2008 | Priya Elan

[EveningStar]

Before the crying, lump of peroxide that begged "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!" and the Day-Glo, gay Valhalla of Planet Unicorn, "Rick rolling" was the internet viral that kept on giving. Before you could say "Bye bye LOLCATS" people were altered to faked news stories (from "Nasa To Burn Sponsor Logos Into The Surface Of Mars" to "See Paris Making Out With Busta Rhymes!") whose links would be the promo video of Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up...

[1rudeboy]

I’m afraid to click your link.

[NewJerseyJoe]

I remember reading about rickrolling earlier this year. If some enterprising FReepers or other conservatives were to rickroll Obama at one of his public appearances, that would be hughly funny.

[EveningStar]

lol :)

[EveningStar]

By popular demand :)

[B-Chan]

We were in a video room at an anime convention this past week when a friend of mine put Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” music video on a big screen and turned it up. Before more than a bar or two of the song’s unmistakable percussion intro had played, everyone in that room — including adults and kids (some of whom were not born when the song was released) — was up on his or her feet, singing and dancing along. What amazed me was that the kids knew every word!

Congratulations to Rick Asley on his promotion from Top 40 footnote to icon of Western culture.

(It really is a catchy song, dammit...)

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

I dare you X

[Artemis Webb]

I’m sorry. No matter how tempted I simply cannot handle Ghastly Astley.

[DeLaine]

ByeBye LOLcats??? i don’t THINK so!!!

[lainie]

Someone actually got me with a Barack Roll last week.

[justlurking]

I never got into Rick-rolling, but the article has some interesting stuff in it. The song is from 1987, and Astley is in his 40's

There's a link to a compilation of Rick-Roll videos:

http://uk.youtube.com/profile_favorites?user=theguardianguide

I think these two are hilarious: KISS and The Muppets.

[justlurking]

Someone actually got me with a Barack Roll last week.

I missed that one. Now, that's funny. :-)

For those that don't dare click it, they spliced together a bunch of Obama's speeches, excerpting a word or two at a time to match the lyrics in the song.

[lainie]

(don't forget to mention the groovy Ellen Degeneres dancing.) bleccch

[Tanniker Smith]

I think I remember the first time I saw the video for that.

I turned to whoever was standing next to me and said, "Rick Astley's white???"

[Titan Magroyne]

Bookmark for myself for later, but Slings might know some FReepers who are dieing to not be pinged to this thread, LOL.

[Tolkien]

Sorry, but I have to say it. I despise Rick Astley's voice and Rick Astley's songs.

Wew! I feel better now.

[Trajan88]

Rick Astley... the "white" Barry White (with the same deep voice)

:-)

[Slings and Arrows]

I still want to hear what Happycat thinks about this whole "LOLcats" thing.

[martin_fierro]

[Danae]

Just for fun the crowd should start singing it to the McCain Palin campaign as part of the warm up lol THAT would be CLASSIC.