Rick Astley, the artist most famous for the 1987 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" and infamous for its internet popularity in the form of Rickrolling, has a new album out today. He retired in 1993, but today marks his return, and to celebrate he did a Reddit AMA. Of course, he was asked about Rickrolling, and he seems to be at peace with it all.
Is the information about you making only 12 dollars off of the Rickrolling phenomenon true, or if it is true, has it even been updated? This question has puzzled me for a while now.
No, it's not true. Because if I'm gonna be absolutely honesty, I was paid a chunk of money to do a commercial for Virgin, and also I rickrolled the Macy's Day Parade and they paid me a check of money for that.
I've never even tried to find out what was actually made from the YouTube hits - I've never really thought about it. I don't really care. I feel it's been an adventure anyway. I have been paid well twice, for rickrolling.
I also did that because I thought it would be the death of rickrolling, but it hasn't been really.
Have you ever been Rickrolled and, if so, was it a pleasant surprise? What other song is worthy of being the target of a Rickroll?
Wow - oof that's a good'un. That's very difficult, because to be honest, on the one hand, you're also putting that song at risk of becoming hated by half the population of the universe, so I think it'd be very difficult to give someone that position. It's great people get to hear that song on the one hand, but there's also a part of me that thinks some people are willing to kill me.
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