I was a young guy and I was like, “I don’t want to be doing that every single day of my life. Now it doesn’t seem like any amount of years, but then it was a quarter of my life. I’d been doing the same thing for so many years. Affable and softspoken, Astley amiably and candidly spoke to Rolling Stone about why he walked away from his career the first time, making the new album in his home studio, taking a cue from Adele, and, for the first time, scars left from his childhood.Īt 27, you said, “I’m done” and stopped. dates in years – he plans to do more after the album’s release – Astley returned to touring in the rest of the world a decade ago, often accompanied by his wife, Lene Bausager, an Academy Award–nominated producer, who now manages him. Though the August concerts were his first U.S. Then there was the time Ozzy Osbourne recognized him in the bar and kindly offered recommendations on top touring musicians before Sharon Osbourne bleated, “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing? Do you really think he wants to work with the long-haired guys that you do?” “It was just a bizarre moment,” Astley says with typical British understatement. It turns out the Led Zeppelin singer wanted a photo with Astley for his nephew. “I remember thinking, ‘Have I sat on his towel?'” Astley says with a laugh. One day Robert Plant approached him by the pool. “It was a bit weird,” Astley says of the similarities, but he remains unconvinced that she intentionally referenced the song: “There’s still a part of me that’s not 100 percent sure that’s what she was doing,” he says.Īstley has stayed at the Sunset Marquis since 1988 and while he’s tucked away out of public view today, celebrity encounters were common during his Eighties heyday. “The physicality in his voice is ridiculous.”Īstley’s name most recently surfaced stateside in July after Melania Trump seemingly quoted lyrics from “Never Gonna Give You Up” during her RNC speech, resulting in streams of the song increasing by 19 percent, according to Spotify, as memes of Trump and Astley side by side emerged. “I know I’ve got a biggish voice, but for me, he’s on a different plane,” Astley demurs reverentially. on October 7th, and the Troubadour concert make clear, age has given Astley’s still-mighty baritone an added richness and depth that at times recalls a younger, less predatory Tom Jones. since his 1987 debut, Whenever You Need Somebody. The first true sign of life occurred in June when 50, a soulful, often revealing, collection of pop songs written, produced and played entirely by Astley, debuted on top of the British albums chart, landing the singer his first Number One album in the U.K. since 1989 – are “to let everyone know I’m alive, really,” Astley jokes. He orders an espresso, announcing that he’s still suffering from jet lag after flying from his home outside of London for an August 10th show in New York and then on to Los Angeles. The previous night’s smart suit has been replaced with blue shorts, a T-shirt and a jacket. I’m really lucky in that respect.”Īstley, 50, is sitting in the restaurant at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood the day after a triumphant sold-out show at the Troubadour. “My whole family have got pretty strong hair. “I get it imported from China,” the youthful Astley jokes, tugging on his dark-brown tufts. His hair game is still impressive and remarkably unchanged since the Eighties. And while there's no evidence that the Rickroll was directly inspired by Rudd's shenanigans, this video points to a connection between the two that's undeniable.Ĭonan 's last episode airs June 24 on TBS.Nearly 30 years ago, a gangly 21-year-old Rick Astley, his magnificent pompadour and his lovably geeky dance moves arrived on these shores from his native England armed with such hits as “Together Forever,” “It Would Take a Strong Strong Man” and, of course, the tsunami-strength “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which reached Number One in 25 countries. Interestingly, Rudd's first Mac & Me gag predates the first Rickroll by a solid two years. ![]() ![]() No matter what form it takes, it sends tears streaming down the host's face. Sometimes it's repeated throughout the interview. Sometimes it's in the middle of another scene. ![]() Rudd has repeated the gag every time he's appeared for nearly 20 years, whether promoting his Marvel movies, Anchorman or his Netflix movie Living With Yourself … each time, he gets O'Brien to let his guard down, then strikes. The gag goes all the way back to 2004, when Rudd appeared on Late Night claiming to have a clip from the Friends series finale, making yesterday's final Ruddroll all the more timely given we're talking about the Friends reunion ad nauseam.
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