2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Rick Rolling has become popular way to prank people
Jenna Gibson
Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: News
Anyone can be a victim at any time. A victim could be minding their own business at work, in class or even sleeping at 3 a.m. when the phone rings.
"We're no strangers to love."
A deep voice croons from the phone, synthesizers blaring in the background.
"You know the rules and so do I."
This person just got Rick Roll'd.
'Rick Rolling' means tricking somebody into listening to or watching the music video for the song "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley.
The song was the top single in the UK in 1987, and spent two weeks at No. 1 in the U.S.
Although it's been more than 20 years since the song was released, Astley isn't gonna say goodbye any time soon.
"It'll probably be part of Internet culture for a while, but it'll probably never hit mainstream," said Mason Tye, a junior math major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and veteran Rick Roller.
Tye said the first time he got Rick Roll'd, a friend sent him a link to a Web site saying, "check this out."
The next thing he knew, Tye was watching a skinny redheaded guy dance in a tan trench coat and oversized sunglasses in all his 80s glory.
"I got owned ... I didn't see that coming at all," Tye said.
Now, Tye said he only Rick Roll's friends when they aren't suspecting it.
One way Tye uses to get his friends is found at rickroll.prankdialer.com - a site that calls any phone number and plays a recorded clip of the song for unsuspecting listeners.
Trey Glauser, a student at Westwood College in Anaheim, Calif., is the mastermind behind the site.
Glauser said he created the site for himself and a small group of friends who enjoyed Rick Rolling each other.
"It was mainly just for fun between friends," Glauser said. "Then I woke up the next morning and it had exploded."
The site went live March 23, and it has already received more than 100,000 hits.
It was so popular it had to be taken down for a few days so Glauser could figure out a way to offset the rising costs of the calls. It will be back up and running for April Fool's Day.
"I think it's a combination of how corny it is ... and how the song is catchy enough to get stuck in your head but it's not that great of a song," Glauser said. "For some reason it just took off."
What does Astley think about the renewed popularity of his work?
As he told a writer for the Los Angeles Times, Astley doesn't fully understand why the prank is so popular, but finds it amusing nonetheless.
"I don't mean to belittle it, because I still think it's a great pop song, but it's a pop song; do you know what I mean?," Astley said in the online article. "It doesn't have any kind of weight behind it, as such. But maybe that's the irony of it."
While the fad of Rick Rolling may fade or keep going strong, one thing is for sure: Rick Astley will tell you how he's feeling and make you understand, no matter how many repetitions it may take.
jennagibson@dailynebraskan.com
"We're no strangers to love."
A deep voice croons from the phone, synthesizers blaring in the background.
"You know the rules and so do I."
This person just got Rick Roll'd.
'Rick Rolling' means tricking somebody into listening to or watching the music video for the song "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley.
The song was the top single in the UK in 1987, and spent two weeks at No. 1 in the U.S.
Although it's been more than 20 years since the song was released, Astley isn't gonna say goodbye any time soon.
"It'll probably be part of Internet culture for a while, but it'll probably never hit mainstream," said Mason Tye, a junior math major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and veteran Rick Roller.
Tye said the first time he got Rick Roll'd, a friend sent him a link to a Web site saying, "check this out."
The next thing he knew, Tye was watching a skinny redheaded guy dance in a tan trench coat and oversized sunglasses in all his 80s glory.
"I got owned ... I didn't see that coming at all," Tye said.
Now, Tye said he only Rick Roll's friends when they aren't suspecting it.
One way Tye uses to get his friends is found at rickroll.prankdialer.com - a site that calls any phone number and plays a recorded clip of the song for unsuspecting listeners.
Trey Glauser, a student at Westwood College in Anaheim, Calif., is the mastermind behind the site.
Glauser said he created the site for himself and a small group of friends who enjoyed Rick Rolling each other.
"It was mainly just for fun between friends," Glauser said. "Then I woke up the next morning and it had exploded."
The site went live March 23, and it has already received more than 100,000 hits.
It was so popular it had to be taken down for a few days so Glauser could figure out a way to offset the rising costs of the calls. It will be back up and running for April Fool's Day.
"I think it's a combination of how corny it is ... and how the song is catchy enough to get stuck in your head but it's not that great of a song," Glauser said. "For some reason it just took off."
What does Astley think about the renewed popularity of his work?
As he told a writer for the Los Angeles Times, Astley doesn't fully understand why the prank is so popular, but finds it amusing nonetheless.
"I don't mean to belittle it, because I still think it's a great pop song, but it's a pop song; do you know what I mean?," Astley said in the online article. "It doesn't have any kind of weight behind it, as such. But maybe that's the irony of it."
While the fad of Rick Rolling may fade or keep going strong, one thing is for sure: Rick Astley will tell you how he's feeling and make you understand, no matter how many repetitions it may take.
jennagibson@dailynebraskan.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Josh
posted 4/01/08 @ 5:12 PM CST
This is an awesome article, in the youtube link above Rick is actually leaving a night club and talking to reporters about how stupid "Rick Rolling" is. (Continued…)
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