Roll On

Little known fact: Rick Astley first got into music playing drums “in different bands and stuff at school”. He still jumps behind the kit in a band comprising a few mates on the odd occasion. “We just do charity gigs,” he clarifies before good-naturedly adding, “It's really a midlife crisis is what it is.” So does he ever hijack the drum stool at his own gigs? “It depends how the show's going. Very often I'll throw in a couple of tunes just because I fancy doing it, and if the audience are up for it.”

Astley is an affable character. He's also self-aware. “I just sorta think, 'I'm never doing this when I don't enjoy it anymore,' you know?” he explains. “I am bothered about what they pay me. I think that's a big part of it, to be honest. It makes me feel good to get paid. It makes me feel like I'm worth something, if you know what I mean. Because I still get a nice cheque every six months from the label, which is great, but I don't do anything for it. It's weird, that. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it and I'm more than happy to receive it: I think that's great, because on the one end, you know, I did those tunes and they're still earning a few bob so, great! But it's not something I can take a whole heap of pride in, 'cause I don't do anything to collect that money, whereas when I go and sing, I think if I've really done a good job then I'm worth paying for it. And I don't shy away from saying that in interviews, because it bores me a little bit when people say, 'Oh, no. I only do it for the love of it.'

“The thing with money and music has always been an odd one, because most people start because they just love music and they wanna do music and that's it… I genuinely believe that when you're in bands when you're fifteen, seventeen, whatever, you don't care about the money: you'll play anywhere for nothing, you'll play for beers – you're not bothered… Then once they realise, 'Wow, I can actually make a living,' and then they think, 'Wow, I can actually, like, proper make it.'

“And, to be honest, when you've really cracked [the big time], you sorta feel the same. The money's immaterial 'cause you're making so much of it there's no point counting it, do you know what I mean?”

His official reason for retiring from music in 1993 was to concentrate on raising a family, but Astley is more than happy to discuss other contributing factors. “At the end of the day, and we can't forget this, it's show business and I think that's one of the things that was a nail in the coffin for me. Towards the end, there were a few things I didn't like about it… It is pretty much bullshit, you know? There's a massive amount of stuff going on that's got nothing to do with why you started as a kid in the garage with your friends, do you know what I mean? It's like, 'This isn't about making music.' And listen, I don't mean to sound like I'm moanin', I loved what I did, I really enjoyed it, I'm ever so grateful for it. I feel more appreciative of it now than I did when it was happening because, as a kid, when you're in the middle of the storm of it all, you don't know what's happening and people just keep giving you champagne and things and you just keep going, 'Yeah, groovy.'”

The decision to give it all up did not come easily for Astley “'cause it's really seductive... It's nice having black cars pick you up all the time. Even though you take it for granted, it's your stamp of approval. It's like, 'Oh, we need to look after you. You're somebody.' And even though that's absolute bullshit, it doesn't feel like that. There's something about it that is a bit of a trap, I think.”