Happy Thanksgiving!
At my house, Thanksgiving starts early. I make a coffee cake for everyone to eat while watching the Macy’s parade on TV.
The rest of the year I’m not big on parades, but the Macy’s parade will always be special to me, because it’s the only parade that’s ever been Rickrolled in real time, by Rick Astley himself.
Now in its purest form, Rickrolling can only happen on the Internet, because it’s when you sort of trick someone else into clicking a link that actually just plays the video for Astley’s 80s hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
But over the years it’s broadened so that anytime you’re expecting something else to happen than along comes that song, that’s Rickrolling, whether it’s on the big screen at a sports arena or protest rallies, or the Macy’s parade on November 27, 2008.
A float for a show on the Cartoon Network began a musical number featuring a bunch of puppets – then, a record scratch… and “Never Gonna Give You Up” began.
And there was Rick Astley, Rickrolling Thanksgiving for everyone at the parade and millions more watching at home.
I’m glad Astley’s warmed to the whole phenomenon.
It’s certainly brought more attention to his music, and he’s still got a great voice!
Plus, he knows the game and he’s gonna play it.
Here’s the story of a pianist who’s never gonna give up a very unusual audience.
It’s from a video by 5 year old Emilie, who lives in Thailand.
She filmed her dad, who has started playing piano concerts for a group of wild macaques living in an abandoned theater.
Do you think they shout out requests?
An Oral History of Rickrolling (Mel Magazine)
History of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (I LOVE NY)
Playing Piano for Macaques (Nag on the Lake)
