Roderick Rolling

Blogs are a-buzz with the recent concert of 80's American pop idol Rick Astley that we Filipinos are surely, uh, never ever gonna let go. Apparently, some people, including the concert organizer, had the brilliant idea to up the retro ante higher by inviting no other than "the Rick Astley of the Philippines" Roderick Paulate to perform with the singer himself! And what better song to sing, but Kuya Dick's specialty, "Never Gonna Give You Up." Kuya Dick's phenomenal.

A couple of months ago, I was on auto-mode, doing my usual round of blog-hopping when an entry caught my attention. I've forgotten what it was about exactly—I'm thinking it was something juicy or, better yet, something morbid—but that it had a link I felt like clicking on, and before I knew it, pop icon Rick Astley was all over the page, singing and dancing to his eighties hit "Never Gonna Give You Up." Try as I might, short of closing my browser, I couldn't close the window; I had to watch the entire video and click on pop-ups bearing the song lyrics. I'd been "rickrolled"—punked by an Internet meme, which is something, like a link, idea or catchphrase, that spreads quickly from one person to another through the Internet.

It wouldn't be the first time. In the next few months, I would be rickrolled by Yahoo, YouTube, some other websites, blog entries and email forwards. Like millions of other netizens, I'd fallen victim to this quirky meme that would later break into mainstream media. I didn't actually mind because Rick Astley's music was a huge part of my Tonight with Dick and Carmi, et al.-watching childhood.

A few months later, I'd find variations of another Internet meme, this time an image that explains why Rick Astley is the perfect man. One displays a colorful pie chart that measures the frequency with which he mentions his promises in "Never Gonna Give You Up," while the other has a multiple choice list with all the answers, the last one being "h. all of the above."

While people found it hilarious, it also got them listening to their long-forgotten Rick Astley mp3s. It was only a matter of time that Rick Astley's career would enjoy a new wave.

It was through the blogosphere that I first heard about the recent concert in Manila, purportedly one of his last concerts before Rick Astley officially retires. Many Filipino bloggers confessed they were closet fans and tickets were quickly snapped up. It wasn't surprising; who doesn't remember his hits, like "Together Forever," "It Would Take a Strong Strong Man," and "Take Me to Your Heart." If you're around 30, I'd bet you know at least some of the lyrics to these songs!

I wasn't at the concert, but blogs are a-buzz with a new Rick Astley moment that we Filipinos are surely, uh, never ever gonna let go. Apparently, some people, including the concert organizer, had the brilliant idea to up the retro ante higher by inviting no other than "the Rick Astley of the Philippines" Roderick Paulate to perform with the singer himself! And what better song to sing, but Kuya Dick's specialty, "Never Gonna Give You Up." The video, which has been uploaded online, is fast becoming a meme of sorts, what with Filipino bloggers hyperlinking to it or embedding it in their blogs. You can  easily find it online. Kuya Dick's phenomenal.

What's even better is there are people seeing in it sparks of "a dream come true" — something you don't hear so much anymore among cynical Filipinos. A blogger (spankyenriquez.blogspot.com says "Apparently, all the crappy new age nonsense in The Secret really does work, because exactly a month later, I got a confirmation (about Rick Astley's concert in Manila)." A standout, however, is comedian Gabe Mercado's entry on it in gabemercado. multiply.com: "Three months ago, JC, Tals and I created a Facebook group called 'I'm Watching Rick Astley and I Want Roderick Paulate To Be The Opening Act.' 193 people signed up for the dream. And last night it happened. Only, it was even better than we dared to dream." He concludes with, "And there will never be a happier day or a happier moment in my life. Thank you to everyone who believed in the dream. Thank you, Rick.Thank you, Kuya Dick. Thank you, Facebook. We're now going to create the 'If I want Something In My Life, I Will Create A Facebok Group' group in Facebook."

Now that's a meme I wouldn't mind spreading. If it takes a rickroll to renew the spark of dreaming among Filipinos, then so be it.

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