When it comes to Rickrolling — the art of surprising someone with Rick Astley’s immortal ’80s hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” — we can safely say that joke isn’t funny anymore. But that’s not stopping the British singer from setting his sights on even loftier goals: A concert in Manchester where he performs nothing but Smiths songs.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the affable and easy-going Astley — seriously, he deserves credit for being super chill about the entire Rickrolling phenomenon — reveals his dream gig in Morrissey’s hometown.
And he knows people might not be into the idea. From Rolling Stone:
Rolling Stone: Now you seem so relaxed, happy and confident on stage. You ended the Los Angeles concert singing and drumming on AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” How fun is it for you to confound people’s expectations they may have from 30 years ago?
Rick Astley: I do like doing that. Age has made me think I have to stop giving a shit what anybody else thinks and do exactly what I want to do, so one day I’m going to do a gig in Manchester where I’m going to sing [all] Smiths songs because I absolutely love the Smiths. I’ll probably get lynched for it, but I just want to do it. Why not?
Watch that AC/DC clip below. In the meantime, Astley’s latest album, 50, has gone gold in the United Kingdom, and gets a stateside release on October 7.