Rick Astley

I never knew about crushes until I fell for Rick Astley in the late eighties. Time and age meant that it was probably the prime time for my first major crush, for the first time I would see someone as more than just a popstar. I would dream of Rick every night. Play his music all the time, my parents and younger sister deranged with the continual playing of “Never Gonna Give you Up”. It was his first hit and spent weeks at the top of the charts in ’88 and meant that I wasn’t the only one who doted on him.

I scoured magazines for posters of him but also for facts about him. Was he married? If so, what was she like? Was I better than her? Not that I could be because I was a teen, but in my head, he’d want to marry me if he’d actually met me, of course.

In those days magazines of pop stars were little to none, Smash Hits seemed to lead the way. They would have lots of stories about the pop stars of the time, plus a major poster in the middle of the star of the times. I would be one of millions who had a picture of Rick Astley on my wall who had the two staple marks in the middle of it. That was how we rolled in the late eighties. You took what you got and I was insanely jealous of anyone who was in his life. I wanted to be his life. No one else understood him like I did. I wasn’t eleven yet, but he was my man.

He came to Edinburgh to perform more than once. The one I remember the most is the one my sister hates me most for, because she wasn’t allowed to come. She was left at home with my dad. I went with my mum and her best friend. Her friend came with us because she was a Rick-Sceptic and my mum said it was time to convert her.

In this performance he was outstanding. During the drop in one song, and I wish I could remember what song, there was this performance where it looked like Rick was doing forwards flips and other acrobatic movements behind a screen. At the time I would not be turned from believing it was him. In hindsight, it’s easy to see that it was a stuntman doing the flips but it was amazing at the time. Especially to a youngster like me.

My mums friend became a convert to Rick after that concert, she even went to the stall at the venue and bought his album. Of course, the tour would be supporting a new album at the time.

A crush on Rick Astley meant it was the first time I liked someone so immensely for their looks that would mean I found my sexuality. I was too young to know anything other than liking him gave me a good feeling.

My, now late, nana liked him because he wore suits and she liked this in a performer. Her own mother had said that you could tell a proper performer because he always a wore a suit – which, at the time, Rick Astley did.

My walls were plastered with pictures of him at the time, although New Kids On The Block were a close second, they were cool option. It was considered drippy to follow Rick Astley. Not that I bothered.

These days my crush is alive and well because so is Rick. He’s been releasing new music the past few years, a new album and singles when he feels like it. He’s different from the past days, but still as chilled.

That’s one thing that I will remember, he was always a cool customer in those days. He didn’t need to succumb to any fads or conformation to any type. He was his own man.

To this day, if a classic song of his comes on the radio, or even if I play his songs on Spotify, I can sing them with him from beginning to end.

He’s a great singer than and he most certainly is now, but that one thing about my nana always sticks with me.

He didn’t need gimmicks and outrageous make-up, he was just Rick Astley and he wore a suit.