Everyone else needs to stop rick-rolling, now. NPR has won, for all time.
On Morning Edition today, they ran a story on Noriega’s extradition to France. Totally vanilla “where is he now?” story, which they followed up on with a short blurb about how the US Marines used loud music to try and force Noriega out of hiding back in the day. Then the newsreader goes on to say, “And that soundtrack included this popular song …”.
Yup. Rick Astley.
I was rick-rolled by NPR this morning. So, too, were many thousands of others. All at the very same time. You can’t top that.
Nah, I’d have to say Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade of 2007 beats that. National television and Rick Astley himself on the float. But NPR definitely comes close. Three years later.
I had the same thought as the OP this morning. I’m listening to NPR on my way to work and out of nowhere… “OMG! I’ve been rick-rolled by Renee Montagne!”
As a Mets fan, I carry the scarred memories of various humiliations and indignities almost as a badge of pride. But not this one: at the last ever home opener at Shea Stadium in 2008, the Mets not only hosted the division rival Philadelphia Phillies who beat them for the division (and the playoffs) by one single game on the last day of the season the previous year (mounting a furious surge while the Mets floundered away a seemingly iron-clad 7 game lead with about 2 weeks left)… But got RickRolled on a “fan suggestion contest” for a new 8th-inning song.
For the previous year or two, they had been playing “Sweet Caroline”, following a wide trend in sports (including the crosstown Rangers and Giants) but getting vociferous boos from the baseball fans at home, who mostly associated it with the Boston Red Sox. So they had an on-line poll for fans in the off-season to vote for a new song. With a write-in option. On the wide-open Internet.
What. Were. They. Thinking?
After Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” was miles and miles ahead of any second place, there was some debate as to whether or not they would ignore it (as “RickRolling” was by then already a fairly established phenomenon) and go on to the #2 vote-getter. I remember reading a baseball message board discussion about this, and possibly talk radio references as well.
The game started well enough, with the Mets leading 2-0 going into the 7th inning, but game up 3 runs before the 7th inning stretch and another 2 runs going into the middle of the 8th inning break, now trailing 5-2. The mood in the stands was ugly. So, let’s cue the winner of the sing-along…
Oh. My. Gawwwwd. (This is in Flushing, you know.) There was Rick Astley’s song playing on the DiamondVision in center field. Laughter, hoots and boos rained down from all corners* of Shea Stadium.
cringefacepalmhead-banging
*figuratively speaking; the circular bowl of Shea Stadium technically had no corners.
I love Steve Innskeep. He only trails behind Kai Rysdale as my NPR crush. While I’m glad I don’t have a morning commute at the moment, I do miss hearing Steve get tough on squirrely politicians. Then there was that memorable moment a few years back when he and one of their correspondents sang a song about eels to the tune of That’s Amore. It went something like “When an eel bites your thigh as you’re just passing by, that’s a moray…”
