# Rickroll your friends' phones! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 27, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854 "2008-03-27T00:23:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/1 "2008-03-27T00:23:44Z")
I just did this to my non-Internet savvy friend. It baffled him and I had to spend five minutes explaining the whole thing and why it’s funny. Kinda ruins the joke, but if you know people who are hip to the Rickrolling phenomenon (I don’t know why it never stops being funny. It just doesn’t.), [here you go](http://rickroll.prankdialer.com/index.php). And [here](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/webscout/2008/03/rick-astley-kin.html) is a bonus link - a recent interview with Rick Astley discussing the meme. He seems genuinely cool about the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/2 "2008-03-27T00:29:06Z")
I have 131 people in my contact list. They’re all about to find out just how dedicated Rick Astley is to them. ---
**Author:** ![jormundgondir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jormundgondir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jormundgondir)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/3 "2008-03-27T06:46:17Z")
Oh my god, I so wanted this to work- but I’m only getting a 404 after i give it a number. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/4 "2008-03-27T07:12:10Z")
Could you please spend five minutes explaining **to me** why this is funny? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/5 "2008-03-27T07:44:31Z")
[QUOTE=jormundgondir] Oh my god, I so wanted this to work- but I’m only getting a 404 after i give it a number. [/QUOTE] Huh. Worked for me when I did it a couple hours ago. I used it to call the phone here at work, then asked a co-worker to answer it for me. 🙂 > [@CoG888](#): > > Could you please spend five minutes explaining to me why this is funny? Well, it shouldn’t take five minutes to explain it to someone who isn’t so ignorant about the Internet that he needs to be shown what a hyperlink is. The idea goes something like this: say you’re posting on a message board or sending someone an email and you say “Whoah! Somebody leaked a really hot video of Scarlett Johansson having sex! Just follow [this link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU) to check it out!” And the link leads not to what was promised, but to the ultra-cheesy video for Rick Astley’s 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.” I don’t blame you if you think this is kind of stupid and juvenile and not funny, but a lot of us get a kick out of it of some reason. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/6 "2008-03-27T08:01:35Z")
Has anyone considered the possibility that some people might not take this very well? Does anyone have even the foggiest idea how this started? Am I the only one who finds it strange that there’s seems to be no criticism of this phenomenon whatsoever? Can anyone see this getting old really, really quickly? Does anyone else have the tiniest problem with blatantly lying to ones friends for a cheap laugh? (Not even money?) Does anyone have the tiniest fear of repercussions, possibly violent? Does everyone blithely believe that there will never be any violent repercussions? Is anyone the slightest bit concerned about never being trusted by any of his/her friends again and utterly loathed (to say nothing of possible revenge)? Has anyone given this _any damn thought whatsoever??_ (Yes, I’m paranoid. How the hell can I _not_ be?) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/7 "2008-03-27T08:10:49Z")
[QUOTE=DKW] Can anyone see this getting old really, really quickly? [/QUOTE] It got old months ago. How’s it supposed to work over the phone, anyway? IMO, it’s only a Rickroll if you trick someone into clicking a link. ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/8 "2008-03-27T08:11:05Z")
Good lord. If you’re worried about your friends getting violent for being rickroll’d, I’d hate to see how your enemies would react. ---
**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/9 "2008-03-27T08:19:15Z")
FTR, I haven’t tried the site out, because of the 404 error coming up. But, I’ll try to tackle your questions anyway. 😉 [QUOTE=DKW] Has anyone considered the possibility that some people might not take this very well? [/QUOTE] Of course. I certainly won’t rickroll my boss during business hours, or confuse an elderly woman at a nursing home. > [@](#): > > Does anyone have even the foggiest idea how this started? [Duckrolling](http://personales.ya.com/thellouman/duckroll.jpg), I imagine. > [@](#): > > Am I the only one who finds it strange that there’s seems to be no criticism of this phenomenon whatsoever? What’s there to criticize, really? It’s a joke. > [@](#): > > Can anyone see this getting old really, really quickly? Of course; most would say it has, already. But with 300 million in the US alone, it’s new to someone. 🙂 > [@](#): > > Does anyone else have the tiniest problem with blatantly lying to ones friends for a cheap laugh? (Not even money?) Of course I do. Playing a joke like this, though? No problems here. I think you’re missing the point – the idea of rickrolling, as I understand it, is to make a blatantly wild assertation that will make most people go “wha!!!” and, behold, rickroll. To me, it’s not even funny, _unless_ your “victim” is laughing along with you in the end. > [@](#): > > Does anyone have the tiniest fear of repercussions, possibly violent? No? I’ve never rickrolled someone in real life, but I imagine that if I did, I’d only be doing it to someone I knew and trusted not to be violent. > [@](#): > > Does everyone blithely believe that there will never be any violent repercussions? Maybe. Maybe not. Crystal ball is acting funny today. > [@](#): > > Is anyone the slightest bit concerned about never being trusted by any of his/her friends again and utterly loathed (to say nothing of possible revenge)? I just have to ask, based solely on the questions you’ve presented so far… what kind of people are you hanging around with? > [@](#): > > Has anyone given this _any damn thought whatsoever??_ Clearly someone has given it enough thought to make it mobile! > [@](#): > > (Yes, I’m paranoid. How the hell can I _not_ be?) Because it’s rickrolling, not [kiddiepornrolling](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=460630). Unless this was a whoosh, you should just follow the first law of the internet as taught to you on day 1: don’t click on crap when you don’t know what it is. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/10 "2008-03-27T08:21:54Z")
[QUOTE=DKW] Has anyone considered the possibility that some people might not take this very well? [/quote] Nope, never. > [@](#): > > Does anyone have even the foggiest idea how this started? [Yup:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_roll#.22Rickroll.22_Internet_meme) > [@](#): > > The song’s campy music video became the basis of an Internet meme known as “rickrolling”. It took its name from an anonymous message board meme known as “duckrolling”, a prank in which someone would post a blind link to a post, allegedly relevant to the discussion, that upon viewing would prove to be a non sequitur - specifically, an image of a duck on wheels. Similarly, in a rickroll a person provides a link they claim is relevant to the topic at hand which actually takes the user to the Rick Astley video. By May 2007[2] the practice had become widespread, and it eventually began to receive some coverage in the mainstream media > [@](#): > > Am I the only one who finds it strange that there’s seems to be no criticism of this phenomenon whatsoever? Probably. > [@](#): > > Can anyone see this getting old really, really quickly? Well, it’s already been around for about a year now, so some would argue that its shelf life has long since expired. Those people are wrong. > [@](#): > > Does anyone else have the tiniest problem with blatantly lying to ones friends for a cheap laugh? (Not even money?) Not particularly. It’s not like it’s hurting anyone. > [@](#): > > Does anyone have the tiniest fear of repercussions, possibly violent? > > Does everyone blithely believe that there will never be any violent repercussions? According to [this news story](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU), Astley-related beatings are up a shocking 480%. > [@](#): > > Is anyone the slightest bit concerned about never being trusted by any of his/her friends again and utterly loathed (to say nothing of possible revenge)? If my friends were that lame, they probably wouldn’t be my friends. > [@](#): > > Has anyone given this _any damn thought whatsoever??_ Nope. That’s part of the fun of it! > [@](#): > > (Yes, I’m paranoid. How the hell can I _not_ be?) Valium? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/11 "2008-03-27T08:24:00Z")
[QUOTE=Max the Immortal] How’s it supposed to work over the phone, anyway? IMO, it’s only a Rickroll if you trick someone into clicking a link. [/QUOTE] It just plays a clip of the song. Instead of getting tricked into clicking a link, your friends get tricked into answering their phones. At least that’s the way I look at it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/12 "2008-03-27T08:41:31Z")
[QUOTE=DKW] Has anyone considered the possibility that some people might not take this very well? Am I the only one who finds it strange that there’s seems to be no criticism of this phenomenon whatsoever? Does anyone else have the tiniest problem with blatantly lying to ones friends for a cheap laugh? (Not even money?) Does anyone have the tiniest fear of repercussions, possibly violent? Does everyone blithely believe that there will never be any violent repercussions? Is anyone the slightest bit concerned about never being trusted by any of his/her friends again and utterly loathed (to say nothing of possible revenge)? Has anyone given this _any damn thought whatsoever??_ (Yes, I’m paranoid. How the hell can I _not_ be?) [/QUOTE] Strange you don’t seem to like this, considering your paranoia. Wouldn’t this be a safe way to drive home the point that you shouldn’t always trust what you click, a good lesson considering that it’s a huge way spam and scams get so big online? I mean, it’s not like you’re being redirected to tubgirl or something… ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/13 "2008-03-27T14:02:03Z")
[QUOTE=atomicbadgerrace] Unless this was a whoosh, you should just follow the first law of the internet as taught to you on day 1: don’t click on crap when you don’t know what it is. [/QUOTE] And how, pray tell, are you supposed to know one youtube link from another, since there is nothing to identify it in the link itself? If someone tells me that a link is relevant to a topic under discussion, and the fact that it’s a youtube link is not unreasonable (such as in CS, when it could be a clip someone posted), why should I have to consider that they might be playing an infantile prank? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/14 "2008-03-27T14:02:44Z")
If I wanted to be paranoid about something, it would be that the site is doing something with those phone numbers - selling them to telemarketers? using them for the purposes of telephone slamming (changing the service provider without your concert)? I know that they say “We do not keep a record of any numbers dialed!”, but the dullest person will realize that if the site _was_ keeping track of all the numbers dialed, it would hardly admit to it. BTW, at the link presented by the OP, it’s also said “[P]lease do not annoy people or abuse this service.” Don’t rickroll the President during a state of the union address - he might get annoyed! ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/15 "2008-03-27T14:14:46Z")
[QUOTE=DKW] Can anyone see this getting old really, really quickly? [/QUOTE] This thread was the first I ever heard of it, and it’s already old to me. Though, to be fair, I haven’t actually watched the video yet. I’ll go do so and see if that makes it younger. … Nope, still old. That’s not even the campiest 80s video I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/16 "2008-03-27T14:18:06Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] If I wanted to be paranoid about something, it would be that the site is doing something with those phone numbers - selling them to telemarketers? using them for the purposes of telephone slamming (changing the service provider without your concert)? [/QUOTE] I could be wrong, but I kind of doubt they’re up to anything nefarious. It’s run by some random Something Awful goon. [Here’s](http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2805683&highlight=) his thread from the forums there where I found out about the site. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/17 "2008-03-27T14:40:03Z")
I did it to my wife and she thought it was funny. If it’s worth a laugh why not go for it? ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/18 "2008-03-27T15:41:58Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] It just plays a clip of the song. Instead of getting tricked into clicking a link, your friends get tricked into answering their phones. At least that’s the way I look at it. [/QUOTE] I would be thoughtful about who/what number I sent it to. My kids and their friends would probably find it very funny. People who use their phones for business? Not so much. I personally would be more than annoyed if I was disturbed during work hours for a silly prank. Feel free to dial my sons’ friends all you want. In other words, rickroll with care. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/19 "2008-03-27T15:46:59Z")
I love this meme. I can’t explain why, but I find Rickrolling absolutely hilarious. It’s just so…random. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854/20 "2008-03-27T15:52:02Z")
I never thought it was all that funny, but my wife thinks it’s hilarious. We’ll see if she still feels that way now that I’ve rickrolled her cell phone. 🆒 Hmm…I hope she wasn’t in a meeting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickroll-your-friends-phones/442854.md?page=2)