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The Rick Astley Debate
Does he deserve his MTV EMA nomination or has Rickrolling gone too far?
Rick Astley is up for Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards this November and it’s certainly causing a lot of debate in offices around the country.
VOTE IN OUR RICK ASTLEY POLL HERE
Our poll on the issue has generated a ridiculous 20 million votes- suggesting that yet again we've fallen victim to internet phenomenon 'Rickrolling'!
And the result is staggering- 99.98% of the votes say the Never Gonna Give You Up singer deserves to be in our prestigious category- alongside Britney Spears and Green Day.
In comments below this story many fans claim the nomination has nothing to do with Rickrolling. Some people say we should die for even suggesting it has.
Check out the madness below.
’Rickrolling’ started when people started posting his videos and now it has seemingly spread to voting for him to win prizes!
False links to youtube have tricked people into watching his classic 1987 hit Never Gonna Give you Up over 20 million times.
And with voting for the awards up to the public the Rick-rolling craze looks likely to continue. Who knows if he’ll be taking home one of our prestigious prizes in Liverpool on November 6!
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- WRITTEN BY
TOM THOROGOOD
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Comments
I think MTV is a pretty cool music channel, eh being rickrolld and doesnt afraid of anything.
What else can be said that countless others haven't said already? You know, MTV, there might be a method to the madness in all this. Perhaps a note that music of past decades is something FAR BETTER than the paltry trash today's youth blindly walks around drinking up like sweet ambrosia. I decided to take the Best Act Ever nominees seriously when I heard about this whole thing, but when I saw the selection, Rick was the only logical choice. But more to the point I wondered where were the more deserving groups. Despite all that, I felt Rick was more deserving. Even before the "rick roll" movement, his music was something wouldn't leave you (or give you up, or let you down). With the exception of U2, none of the other acts have left any real (positive) impression.
Your refusal to give the man his award is an insult to your viewers'/consumers' collective intelligence. I have never been more ashamed or appalled by your network. I grew up with you, MTV and this is far lower than anything you ever tried to accomplish. I don't believe I'll allow my own children to partake of anything your company offers simply based upon principal. Because why should I trust your programming when I can't trust your integrity in the first place? I hope you're satisfied.
First off, it was a rickroll, it was on purpose, anyone who says otherwise is stupid
I my self, voted 3.5 million times over 2 months, and had 10 tabs of automatic voting going.
nevertheless, rick astley won. anybody else, could have done the same thing for any other act.
you all got rickrolld
ORLY?
I've gotta make you understand, we the fans specifically sent in Rick's act to MTV. Just like did the Tokio Hotel fans and the U2 fans. Disqualifying Rick would be just as unfair as disqualifying Tokio Hotel or U2 or Brotnoy Spoors.
This is not because of some "HURR DURR I'M RICKROLLING YOU GAISE" type of attitude. We have spread the love of Rick because of his sheer style, class, innovation in love music, beautiful choreography, grace, genius heart-melting lyrics, ability to be STILL be popular enough to rake in millions of votes, and of course his rich deep voice.
We the fans decided we were never going to give Rick up, just like he has never given us up. We fought hard for a long time never running around or hurting him. Even threatening to not have Rick on the show is incredibly corrupted. If you don't want to have a democratic system, then just pre-pick the winners yourselves.
This is MTV. MUSIC TELEVISION. You guys have the most diverse and highly respectable range in music taste on the Earth. You are the one company that puts importance on every style of music from Hip Hop to Heavy Metal to Ska to Pop. We love Rick because of his music, and MTV is no stranger to love of music. Consider what you will be doing to music if you disqualify Rick. You've basically just lost the game that is life if you do.
Of course Rick deserves to be in this category. people voted for him. if MTV removes him from the category on the basis that he revolves around a cultural pheonema, then they are turning their noses up at modern internet culture.
the point is that people voted for him. i personally voted because his music is both good, and has transcended the normal lifecycle of music, that is
1. release
2. hit/fail
3. gradually fade out
4. ????? (period of inactivity)
5. profit through a re-release via a 'golden edition'
what happened with Rick Astley's song was nothing short of unique, at least in the forum of actual music. it became a cultural icon of the internet age, leaving this monotonous trend of copy-pasta music and coming up with something timeless.
This is disgusting. I'm not going to bother giving my opinion on the other nominees and who I think "should be" a nominee in the category of Best Act Ever, as that is completely irrelevant.
You know the rules, and so do I. It stated that you could vote as many times as you wanted and technically, autovoters and proxies are not in violation of the rules. Besides, Rick Astley's fanbase isn't the only one resorting to such tactics. A quick Google search with query modifiers will bring you to more than enough instances of Tokio Hotel fansites encouraging the very behavior that they call an unfair advantage for Rick Astley. Hypocrisy. It's only unfair when it's working better for someone else.
This is a DEMOCRACY, the results are decided by THE PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE voted for Rick Astley, and to even consider disqualifying him is just sickening. If you didn't want THE PEOPLE deciding the results, you should've thought about that before you opened the polls. Rick Astley has had several number one hits and sold tens of millions of albums just like the other nominees, and you have the audacity to say he DOESN'T DESERVE THIS NOMINATION? Just think about it, and if the same was being done to a more marketable artist such as Kanye West.
Your move, MTV. Will you man up and give Rick Astley his just desserts for his years of work, or will you commit the most blasphemous act in music history and disqualify him just because he's not marketable?
This seriously is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Maybe Rick isn't the Best Act Ever, I personally would have to say the Stones, Doors, Who, or even Meatloaf might be better picks. But since the rest of the people he's up against are talentless hacks, except U2 which is decent, he definitely has the most talent in this group.
Tokio Hotel is a fad band, it would be like Hansen getting Best Act Ever based on MmmBop. They're not even the best Act out of Germany, Nena was immensely better.
I love the argument, they're working so hard following their dreams, they need to get into the UK. What band doesn't work hard to follow their dreams? Hard work isn't even close to being a reason for Best Act Ever. This entire thing is a joke and Rick Astley is the only choice that gives MTV a modicrum of credibility.
I voted rick for the incredible amount of class he can put in his songs. Claiming that his nomination is just a joke is a grave insult to the fans who voted for him.
Tokio hotel? No really, Tokio hotel?? And MTV dares question the nomination of Rick Astley?
My comment got cut off.
In any case, I said that Rick Astley deserves this award due to his amazing classiness, reemerging success, and his voice that makes Barry White look like a pansy.
To everyone BAWWWing about how Tokio Hotel has been around since they were 13 and are soooo great...
You know who else has been around since they were 13? THE HIVES and they've been around 6 years longer than Tokio Hotel. Why weren't they nominated? They've got >9000 times more talent than those glam rock emo wannabes! AND THEIR LEAD SINGER DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A CHICK! D