Rick Astley Quotes

'Never Gonna Give You Up' in 1987 was a huge international hit followed by several more, and while I appreciated how lucky I was, it catapulted me into a completely new world and simply took over my life.

When our daughter was born, a light went on for me - there was more to life than what I was doing. It felt like being famous for being a paint salesman. It wasn't the dream I was sold on. I'd had enough of it.

There's some songs you can cover, and I've covered and butchered a few, but you can't do them all.

My dad loved Scotland, so we would pile into his caravan and head for the Highlands, to Fort William and Loch Ness. It was such an adventure - my siblings and I were allowed to roam and explore the local beaches. We loved the freedom of those trips.

Scientology always makes me think of that movie 'V' where that woman takes off her mask of human flesh to reveal her true, alien self.

I'd been bumming around in bands since my school days.

I don't like flying. I'm a bit scared of it and don't enjoy the whole experience.

I was the youngest of four kids, and Dad, who had a garden centre before he retired, came from a large Lancashire family. Every one of my uncles had their own business, including a post office, two fish and chip shops and a painting and decorating business.

My success set me up for life, and it meant that I could retire from the music industry at 27 to spend time with my newborn daughter and my wife. My time away from the spotlight allowed me to rediscover my love for music, and I'm doing it for me now and no one else.

I come away from a gig thinking, 'Yeah, I'm worth something.' I can still do it and entertain people, and that's worth it.

I must admit, the constant invasion of privacy was becoming a real concern. I've been asked for autographs while I've been doing laps in the pool and even in the toilet!

I started out as a drummer, and now play with a back-to-basics rock band called the 'Luddites.' I'm happiest when I'm behind the kit.

Because the pop industry is cruel, if you don't do everything the label wants you to do, it has an army of other people waiting to do it.

I've been to Sardinia about 10 times because my wife, my daughter and I used to go every year with another family. We rented the same house each time in Villasimius in the southern part of the island, and always went to the same two beaches and same three restaurants.

I was just burnt out. I didn't like the music business and I didn't like me. There's an element of falseness about the whole thing. Even things like doing an interview. It's not as though we just met in the pub and are having a chat - it's part of a process. If you do it all day, every day for years, you end up thinking: 'Who the hell am I?' I was lucky enough to make some money, enough to let me kick back. It was a great experience and it was nice to have a couple of No.1s but the best thing about it was that the money I made allowed me to have freedom and choice in my life.

It's really weird seeing someone impersonating you. But at the same time, Vic Reeves' impersonation of me is one of the highlights of my life.

It's very hard to behave naturally when you know people recognise you. On the other hand, I still sometimes get upgraded in hotels because someone used to like me back in the day, which is still pretty amazing.

I'm a person who tries not to have regrets.

I like everything in this iPhone, iPod world where you can do everything all the time. Back in my time, you bought a vinyl record when you were a kid and took it home, and it took a bit of effort to actually get it out of the thing and not scratch it.

You can't explain the feeling of singing hit songs to an audience - it's like being a genuine sports star at the peak of their powers.

I am honoured that my fans worked so hard to help me win Best Act Ever at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Back in the '80s, I was known for being reclusive, often shying away from media attention.