Sagittarius
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Hold on to what you’ve got, and utilize your strengths to turn something you enjoy doing into a constructive pursuit. Focus on mental and physical improvements and building a healthy and productive lifestyle. ★★★
(Dec. 22-Jan.
19): Domestic adjustments will pay off. Take a unique approach to how you use your money to construct an environment that is sure to please the ones you love and ease your stress. Listen to your heart, and change what bothers you. ★★★★★
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): An unnecessary change will disappoint you. You’ll make better decisions if you are responsible and reasonable. Stick close to home. Use your ideas and energy to turn your place into a comfortable space to spend with loved ones. ★★
(Feb. 19-March 20): Moderation is encouraged. Keep the peace, live within your means and don’t take a risk with your health or money. Consider the best way to make improvements that will lower your overhead. ★★★★
How does Rick Astley handle one of his songs being part of the biggest internet meme of all time? He rolls with it, obviously.
“Listen, let’s face it, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ has sort of become something else,” he says. “The video and the song have drifted off into the ether and become something else, and I’m ever so grateful for it.”
That song turns 35 this year and is still very much alive, buoyed by a second chapter as a gentle joke wherein someone baits you with an enticing online link, which points instead to the video for this 1987 dance-pop smash. It’s called Rickrolling.
Thirty-five years later, Astley is singing it this summer on tour with New Kids on the Block, Salt-n-pepa and En Vogue for the 57-date “The Mixtape Tour 2022.” A remastered version of his 1987 debut album also has been released featuring, of course, “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
“I’m never going to have a song as big as that ever, and I kind of knew that while it was happening. I kind of thought, ‘We’re never going to beat this.’ But I also kind of thought, ‘Well, how bad is that?’”
There has always been much more to Astley than just that song. After blowing up in the late 1980s, he left show business frustrated and has only recently reemerged with the strong albums “50” in 2016 and “Beautiful Life” in 2018.
“Often the second act can be more enjoyable because you’re more in control and you savor every minute,” said Alistair Norbury, president of repertoire and marketing at BMG UK, which signed Astley.
The passage of time — and the fact that Astley is such a sweet guy — has softened any sharpness. He says he understands how the past can look different with rose-colored glasses. Rock stars have lately told him they love his voice.
“And I’m like, ‘Really? I thought you would have strung me up in the village square,” he says, laughing. “They probably would have done at the time, but I think over time, I think it just changes your perspective.”
Astley, 56, is the youngest of four who grew up near Manchester, England. His sister played a lot of progressive rock and adored David Bowie. A brother was a huge Queen fan, and he remembers Queen’s “Night at the Opera” album played on a loop. Astley soaked it all in, from Stevie Wonder to The Smiths.