Never: The Autobiography – Rick Astley | Book Review | Macmillan |#NeverAutobiography

‘I hadn’t been very comfortable with fame, but I didn’t know what to do with myself after I was famous. On the surface, I was just hugely relieved to be shot of the whole thing. I felt like I’d been let off the hook . . . But underneath that, I was pretty miserable.’

When ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ propelled Rick Astley into the pop stratosphere, it changed his life forever. Nothing could have prepared the young, unassuming boy from Lancashire for what was in store for him. This is Rick’s story – in his own words.

At just nineteen, Rick agreed to sign with legendary music producer Pete Waterman – under the wings of music powerhouse Stock Aitken Waterman. Unpredictable, outlandish adventures followed, giving him a peek into the mechanics of the music industry – all of which would eventually take Rick from the shadows of local bands to international stardom. From platinum-selling albums to worldwide tours, the world was at Rick’s feet. And then, suddenly, at what seemed like the height of fame, it wasn’t.

At twenty-seven, Rick retired himself from the industry that had brought him much success and financial stability. Behind the hits and the glitz and glamour was a young man coming to terms with his new-found fame, the realities of life in the pop-music machine and the pressures of life on the road, not to mention reconciling with his childhood spent between his divorced parents in a volatile family dynamic. Time out of the industry offered Rick room for much-needed reflection and therapy – and unknowingly helped to set the stage for his triumphant return to music.

Balancing nostalgia, fresh perspectives and introspection, with a good dose of northern humour, Never is an intimate look at the man behind the hits – and is a portrait of truth, artistic evolution and the astounding power of contentment.

MY THOUGHTS

Never by Rick Astley is published by Macmilllan and available in ebook, audiobook, and hardback (10 October 2024). The paperback will follow. I borrowed my copy from the library. I’d waited so long for this reservation, I was first on the list and so excited when I finally collected it.

Although I remember very well Rick’s hits from the 1980s, I am definitely more of a fan now than I was back then. I remember at the time ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ being on repeat at a fitness class and I rapidly fell out of love with the song after having to exercise to it constantly every week. Some decades on however, I now love it and the radio volume immediately goes up whenever it comes on.

As I suspected, Never is written in collaboration with a ghostwriter (a music journalist is thanked in the dedication as being a partner on the book. The same ghostwriter also collaborated on Elton John’s Me). A very good job has been done and its written with honesty (often being brutally honest when he talks about his unconventional childhood and his difficult relationship with his parents). There is soul-searching and humour – often self-deprecating, but above all, it’s a very interesting look behind the scenes, particularly at the early years of his career, starting as a teaboy with Stock Aitken and Waterman and their ‘Hit Factory’. It is clear that their formulaic style of music and often chaotic management did not sit well with him and although grateful for the opportunities it afforded, it wasn’t the kind of music he wanted to make. He talks of his shame at not knowing the words to one of his songs when asked to sing it in a TV studio simply because of the way SAW operated when producing songs and the limited input he had. I did smile at his recollection that when Kylie Minogue first joined the SAW list, he thought she would be a one hit wonder!

“I’d somehow gone from being Rick Astley, manufactured pop star, a puppet of the evil empire of SAW, who people that liked The Smiths thought was a total tw*t, to Rick Astley, who had a No. 1 hit album on which he wrote and produced every song and played every instrument himself and who’s welcomed at Glastonbury”

This was a fascinating look told in both words and photos at the life of a young lad from Newton-le-Willows in Lancashire, who went from pop stardom to quitting the music business at the age of 27. His career is obviously covered in detail, but he also talks about relationships, his mental health, how he met his wife Lene and the internet phenomen of ‘Rickrolling’. He even joined in the fun himself in a New York’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Engaging and interesting with no punches pulled, the book has a definite ‘voice’. Rick comes over as being a genuinely nice guy who has made mistakes, and freely admits them but has learnt from experience and is now making the kind of music he always wanted to whilst being happy and content with his lot.

Born in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire in 1966, musician Rick Astley started his career at the music production company Stock Aitken Waterman. His 1987 debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody, sold 15.2m copies worldwide and made him a household name. Since then he has gone on to release eight studio albums, selling over 40 million records worldwide, and headline multiple world tours, including most recently a sell-out UK tour (2024). Never is his first and only official autobiography.

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