Am I a stranger to love?
March 25, 2009 7:53 PM Subscribe
How close does a rickroll have to be to a link to the RickRoll'd youtube video to count?
I spent some time meticulously making a Rick Astley Mii, and sent a Wii message to my friend who prides herself on detecting potential rickrolls. The text I'm sure should be fairly obvious. She disputes that it was in fact a genuine rickroll, so I thought, "why not ask Mefi?"
Do I get props or shall I continue looking for the perfect 'roll?
I spent some time meticulously making a Rick Astley Mii, and sent a Wii message to my friend who prides herself on detecting potential rickrolls. The text I'm sure should be fairly obvious. She disputes that it was in fact a genuine rickroll, so I thought, "why not ask Mefi?"
Do I get props or shall I continue looking for the perfect 'roll?
In my inexpert opinion, your friend was Rickrolled and must therefore suck it up.
posted by tomatofruit at 7:58 PM on March 25, 2009
posted by tomatofruit at 7:58 PM on March 25, 2009
A rickroll must result in a viewing of the music video, listening to the song, or, I suppose, encountering Rick himself. This must be in lieu of whatever it is the RickRollee is expecting.
Do I get props or shall I continue looking for the perfect 'roll?
I'll definitely give you props, but it's not a rickroll.
posted by niles at 7:59 PM on March 25, 2009 [2 favorites]
Do I get props or shall I continue looking for the perfect 'roll?
I'll definitely give you props, but it's not a rickroll.
posted by niles at 7:59 PM on March 25, 2009 [2 favorites]
Wow. I've never laughed so hard at a question on MetaFilter EVER. Not in a bad way. Just hilarious.
I say you get props, but then again, I'm not a rickroll expert.
posted by fructose at 8:01 PM on March 25, 2009
I say you get props, but then again, I'm not a rickroll expert.
posted by fructose at 8:01 PM on March 25, 2009
Did the Mii somehow involve music or relevant song lyrics, or was it just a visual representation of Mr. Astley?
posted by thirteenkiller at 8:02 PM on March 25, 2009
posted by thirteenkiller at 8:02 PM on March 25, 2009
no music/lyrics, no rickroll! Nice one, Fiasco. But for the sake of argument, can we see the Mii?
posted by lizbunny at 8:11 PM on March 25, 2009
posted by lizbunny at 8:11 PM on March 25, 2009
I can't believe you asked this question. You know the rules.
I have to agree with the sentiment that you have to at a minimum hear the song, and I'm kind of leaning to having to see the actual video (although the source is unimportant... like when it hit the internets somebody embedded a rickroll into the widget from the You Fell Asleep Watching a DVD bizarre pointless site and that was definitely a regulation rickroll). So get back to work.
This is like arguing about the game where you make a circle with your fingers, and you get to punch anyone who looks at it.
What the hell kind of people did you grow up with.
posted by nanojath at 8:29 PM on March 25, 2009 [1 favorite]
I have to agree with the sentiment that you have to at a minimum hear the song, and I'm kind of leaning to having to see the actual video (although the source is unimportant... like when it hit the internets somebody embedded a rickroll into the widget from the You Fell Asleep Watching a DVD bizarre pointless site and that was definitely a regulation rickroll). So get back to work.
This is like arguing about the game where you make a circle with your fingers, and you get to punch anyone who looks at it.
What the hell kind of people did you grow up with.
posted by nanojath at 8:29 PM on March 25, 2009 [1 favorite]
If the music got played, it counts. If not, it doesn't. These are the rules, I have them in this book here.
No, you can't see my rulebook. Get your own
posted by pompomtom at 8:29 PM on March 25, 2009 [1 favorite]
No, you can't see my rulebook. Get your own
posted by pompomtom at 8:29 PM on March 25, 2009 [1 favorite]
The World Famous> This is like arguing about the game where you make a circle with your fingers, and you get to punch anyone who looks at it. The whole point of the game is to be annoying, with this undercurrent of half-believing that the victim will actually be amused.
Back in college we had a variation of that game. We would point to our crotches (or, if we wanted to get sneaky, at the crotches of others') and if the target looked, we would then say, "Ha! Made you look at my (or other person's) crotch!" or "Why are you looking at my (or other person's) crotch?" We found this to be the height of hilarity.
Senior year, I told some of my dormmates about the game that we used to play back when we were sophomores. The mostly female crowd was appalled at our childishness. They were even more appalled when I told them I was talking about my sophomore year of college, not my sophomore year of high school.
Good times, good times.
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 9:00 PM on March 25, 2009
Back in college we had a variation of that game. We would point to our crotches (or, if we wanted to get sneaky, at the crotches of others') and if the target looked, we would then say, "Ha! Made you look at my (or other person's) crotch!" or "Why are you looking at my (or other person's) crotch?" We found this to be the height of hilarity.
Senior year, I told some of my dormmates about the game that we used to play back when we were sophomores. The mostly female crowd was appalled at our childishness. They were even more appalled when I told them I was talking about my sophomore year of college, not my sophomore year of high school.
Good times, good times.
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 9:00 PM on March 25, 2009
I'd say it is not a proper rickroll but it does get a high creativity bonus. But the East German judge is still only going to give you 6.5.
posted by chairface at 9:55 PM on March 25, 2009
posted by chairface at 9:55 PM on March 25, 2009
shall I continue looking for the perfect 'roll?
You're kidding, right? Because the ultimate Rickroll was undoubtedly Rick at the Macy's parade, as niles linked above. Even if you got Rick Astley himself to hide in your friend's closet, that wouldn't be as big as a live and in-person Rickroll of a television audience of millions.
The only conceivable Rickroll bigger than that would be if, as all of humanity were watching the first human land on Mars in 2036, and there were already a hundred thousand Rick Astley clones there performing. Barring that, the pinnacle of Rickrolling has already been achieved, and none shall ever top it.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:58 PM on March 25, 2009 [2 favorites]
You're kidding, right? Because the ultimate Rickroll was undoubtedly Rick at the Macy's parade, as niles linked above. Even if you got Rick Astley himself to hide in your friend's closet, that wouldn't be as big as a live and in-person Rickroll of a television audience of millions.
The only conceivable Rickroll bigger than that would be if, as all of humanity were watching the first human land on Mars in 2036, and there were already a hundred thousand Rick Astley clones there performing. Barring that, the pinnacle of Rickrolling has already been achieved, and none shall ever top it.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:58 PM on March 25, 2009 [2 favorites]
I think that this counts, but that is definitely following Damn That Television's rules of making the song play *in your mind*
posted by Acari at 10:51 PM on March 25, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Acari at 10:51 PM on March 25, 2009 [2 favorites]
This is the Rule:
Anytime you're duped into thinking a vid is legit and then it turns out not to be? It A RR. That's the definitive end all to this stupid pathetic trend.
posted by watercarrier at 3:03 AM on March 26, 2009
Anytime you're duped into thinking a vid is legit and then it turns out not to be? It A RR. That's the definitive end all to this stupid pathetic trend.
posted by watercarrier at 3:03 AM on March 26, 2009
I go with the "If it makes you hear the song (in your mind) when you weren't choosing/expecting to" definition.
My favourite: http://www.xkcd.com/389/
posted by benzo8 at 5:31 AM on March 26, 2009
My favourite: http://www.xkcd.com/389/
posted by benzo8 at 5:31 AM on March 26, 2009
Response by poster: Ok, based on the above comments, I've decided to concede the point to her. The music did not play, and that seems to me to be a valid necessary criterion. The note attached with the Mii had only the first couple of sentences of the chorus, mostly because it's a pain in the ass to type with your Wii. Badum-tish.
Also, after her initial immediate response (uncharacteristically all in lowercase, so I knew she was still reeling from the near-miss), she countered with a Mii (actually sent to my Mii Channel) that was without question better-done than mine, even without looking at a photo, as I had. So it sort of undercuts even the attempt of doing a RickRoll 2.0: the excitement of seeing the blue light on the front of the Wii turn to anger, pain, disgust and shame when the WiiRoll had happened.
As a bonus, the Wii Menu update 4.0 came out yesterday, mere hours after I sent the 'roll, and now she'll be forever suspicious not only of getting messages in general, but that somehow I had gotten a rickroll in an official Nintendo update. (Which, I think, even if it didn't play music would somehow qualify on the basis of being totally sweet.)
I think it's worth replying to the comments in this thread, in case a future 'roller needs some precedent:
Jessamyn, I'm perhaps a little inclined to give your vote more weight than most. Let's not make this a habit.
I can't believe you asked this question. You know the rules.
I wish I had thought of saying this to her. Maybe I will before I send her the link to this thread (Hi!), and perhaps tack on some sort of a compromise, so I could say "You wouldn't get this from any other guy."
But the East German judge is still only going to give you 6.5.
He or she can do as she pleases: I'm not worried about someone who isn't aware his/her country hasn't been in existence since 1991.
Even if you got Rick Astley himself to hide in your friend's closet, that wouldn't be as big as a live and in-person Rickroll of a television audience of millions.
Ideally I would get him in there on a day just after she goes to London for a couple weeks. He'd be forced to eat his trenchcoat and hair gel, and when she returned, she'd be under the mistaken belief she was Skeletor-rolled.
Not that I'm ruling this out.
Anytime you're duped into thinking a vid is legit and then it turns out not to be? It A RR. That's the definitive end all to this stupid pathetic trend.
You're absolutely right. It's hard to argue with the simplicity of that definition, though I would argue that the trend has changed into something far more worthy of my time, as I am doing here: Firing of a 'rickbomb when the person is aware of them and even expecting it is more satisfying and, if I may suggest, funnier/actually funny. It's the difference between landing a good solid right hook in a boxing match, and landing a good solid right hook at, say, a funeral.
posted by hoborg at 7:13 AM on March 26, 2009
Also, after her initial immediate response (uncharacteristically all in lowercase, so I knew she was still reeling from the near-miss), she countered with a Mii (actually sent to my Mii Channel) that was without question better-done than mine, even without looking at a photo, as I had. So it sort of undercuts even the attempt of doing a RickRoll 2.0: the excitement of seeing the blue light on the front of the Wii turn to anger, pain, disgust and shame when the WiiRoll had happened.
As a bonus, the Wii Menu update 4.0 came out yesterday, mere hours after I sent the 'roll, and now she'll be forever suspicious not only of getting messages in general, but that somehow I had gotten a rickroll in an official Nintendo update. (Which, I think, even if it didn't play music would somehow qualify on the basis of being totally sweet.)
I think it's worth replying to the comments in this thread, in case a future 'roller needs some precedent:
Jessamyn, I'm perhaps a little inclined to give your vote more weight than most. Let's not make this a habit.
I can't believe you asked this question. You know the rules.
I wish I had thought of saying this to her. Maybe I will before I send her the link to this thread (Hi!), and perhaps tack on some sort of a compromise, so I could say "You wouldn't get this from any other guy."
But the East German judge is still only going to give you 6.5.
He or she can do as she pleases: I'm not worried about someone who isn't aware his/her country hasn't been in existence since 1991.
Even if you got Rick Astley himself to hide in your friend's closet, that wouldn't be as big as a live and in-person Rickroll of a television audience of millions.
Ideally I would get him in there on a day just after she goes to London for a couple weeks. He'd be forced to eat his trenchcoat and hair gel, and when she returned, she'd be under the mistaken belief she was Skeletor-rolled.
Not that I'm ruling this out.
Anytime you're duped into thinking a vid is legit and then it turns out not to be? It A RR. That's the definitive end all to this stupid pathetic trend.
You're absolutely right. It's hard to argue with the simplicity of that definition, though I would argue that the trend has changed into something far more worthy of my time, as I am doing here: Firing of a 'rickbomb when the person is aware of them and even expecting it is more satisfying and, if I may suggest, funnier/actually funny. It's the difference between landing a good solid right hook in a boxing match, and landing a good solid right hook at, say, a funeral.
posted by hoborg at 7:13 AM on March 26, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Benjy at 7:57 PM on March 25, 2009 [8 favorites]