Rick Astley once "stalked" Smiths star

18 September 2023, 11:13

The 80s singer claims he followed bassist Andy Rourke around Manchester.

By Radio X

@RadioX

Rick Astley claims he once "stalked" Andy Rourke of The Smiths around Manchester after spotting him while out shopping.

Astley - who has covered the classic Manchester band's songs as part of a collaboration with Blossoms - was a huge fan of the group when he was growing up in the North West and he's revealed he got a thrill when he saw the bassist walking around the city while he was out buying records.

In an interview with The Guardian, Rick confessed his love of The Smiths started from a young age and became an obsession. He explained: "My big brother Mike introduced me to them, and I went a bit nuts about them.

"The fact they were from my nearby city, where I’d go and buy records, blew my mind.

A friend and I stalked Andy Rourke around town once, amazed he was real. They still sound so unique, with this very English way of singing that only a few other bands, like Pulp, do well."

Rourke died in May aged 59 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

After initially covering The Smiths tracks with Blossoms back in 2021, Astley's collaboration drew criticism from former band member Johnny Marr who described it as both "funny and horrible at the same time".

Marr has since made up with Blossoms, but Astley has admitted he decided against approaching the musician at a recent gig when they were both on the line-up.

He explained: "I wouldn’t talk to him because it’s really strange and weird. Really, nobody should cover the Smiths, but all this came from a real love of the songs."

Astley and Blossoms were one of the highlights of Glastonbury 2023 when they played a surprise set of Smiths tunes at the Woodsies stage.

Rick Astley thanks fans for supporting him at Glastonbury