Emotional ties: Singer Rick Astley on his cat Sky and why he is nostalgic for the past
A cloudy cat, chocolate thrills and an underdog hero… Singer Rick Astley reveals the stories behind his most treasured possessions.
Singer Rick Astley
Maybe I’m getting on a bit, but tea really does taste better in a china mug. These were gifts from my daughter Emilie, who is now 26. I took a break when she was two and felt lucky to spend time with her. It wasn’t about being a super dad, I just had to be there for her.
I have a big sweet tooth and chocolate is definitely my weakness. I’ve been known to eat a Twirl or two – people used to throw them at me on stage! I always get a naughty childlike thrill when I have a little block of chocolate with my coffee.
Emilie named our 19-year-old cat Sky because she looked a bit cloudy as a kitten. We were devastated when we lost her brother Charlie recently – he was like a human being in a cat’s body. Sky is fiercely independent, but she keeps us entertained.
![Recently Danish brewing brand Mikkeller asked to make this beer with me. I know nothing about brewing, but apparently its founder was a fan of mine as a teen so I said yes. My wife Lene [a film producer] and I are opening a bar with him in London this autumn.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1/2018/07/18/17/3687386-5967271-Recently_Danish_brewing_brand_Mikkeller_asked_to_make_this_beer_-a-105_1531930616262.jpg)
Recently Danish brewing brand Mikkeller asked to make this beer with me. I know nothing about brewing, but apparently its founder was a fan of mine as a teen so I said yes. My wife Lene [a film producer] and I are opening a bar with him in London this autumn.
I’ve always loved the story of Spartacus, the ultimate underdog in history, and Kirk Douglas who played him in the 1960 film. A friend in LA asked Kirk to sign this photo for me. I guess I’ve always felt a little like an underdog myself.
I often look at this 1956 Rolex, a gift from years ago, and think I was born in the wrong decade. I’m nostalgic for the past – I dream of retiring at 70 and running a little beach hotel in Italy. I’ll sing Frank Sinatra songs to guests, while Lene hands around G&Ts.
This is a kind of engagement ring. It’s inscribed with ‘We know they won’t win’, a line from Crowded House’s song ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’. Lene and I have been together since 1989, but we only married five years ago. Her positivity balances out my occasional negativity.
I wrote a lot of my last record 50 and some of my new album Beautiful Life on this Hornung & Møller piano (bought at auction ten years ago). I started out playing drums and sang in the school choir. After my parents split up when I was four, home life wasn’t the happiest – music became my escape.
Rick’s new album Beautiful Life is out now. Tickets for his UK tour, from 25 October to 17 November, are on sale at rickastley.co.uk
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