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Ian
Dury is perceived as that cheeky chappie from Upminster, the lyrical
wordsmith behind classics such as 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick'.
A champion
of disabled rights, Dury also fought against his own serious illnesses
(polio and cancer) with a courageousness that was inspiring.
| "On
one occasion band
member Davey was so infuriated with the rock legend that he
picked Ian up and used his head as a battering ram against a
wall..." |
Yet
there was a different side to the man, as revealed in a new book
Ian Dury: Song by Song.
Yes,
Dury was no stranger to suffering, but he also knew how to make
the lives of others hell.
In
the book, his Blockhead bandmates reveal numerous occasions when
Ian turned into a tyrannical, resentful bully, particularly when
trying to come off his addiction to Mogadon.
Other
stories include a drunken, abusive Ian being punched in the face
by actor Omar Sharif (they later became friends).
On
another occasion, band member Davey was so infuriated with the rock
legend that he picked Ian up and used his head as a battering ram
against a wall.
no
angel
Through
these tales, the reader is asked to rethink the Dury myth. We
hear how he was not from Upminster at all, hailing instead from
the leafier suburb of Harrow.
 |
|
Dury
was selective about his middle-class origins in Harrow
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Ian
chose to perpetuate the myth during the earlier part of his career
because he rightly knew that the image of the working class lad
was more appealing than that of a middle-class cousin.
Dury
was no angel, but for all his faults he had many good points, which
author Jim Drury does not neglect.
Whilst
refusing to shirk the bad, Song by Song does confirm Dury's
status as a brilliant songwriter and a star who genuinely felt for
the disenfranchised.
And
the free CD (with all the classics, including 'Sex And Drugs And
Rock n Roll' and 'What A Waste') which accompanies the book is a
reminder that Dury's bold lyrics still sound fresh and captivating
today - from the deserts of Sudan to the gardens of Japan.
Ian Dury: Song by Song by Jim
Drury is published by Sanctuary books @ £12.99
interested? hear Ian
Dury and The Blockheads and 'Reasons To Be Cheerful' from Reasons
To Be Cheerful (The Very Best Of)
(listen
in Windows Media Player -
)
More
recommended rock reading: Primal
Scream>> John Lydon>>
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