Review for Ian Dury: Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll & Other Assorted Glimpses

Good evening, I'm from Essex in case you couldn't tell, my given name is Dickie, I come from Billericay and I'm doing…very well.

It was in 2007 when an idea invaded my dreams - write a screenplay on the musician Ian Dury. It was going to be a story that dipped into the vibe of the man, looking at how his past (contracting polio at age seven) moulded his rise to fame (with the Blockheads). It was going to reflect Dury's untamed personality, abstract lifestyle and above all, it was going to have a political context that reflected the anarchy of British culture during the late 70s and early 80s. It was Eddie Izzard, 'the man from the dream', who would play Dury. The reason why this idea never developed into a script: because of a lazy old man (who did not act on his dream). In 2010, after finding out about Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll with Andy Serkis (as Dury) this talentless fool knew that he had ruined a perfect opportunity to turn a dream into a reality. As Dury said himself in one of his songs, 'What a Waste'. At least I could be the ticket-man at Fulham Broadway station.

There aint half been some clever basterds who had a knack of turning their dreams into reality. Just look at the charismatic rascal who had a flair for words with such barmy songs as 'Wake Up and Make Love With Me', 'Billericay Dickie', 'My Old Man', 'Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick' and 'I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra'. With his coarse voice, union jack teeth, puppy dog eyes and cocksure attitude Dury was an icon for a generation that embraced anarchy and nihilism. He was also a wordsmith, philosopher and poet who created such powerful and empowering 'battle-cry' anthems as 'Spasticus Autisticus' - 'I wiggle when I piddle, cos my middle is a riddle, I dribble, when I nibble and quibble when I scribble. I'm knobbled on the cobbles cos I hobble when I wobble'.

There are Old Kent Roads of reasons to be cheerful in 2010. When it comes to the life and times of Ian Dury, we have a new movie released on DVD: Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, a new book: 'Ian Dury: The Definitive Biography' and all those cash-in releases we all crave, one of them being: 'Ian Dury: Assorted Glimpses' that contains live performances interspersed with random interviews.


Verdict: This is a shameless £10.99 cash-in that any Dury fan would buy 'just to see the man in action' outside the 'wee box' realm of YouTube. The special feature interviews are in-depth, insightful and touching; the option to listen to songs individually is a nice touch and the trailers for such releases as Punk in England and Reggae in Babylon give this disc a time machine quality - going back to a period in British culture when music was raw, fresh and passionate. One also ponders the purchase of another cash-in DVD, 'Rare and Unseen' that might also be worth the 9.99 plunge (from a certain DVD supplier). While you are at it go and ask Joyce and Vicki if candyfloss is sticky you blinking thicky. They might be able to help me to come to terms with my failed screenplay after a bit of the old mischief with Plainstow Patricia. That's another reason to be cheerful.

It was on Monday 27th March 2000 when Ian Dury died of cancer at the age of 57.

'There are a couple of ways to cheat death and one of them is to be magnificent'
Ian Dury