A tale of two books

No one biographer has the exclusive right to his or her subject. The field is always wide open for anyone to tell the story of… in this case, the late great Ian Dury. ‘The Definitive Biography’ – the third full-length Dury book to come out – was published six months ago and has enjoyed healthy sales and good reviews. In 2004, Jim Drury gave us ‘Ian Dury and the Blockheads: Song by Song’, whilst the first book about Ian – ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock’n’Roll’, by Richard Balls, came out 10 years ago, shortly after Ian’s death. All three books are, in my humble opinion, worthy accounts of Ian’s life, but differ in many respects. It is not for me to compare the qualities or otherwise of each book and I relate the following story for amusement purposes only.

 

When ‘The Definitive Biography’ was announced (it was my publisher’s title by the way), the news reached ‘Sex & Drugs’ author Richard Balls. Apparently, Richard was so incensed by the title that he complained to his publisher, Omnibus, whose commissioning editor, Chris Charlesworth, posted a blog on Rock’s Back Pages in December 2009. You may care to read Chris’s blog and some of the subsequent comments (scroll down to ‘Ian Dury Biography’): http://www.rocksbackpagesblogs.com/author/chris-charlesworth/

Chris, who hadn’t actually read my book when he composed his missive, rightly defended Richard’s book and trumpeted its merits, but cast doubt over whether ‘Definitive’ could possibly live up to its claim, because Richard, Chris suggested, had done all the Dury research that could possibly be done, implying there was no need for another tome on the subject. ‘Richard’s book was… and remains definitive.’

Fight!

Actually, I chose not to rise to the bait. I simply began to spread the word about the imminent release of ‘The Definitive…’ utilising Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc (which is all part of an author’s duties in the modern age). Suddenly, after a hiatus of several years, there was a rash of positive reviews on Amazon for Richard Balls’ book. These were from such reliable sources as ‘EM’ and ‘MT’. The latter wrote: ‘this [Balls' book] is THE definitive book on Ian Dury’ – even before ‘The Definitive…’ had been published! One Amazon customer, the mysterious ‘DCD’, even stated: ‘I won’t review this book [‘The Definitive…’] as I haven’t read it and have no intention of doing so.’

So there!

That’s it really, except to relate that I bumped into Chris Charlesworth recently at a book launch for Zoe Street Howe’s ‘How’s Your Dad?’ Chris was sort of apologetic about his rant on Rock’s Back Pages and wanted ‘to clear the air’. It was Balls, he said, who had voiced his annoyance (over ‘The Definitive…’) and this was what prompted him to post the objection. Chris was also complimentary about ‘The Definitive…’ saying, ‘from the bits I’ve read it’s a damn good read.’

 

Richard Balls (or ‘Ball’ as he now styles himself) gave us a book that was well-researched and I admit that I scoured it for clues when writing my own book, ‘as you do’. For the record however, ‘The Definitive…’ offers many exclusive and direct quotes from Ian Dury himself, taken from numerous first hand interviews I conducted (sadly, Balls was unable to interview Ian); it also contains details of Ian’s father’s family background (in contrast to Balls: ‘information about [Bill’s] family background is thin on the ground’); it features a family tree that I researched and drew up, going back five generations; it quotes numerous extracts from letters written by Ian to his muse Roberta Bayley, and includes an interview I conducted with Kilburns’ guitarist Keith Lucas, who until now has remained tight-lipped about his dramatic bust-up with Ian. There are also 35 previously unseen or rare photographs and a beautiful jacket illustration by Sir Peter Blake.

My advice?

Read both!

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12 May: Happy Birthday Ian

 

 

In 1941, Peggy fell pregnant for the second time and at 9 a.m. on Tuesday 12 May 1942 gave birth, at home, to a healthy baby boy. Peggy had bought a three-year diary in anticipation of the momentous event, and her entry for the day of birth reads: ‘Weight 7lb 6ozs – marked by forceps – slight facial paralysis – Tuesday’s child.’ Within forty-eight hours, the proud parents registered the birth at Hendon Registry Office and, incorporating Bill’s mother’s maiden name, called their son Ian Robins Dury.
‘I was conceived at the back of the Ritz and born at the height of the blitz,’ Ian quipped some fifty-three years later when we met to discuss, amongst other things, his early years. It was a typically colourful couplet to describe his world debut. He went on: ‘My mum was a health visitor, and her sister was a doctor, and her other sister an education officer. My dad was a bus driver. He was bright, but he wasn’t educated. He left school at thirteen. He came from a long line of bus drivers, as they say. They were proud of it.’

Photograph – Ian aged 3 - courtesy of Jemima Dury

Read more in ‘Ian Dury: The Definitive Biography’ by Will Birch (Sidgwick & Jackson)
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Ian Dury: a reading at Southend Library, May 19

I’m off to Southend Central Library on the evening of Wednesday 19 May. They have asked me to read some passages from ‘Ian Dury: The Definitive Biography.’ I’m currently thumbing though the chapters looking for suitable extracts, maybe with a bit of local colour, but trying to avoid the colourful language – there might be ‘librarians’ present. It’s not easy – every other quote seems to contain an f-word or a c-word, but I haven’t hesitated in quoting them at other readings and they usually get a laugh. I’m told there will be ‘refreshments’ and a Q&A session at the end. They will be selling copies of the book and of course I’ll be happy to sign. The poster above contains ticket details. Hope you can make it, and no arseholes or bastards please. F… C… and P…. are of course welcome.

Ian Dury invents ‘Oxfam Chic’

Ian at Groveway 1973

As evidenced in this 1973 picture, the Kilburns bought most of their clothes from charity shops, resulting in a wide array of previously-enjoyed overcoats that shaped the group’s early image. Ian amusingly described this as ‘Oxfam Chic’ and said, ‘Yeah, we got into a lot of gear that was old, because it was nicely made.’ Here we see Ian around the time that the Kilburns were first treading the boards on London’s pub rock circuit. Photograph by Mick Hill.
Read more about the early days of Kilburn and the High Roads in ‘Ian Dury: The Definitive Biography’ (Sidgwick & Jackson) Out now!

Step into my fitting room: Glen Matlock measures up the Kilburns at Let It Rock

Before forming the Sex Pistols and writing ‘Anarchy In The UK’, Glen Matlock worked as a ‘Saturday boy’ at Let It Rock – the Malcolm McLaren/ Vivienne Westwood boutique on the Kings Road. One of Glen’s first tasks was measuring Ian up for a new suit. ‘I was the bloke with the tape measure,’ says Glen. ‘”I’m free!” I was the John Inman of the punk generation.’ Glen recalls discovering that Ian was a polio victim: ‘Most peoples’ shoulders are about seven inches, but one side was half the width. I realised how withered he was down one side and how my granddad must have been – he had polio – and I felt a little bit more of a connection with Ian than if I’d just seen him on stage. It made him a bigger bloke in my eyes, what he had to put up with.’

Ian meets Terry Day at Walthamstow School of Art

Arriving at Walthamstow in February 1962, Terry Day made a big
impression on Ian. Heavily into modern jazz and the action
paintings of Jackson Pollock, Terry had started his record collection
at the age of five. With help from his older brother, he
learnt to play an assortment of musical instruments by the time
he was fifteen. His first love was drums, and he found himself
giving Ian some early tuition. ‘We were always hitting things
with paint brushes, bashing out rhythms and making a noise,’
recalls Terry, who would go on to be one of Ian’s closest pals.
Visit Terry Day’s website:
www.terryday.co.uk/
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Ian develops his Teddy Boy persona 1954-56-58

Ian had been at the Royal Grammar School only a few weeks when, in May 1954, the bi-annual, official school photograph was taken (left). By May 1956 (centre) – in the week that Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel entered the UK hit parade – Ian had developed his early Teddy Boy persona. By 1958 (right), Ian was sporting the full greasy quiff and playing drums in the Black Cat Combo. Ian exerted a certain influence over his contemporaries, telling them about the little tailor’s shop in High Wycombe where they could get their trousers tapered; the cinema at the back of town that showed the sleazy movies and the precise location of the dirty bookshop. ‘Here was clearly a chap who recognized style,’ says classmate Warwick Prior. ‘He once returned to school in what he called a “denim rock suit”. It was a pair of jeans and a short jeans jacket, which were very rare in those days. He’d slip it on occasionally, if he got the opportunity. I grew my hair quite long, significantly under his influence. I learnt about it all from Dury.’
With thanks to Tony Hare http://www.rgs.tonyhare.co.uk and John Saunders http://www.rgs.saund.co.uk/
‘Ian Dury: The Definitive Biography’ will be published by Sidgwick & Jackson in January 2010.
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Barney Bubbles original design for 4000 Weeks Holiday

4000 Weeks Holiday work in progress by Barney Bubbles

Graphics genius Barney Bubbles accepted the commission Ian passed to him in the early autumn of 1983 to design the sleeve for 4000 Weeks Holiday. Tragically it was one of Barney’s last designs – he died in November of that year before the work was completed. Here we see the first stage of Barney’s original design (courtesy of Pauline Kennedy aka Caramel Crunch/Reasons 2009). When the album eventually appeared in 1984, it was packaged in what was intended to be the inner bag, with Ian’s hand-written credits, its design completed by Caramel Crunch following Barney’s death. It is thought, however, that Barney’s original design did appear on Portuguese pressings of 4000 Weeks Holiday (Polydor Records).
With thanks to Rebecca and Mike, and Paul Gorman, author of Reasons To Be Cheerful – a book about the work of Barney Bubbles
http://www.barneybubbles.com/blog/about

Ian flashes his Union Jack grin, 1978

'Can you paint on the veneers?'

At a surgery in Harley Street, Ian was measured for new crowns and fitted with a temporary veneer on his lower incisors. ‘Can you paint on the veneer?’ he enquired of the dentist, knowing it would soon be time to fly the flag. An hour later, he strode out into the spring sunshine, flashing a Union Jack grin. When Kosmo heard about the teeth he was on the phone to the press. (Photographer unknown)
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Stardom awaits these two dapper Kilburns

Keith and Humphrey

Style was all important in the early days of Kilburn and The High Roads. Their singer and mentor Ian Dury would frequently take out his tape measure to ensure that Keith Lucas and Humphrey Ocean weren’t exceeding the regulation 14″ bottoms on their neat white Jekylls.
Photography courtesy of Ed Baxter, captured in Camden, 1973.
http://www.ed-baxter-photography.co.uk/
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