Comments on: IAN DURY AND THE BLOCKHEADS - “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”

By: Mark G

Mark G — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:00:09 +0000

“Deus Ex Machina”

Jon Pertwee! Frankie Howerd! Ian Dury!

A stoner classic, true…..

By: Ashley Pomeroy

Ashley Pomeroy — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:16:18 +0000

This is one of the earliest pop songs I remember, along with “Cars” and “Walking on the Moon”. As a child I always assumed that he was singing “hit me with your ribbon stick”, and that a ribbon stick was a stick with a ribbon on the end, and that the song was somehow rude. Why would adults hit each other with sticks? Ian Dury vanished from my life until he died. YouTube has some old live performances on “Revolver”, which are splendidly funky. You can divide people into two kinds; those who say “ian jury” and those who say “ian dew-ree”.

No, that’s it - a few years later he contributed vocals to a computer game called “Deus Ex Machina”. It was an ambitious rock opera, and there is a bitty picture of Ian Dury in the opening credits. In retrospect I think, as a child, I always mixed him up with Madness, even though he had nothing to do with Ska. I reckon he might have been a good subject for a Look-In comic strip, nestled between Adam Ant and Dangermouse, but with the swearing taken out.

I wonder how many copies this sold in the US? Was he a complete unknown over there, or an underground novelty from the land of Monty Python and Benny Hill?

By: “Two fat persons, click, click, click.” « Quiet Clown

“Two fat persons, click, click, click.” « Quiet Clown — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:49:11 +0000

[...] Tom Ewing’s freaky trigger, which reviews every UK chart-topper since 1952 and ranks “Stick” as #432 — a more, um, sophisticated and musically informed take than my own. Comments galore. (hat tip [...]

By: Waldo

Waldo — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:58:34 +0000

They certainly do, buddy!

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:19:37 +0000

I imagine such fantasies helped keep him buoyant in his declining years.

By: Waldo

Waldo — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:10:47 +0000

Indeed it was not, Marcello. 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 and all over in less than two hours. This is infuriating for me personally, having watched him out-Nadal Nadal only to see him go all girlie in the final. Admittedly he was disadvantaged in having to endure a sleep-over with Rafa, whilst Federer had a day off but here the excuses end. Great tournament for Murray, nevertheless and almost as an afterthought, let’s applaud Roger for his 13th Grand Slam, only one behind Sampras now with a couple of good years left in him to equal it at least. One of the greatest sportsman of our lifetime and such a nice guy, with a girlfriend who looks like his wife and not his secretary.

Erithian # 102 - I stand by what I say, whilst accepting your point re fitness and equipment. I, in fact, would go further. If Fred Perry (c.1936) turned up today, he would be soundly trounced by any modern top woman. The sisters would just out-hit him and I’d love to see the look on Fred’s boat when Ivanovich or Sharapova wiggled onto court…

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:12:50 +0000

Well that Federer/Murray final wasn’t exactly an all time classic.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:32:45 +0000

The man with the dog was Maurice “Obie” Oberstein, a CBS big-wig who died in 2001. I think that award ceremony marked the last public appearance from The Police until their recent reunion tour, although they didn’t actually perform on that occasion. Indeed, there was an unspoken assumption that the award was already posthumous - which no doubt added to the band’s embarrassment.

By: Mark G

Mark G — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:02:57 +0000

I remember two in a row where The Police won Best Group or Alltime group or something the first year, and got it awarded from some bloke who rattled off some speech about how it was great that all that punk rubbish was gone, to the obvious embarrassment of Stingie. Oh, and the bloke had a red setter dog on stage with him.

The following year was more professional, Rob Dicken gave the final speech, and I was “Thank god that bloke with the red setter is gone OH NO THERE HE IS!!”

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:06:29 +0000

What were the ones that were presented by DLT and pre-TV-AM Anne Diamond and Kate Bush won everything?

According to Wikipedia the BPI awards started in ‘82 and the first improbable host was David “Hello Thaar” Jacobs.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:55:11 +0000

#105: No, the Brits are a re-branded continuation of the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) awards.

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:45:14 +0000

Lawley really was hopeless on Desert Island Discs; she never seemed to listen.

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:44:04 +0000

That would have been the Nationwide Rock And Pop Awards, and I can’t remember at this late stage whether these morphed into the Brits or whether the Brits were something different altogether.

By: Erithian

Erithian — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:43:29 +0000

Dury also met Sue Lawley when he did “Desert Island Discs”. I don’t recall the exact exchange but he was talking about his polio in the context of “Spasticus Autisticus” and Lawley commented, “It’s a good story and you tell it well…” - he retorted that it wasn’t a story, it was his life. Can’t quite recall whether there was real tension in the exchange or not - anybody else hear it?

By: Mark G

Mark G — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:28:39 +0000

I remember Ian Dury getting some sort of award from Sue Lawley, back in the day.

“Oy, Basher! Alright?” he yelled. To Nick Lowe, not one of the bouncers…

By: Erithian

Erithian — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:27:24 +0000

Don’t forget that originally “Sports Personality of the Year” laid the emphasis on the sport rather than the personality - it’s not a question of “having personality” but “being a personality” (the Aussies would call it “an identity”). So it should go to the greatest UK sporting achiever of the year regardless of whether you think they’re a miserable git. If Murray and Hamilton both deliver it’ll be very difficult this year.

“Best player Britain has ever produced”? That’s contentious Waldo - making the usual necessary allowances for fitness levels, training regimes and racket technology, would you still place him above Perry’s 8 grand slam wins or whatever it was?

By: Waldo

Waldo — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:19:48 +0000

Sorry, Rosie but my bookie, Jimmy the Swede, will be up to collect her at 3pm today.

By: rosie

rosie — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:05:46 +0000

Waldo @ 97: Tosca says to tell you to leave her out of it.

Didn’t the boy Murray done good!

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:45:15 +0000

New Boots And Panties was on the album chart forever so there’s a fair chance Dury might have bagged that prize in ‘78 had the Brits been going then.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:39:56 +0000

Murray stumbles on the Personality side of that equation. I thought we had already given it to Rebecca Adlington for liking shoes.

Interesting that the Brits does not have a Pop Personality of the Year award, which would allow pop stars who have consistently entertained without necesarily releasing barnstorming albums their moment in the sun. One would think Ian Dury may bave been up for it on a few occasions.

By: Waldo

Waldo — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:14:21 +0000

Well, what do you know about that? Waldo’s tennis bet shot down in flames by friendly fire and Waldo is on bread and cheese for the rest of September. And Rosie is down one cat. Serena duly delivered but Nadal is soundly thumped by the fabulous Murray who now meets Federer for the Championship.

Let us make things clear. This victory was no fluke against a ring-weary Rafa. This was a merit win against a top-form number one and nothing else, Murray bettering him on ground strokes from the baseline during lengthy rallies, something which seemed unthinkable to most of us. Nadal did nothing wrong at all. Murray was magnificent and he is clearly already the best player Britain has ever produced.

10pm tonight, then, for the final. If he does it (and for once I’m predicting nothing) he surely would be a shoe-in for Sports Personality of The Year, which would be harsh on Chris Hoy, who would have to be content with 2nd place and a Knighthood.

By: Waldo

Waldo — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:33:19 +0000

Yep, Rafa plays Murray, who has been magnificent all tournament. There’s not a doubt in my mind that the US Open is the Slam he will win one day. Not this year, hopefully.
Serena’s looking unstoppable, having stuffed Venus, as I strongly supposed she would.

I’m still hopeful I’ll collect but still a way to go yet.

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:57:35 +0000

Well Rafael and Serena are both through to the semis, so it’s still on.

By: Mark G

Mark G — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:37:35 +0000

Did Waldo’s wager pay off?

By: intothefireuk

intothefireuk — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:17:42 +0000

‘What A Waste’ was excellent - fluid jazzy bass & sinewy synths sounding something like the theme from a TV detective series before Dury’s trademark menacing Lahndan whisper/growl enters the scene. ‘Rhythm Stick’ notches up the funk and adds atonal sax and more vocal histrionics and is immense fun. It felt like sticking two fingers up to the pop establishment - ok it wasn’t punk but Dury was suitably defiant, dishevelled, angry etc. to ruffle a few feathers. It’s still probably a better ‘punk’ no1 than the Rats sorry effort. And that bassline……