Ian Dury,
12th May 1942 - 27th March 2000

It is with deep regret we announce the death of Ian Dury on 27th March 2000.

The response to this book of condolence has been overwhelming and it is now in two parts.
If you wish to add your message of condolence to those below please click here.
If you wish to read the earlier messages please click here.

People have asked if there is any way they can make a donatation in Ian's memory.
If you wish to do so please telephone 020 7920 7209 (London UK) between 9.00 and 5.00 pm UK time, which is the number for CancerBACUP, a charity that Ian was particularly involved with over the last few years.

Can't believe I just now found out about Mr. Dury's demise. All the songs that I loved, and the albums: "Do It Yourself" and "Laughter." Guess I'm thinking now about "Sweet Gene Vincent." Hope you and Gene are enjoying making music together, old bean. I'll miss you.
Stephen T. Whitworth <swhit6@hotmail.com>
Glen Carbon, IL, USA - Thursday, September 27, 2001 at 23:23:12 (BST)

I knew I would miss your talent. I do. Wish you were still here.
Richard <jr.wright@talk21.com>
Nantwich, UK - Thursday, September 27, 2001 at 19:50:56 (BST)

I love being in the nuddy too!!
PETER CHAPMAN <FUTURETRO@HOTMAIL.COM.AU>
australia - Monday, September 17, 2001 at 04:44:04 (BST)

I wish to apologise about my previous entry. I did not realise that it was dedicated to Ian Dury. I hope I have not offended anyone.

Jane
UK - Tuesday, September 11, 2001 at 23:30:51 (BST)

My grandad passed away on sunday morning at 9.10am. His name is Alan Machen and he is loved and missed by all. He died of cancer. He outlived his expected 6 months by being a volenteer for a new cancer drug. He lived for about 18 months since diagnosis. He was a very brave and determined man who lived his life happily. He is the husband of Margaret Machen and the father of Ann Crowe, Jane Borton, Joan Machen and Alan Machen. He also has grandchildren who are, Jane Crowe, Elizabeth Crowe, Mark, Matthew, John Machen, and Mark Borton. You will always be on our minds grandad. We love you. As I told you on sunday afternoon, I will make you proud! I hope the funeral on Friday will be what you hoped for. Rest in Peace.

Love from your grandaughter,
Jane xxxx
Jane C <jcrowe26@hotmail.com>
Manchester, UK - Tuesday, September 11, 2001 at 23:27:18 (BST)

I have read the other entries in the book of condolences and was moved by some of them, but I don't think anyone really knew you apart from your family and ,maybe, a few close friends. In real life you were probably an arsehole,bastard,fuckin' cunt and a prick. Who knows ? Not me, I never met you, and I'm not going to pretend that I know anything about you other than I think the world is less of a place with you gone. You and the band made great music that will live on for a very long time.
Leroy Little
- Friday, August 17, 2001 at 20:08:15 (BST)

Seven months pregnant, car broken down at night, pelting rain, South Mimms roundabout, with my partner, last year. Reason to be cheerful: DJ played a Blockheads concert and I had the time just to listen and pretend I was at the concert with my love. I was 16 again and as excited, writing Ian's name on the misted up windscreen, replaying those memories to my love and hoping my baby could hear. I would just like to say, "arseholes, bastards, fucking cunts and pricks" if I may. You gave me a voice after all that Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young! We are poorer without you, deepest sympathy to your family.
Catherine <saidsoul@aol.com>
London, UK - Tuesday, August 07, 2001 at 23:14:55 (BST)

Keep on rocking
Digger Gray <erquartfrumfries@aol.com>
UK - Tuesday, July 31, 2001 at 00:40:20 (BST)

Two days in one week 1979 Monday Hammersmith and then Wednesday at the end of my street, Gants Hill Odeon. Thanks for the memories Ian
Jason Shore <gantshillboy1@home.com>
Vancouver, Canada - Sunday, June 10, 2001 at 07:11:08 (BST)

Hammersmith 1979, the first live concert I'd ever seen,and it blew me away. You were and always remained brillant,cheerful in the face of every bad thing thrown at you, a poet of our time . A remarkable man,and a true artist. sincere sympathy to your family and fans, we will miss our Billericay Dickie.
Margaret <paul.@btinternet>
Camberley, UK - Friday, June 08, 2001 at 20:53:12 (BST)

Assholes, Bastards, Fucking Cunts and Pricks. What can I say? Ian you were a great man, loved by so many and missed by so many more. RIP Dear Ian.
Paul Booker <dj.paulbooker@btinternet.com>
Minehead, UK - Wednesday, May 23, 2001 at 21:19:57 (BST)

Ian.....You were an inspiration to me and I'll always be able to take that with me in everything I do. Thanks Mate!!
Mike Bailey
Lawshall, UK - Thursday, April 26, 2001 at 12:49:39 (BST)

When someone shouts 'Fucking Ada' and it brings a tear to your eye - you know it was someone special. God bless you, Ian. Rest in peace.

Shaun Hand <heliocentric@breathe.com>
Birmingham, UK - Friday, April 20, 2001 at 14:49:38 (BST)

Ian, your music and the happiness it brings will still live on in our hearts.
Roger <roger@grissle.com>
Glendale, USA - Wednesday, April 04, 2001 at 05:39:45 (BST)

Greatly missed........'Nuff said.
Neil Wade <thedigitalasylum@netscape.net>
Scarborough, UK - Saturday, March 31, 2001 at 13:00:23 (BST)

There's many blockheads in Japan, too. We wish to been
HIT with his Rhthym Stick more and more.

a great loss, we miss you Ian.

Kenji T. <fwgg2711@mb.infoweb.ne.jp>
Tokyo, Japan - Wednesday, March 28, 2001 at 02:33:35 (BST)

There aren't 'alf bin some clever bastards...and you were one. Great memories of great gigs....what a waste.
Oliver Comberti <oliverc@caroline2.com>
London, UK - Tuesday, March 27, 2001 at 15:29:11 (BST)

The 27th March will always be a sad day but Ian has made such a difference to my life I will always remember him with a smile on my face!.
1 year on and still so many messages and long may it last.
lynn <lynn@friends-on-line.zzn.com>
London, UK - Tuesday, March 27, 2001 at 06:32:04 (BST)

one year tomrrow ian departed us.
still playing all his and blockheads tracks,wishing they could record more .the tracks rerecorded for cancer backup are an exellent idea but sound crap without ian,s voice.
regards wend.
WEND <ALWENDATHOME@usa.net>
bristol, UK - Monday, March 26, 2001 at 22:26:52 (BST)

Ian, I can still see you in your early days in and around north London. You left so much for us to enjoy. i say a bus drivers prayer to you today.
Boppin` Bruce <bthompson@jeld-wen.co.uk>
UK - Monday, March 26, 2001 at 15:32:34 (BST)

Walking to work,I found myself singing 'Sweet Gene Vincent'. It's a year on, what an effect you still have IAN!

Mike in Manchester <Rileymike@supanet.com>
Manchester, UK - Saturday, March 24, 2001 at 23:41:46 (GMT)

After always finding out too late about Blockhead Gigs,I finally caught up with Ian in Oct '89 in the superb 'APPLES'.I got Ian's much cherished signature on the book of the same name,though unfortunatly only via the stage door. Sadly the first time I saw an actual gig was the 'Charlie Charles benefit gig' that sadly turned out to be a 'tribute gig'. In the same year come the 'Warts and Audience'gig. The best two concerts I've ever been to.
God Bless both Ian & Charlie.
CLEVOR <clevortrever@hotmail.com>
UK - Saturday, March 24, 2001 at 12:15:39 (GMT)

OY OY Blockheads - I know this is a book of condolence, and that's the mutt's, but I've been reading these for a long time now and it's time to move on, and I've just got to tell you that having just seen The Blockheads LIVE AND F*****G Magnificent at The Mean Fiddler, (Messrs Jupiter & Lamarr are the wasps nipples), the spirit and the groove is still alive people. When The Blockheads visit your town, go and enjoy, they are still the best & tightest band on the planet. Love & peace to Blockheads everywhere. OY OY.
Simon Ward <jeepster@groover.co.uk>
London, UK - Saturday, March 24, 2001 at 01:35:19 (GMT)

there are no words to express how much i loved ian durys
music and public persona.
an inspiration to anyone struggling against insurmountable odds.
see ya later ian.
stu
manchester, UK - Saturday, March 24, 2001 at 00:57:16 (GMT)

My favourite artist
Charles Hardy <tallyho@fox.nstn.ca>
Halifax, Canada - Friday, March 23, 2001 at 23:42:56 (GMT)

Ian-You are greatly missed, still remember you on Top of the Pops getting up to sing "Rhthym Stick" and the energy of your music. God bless you.
Richard Pymont <renegade1@hotmail.com>
London EN9 3BE, UK - Friday, March 23, 2001 at 13:23:04 (GMT)

As an 8 year old at the time I remember Hit Me (WYRS) being slightly different to anything I had ever heard, and I loved it. Even my dad liked it, even though he thought you were nuts. I felt connected to you in some way as my grandad had polio and managed to get through life without letting it hold him back, like you, I was amazed as I grew up to find that you were an exceptional artist, and listened to you giving an interview on Airtours inflight radio thing, sadly one of the last I heard. I lost my Dad not long after you, and both of you are very special men. GOD BLESS YOU.
sam <samanthalouise@ntlworld.com>
St Albans, UK - Wednesday, March 21, 2001 at 23:32:51 (GMT)

After watching this book of condolence grow in the last year there is really nothing new to add. For me it's the lyrics that seperate him from the rest. He was a genius with words, just try writng a Dury style lyric without it sounding ridiculous. He was UNIQUE! There was the music too and it is this combination that has given us a sound track to our youth and has stayed with us to middle age. I still get the same buzz now on hearing the intro to "Wake up and Make Love With Me" as I did as a thirteen year old listening with the sound turned down in my older brothers bedroom. We couldn't let our Mum hear "Plaistow Patricia" it would have fucking killed her. I'm not sure he would of approved of "Brand New Boots and Panties" but what the hell I'm going to buy it anyway.

With respect to his family, your grief is greater than ours but I hope you feel great pride in being associated with a man who has left his mark on so many lives.

David Ross <mgdavidross@hotmail.com>
Middlesex, UK - Wednesday, March 21, 2001 at 22:32:29 (GMT)

Ian has inspired me to create a webstite named after his great sog SPASTICUS AUTISTICUS
Adam Wilkinson
UK - Wednesday, March 21, 2001 at 18:29:14 (GMT)

I just simply want to say thanks to Ian (and The Blockheads) for being around, especially when I was growing up and absorbing the arts as you do. Your music and lyrics were and still are a big part of my life. I only wish you were still around so that my kids could experience you the way we all did. Of course they will hear your music as they grow but (without wishing to sound like an old git) I 'm saddened about the quality of the pop/chart music they will be growing up to. I hope you knew how much you were/are loved and somehow know how much you are now missed.
Rupert Horrox <rupert.horrox@virgin.net>
Wendover, UK - Wednesday, March 21, 2001 at 17:32:06 (GMT)

I was watching university challenge the other night, don't ask me why. Anyway they had bonus questions on Ian's music, they didn't get one of them and they were easy, I thought Ian Dury would have pissed himself laughing if he'd seen it. Miss you Mr Lovepants!

Matt
Matthew Graham-Hyde
London, UK - Wednesday, March 21, 2001 at 08:09:27 (GMT)

I saw Ian Dury and the Blockheads in Birmingham in 1977 and again, years later, at a Madness concert in London. Despite the passage of time (20 years ?)you couldn't spot the difference - loads of brilliant lyrics and great music delivered with energy and style. My vinyl copy of "New Boots and Panties" is one of my most treasured records - it has been played at least once a week for the last 24 years ! My kids - aged 2 and 6 - sing along to the words ! "Mr Love Pants" is equally brilliant. Ian was a real diamond geezer and the working class has lost an authentic voice. Once seen / heard never forgotten. Salud !
John Pateman <john.pateman@Merton.gov.uk>
London, UK - Tuesday, March 20, 2001 at 13:28:39 (GMT)

YOU WERE A LEGEND IN YOUR UNDERPANTS,YOUR MUSIC IS A PRIVELIGE TO LISTEN AND TO OWN.I SAW YOU AT THE UEA IN NORWICH IN 2000,UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS THE LAST TIME BUT THE MEMORY WILL STAY WITH ME FOREVER.R.I.P. XX M.T.PLUNKETT OF DEREHAM,NORFOLK.HEAVEN WONT KNOW WOTS HIT EM.
MATTHEW PLUNKETT
DEREHAM, UK - Tuesday, March 20, 2001 at 10:22:59 (GMT)

Thank You Ian! You have left a wonderful legacy of music and poetry... /\ /\
(='.'=)
/|| ||\
( || || \
~-~~-~~-~>>>>`

Jimi James Reaper <jimreaper@hotmail.com>
Napier, Aotearoa/New Zealand - Tuesday, March 20, 2001 at 05:44:30 (GMT)

My first proper gig was Ian Dury & The Blockheads, 1978 at the Birmingham Odeon. Supported by Matchbox (a rockabilly band) and Matumbi (Dub Reggae) - who would dare such a diverse support set today ?.

Awesome gig, BASTARD band, wonderful showman. An inspirational life. Taught me that a dustman's son can contribute greater art than kings.

Rest in peace, old mate. And thanks.
Bob <purebob64@netscape.net>
Birmingham, UK - Saturday, March 17, 2001 at 12:09:26 (GMT)

thanks for you're wonderful music. You were one of the
greatest. rest in peace..
ger arkestee <ger.arkestee@pggm.nl>
amsterdam, holland - Thursday, March 15, 2001 at 20:07:52 (GMT)

It's almost a year since you left my life, but your music keeps me living day and night.
Take care you clever bastard you will always be sadly missed.
Darren Styles <dars@bellsystem.co.uk>
Milton Keynes, UK - Wednesday, March 14, 2001 at 15:40:39 (GMT)

Like many people, I thank Charlie Gillett for putting me on to The Kilburns and thereby Ian. His songs summed up so much of what I remembered growing up as a fifties kid in London. (even though I was at the other end of the North Circular Road ). Hammersmith Odeon 1979 was one of the best gigs I`ve ever been to. Being fortunate enough to be able play his stuff on my radio shows, my annual tribute to Gene Vincent always started with Ian`s great song and they will be extra poignant from now on. Hope you can still get the odd `Razzle` mag where you are now Ian. Thanks mate!
geoff barker <rocker1947@btinternet.com>
Wimborne, UK - Wednesday, March 14, 2001 at 11:26:43 (GMT)

Genuinely sad at this man's passing. The world became that much poorer I thought.
Ian Wilson <ian_wilson_01@yahoo.com>
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK - Tuesday, March 13, 2001 at 16:41:30 (GMT)

oi oi
those of you who don't know, there is a great gig going on at
the Mean Fiddler 2. The Blockheads.

for more info contact me or go to these websites
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dury
http://www.btinternet.com/~david.wassell/iandury/index2.html
http://www.theblockheads.com/front.html

yatesy <grimsdale_2000@yahoo.co.uk>
Abingdon, UK - Tuesday, March 13, 2001 at 15:30:02 (GMT)

Sadly missed. Thanks for the fun and music
Jean
Colne, UK - Tuesday, March 13, 2001 at 14:49:16 (GMT)

Anyone who sneers at the ephemeral nature of popular music, anyone who says it's all dross and 15 minutes of fame and they're all tinsel stars anyway, just scroll down here for a few screenfuls. It's nearly 12 months on from this man's death, and people are still raw and hurting, like they've lost a close friend. And in a sense, they have. A rather special human, Mr Dury was, everyone's favourite brickie with a big heart and a razor wit to go with it. Wherever you are, mate, I hope you're doing... very well.
WLM <wordcraft@kolumbus.fi>
Helsinki, Finland - Monday, March 12, 2001 at 21:33:35 (GMT)

I can not beleive it's nearly a year since Ian passed on. Attending one of his concerts was one of the highlights of my life. Your are missed
Barry Bright <barry.bright@ntlworld.com>
Bedford, UK - Monday, March 12, 2001 at 19:50:06 (GMT)

Thank you for your music and fun preformance.
I miss you and your music wery much.
Mats Erdin
H�GAN�S, SWEDEN - Sunday, March 11, 2001 at 21:12:01 (GMT)

I catch you later Ian!
Gilbert des Dix
Amsterdam, NL - Sunday, March 11, 2001 at 17:17:20 (GMT)

I have had the pleasure of seeing Ian and the Blockheads many times, and he will be missed by everyone, and of couse his family will miss him even more. God Bless
paul tadman <ptadman@yahoo.co.uk>
London, UK - Saturday, March 10, 2001 at 22:41:47 (GMT)

After an article I'd written in "The Riders Digest" (a despatch business mag) entitled "Reasons To Be Cheerful" I added the following "P.S. Extra special credit for this months title. I decided on it, on the 14th March�almost a fortnight before Ian Dury�s tragic death; because the song, which first charted on August 4th 1979, summed up my feelings at that time. Ian was a first rate geezer and one of the greatest peoples poets ever, he�ll be sorely missed. Cheers Ian." And a later edition of the same mag printed a letter I had sent at the same time: "On reading �A Couriers Prayer?� I thought of dropping you a line, to let you know that it was originally The Busmans� Prayer and that its author certainly was not anonymous. But I decided against it, because it seemed a bit pedantic.
However given Ian Dury�s recent enrolment into the Dead Poets Society, it seemed appropriate to give him credit where it�s due. The late and very great Sir Ian of Upminster wrote and performed The Busmans� Prayer as a tribute to his father, who, funny enough, was a driver on the buses
He also honoured him on his million selling: New Boots & Panties with an affectionate little ditty entitled My Old Man. It stood alongside such colloquial classics as Billericay Dickie, Wake Up And Make Love To Me, Clever Trevor, Sweet Gene Vincent and the anthem of the age - if not all ages - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. Suggs (from Madness) introducing a tribute the Saturday after his death, hailed him as �The People�s Poet Laureate� a title.which few who followed his work would dispute." I can't add any more except to say that my sentiments are entirely heartfelt.
Dvaid Gurman
David Gurman <ddgurman@aol.com>
London, UK - Friday, March 09, 2001 at 18:46:23 (GMT)

Ian was my geatest inspiration as an artist, the world and I have lost a great friend.
Paddy O'Toole <potblockhead@hotmail.com>
Dublin, IRELAND - Thursday, March 08, 2001 at 12:21:50 (GMT)

My Grandparents regarded Ian as a filthy bugger, and I thought it was because of the B-side of a certain single I bought, where the word 'Bastard' was used liberally. Little did I realise that it was the A-side which caused offence. I was a mere twelve and so really did think that the 'Rythmn Stick' happened to be a drum stick. Oh well.
I will miss Ian for his incredible use of English and great songs.

Cheers Ian.
Charles <herbaut@hotmail.com>
Delft, NL - Tuesday, March 06, 2001 at 20:55:50 (GMT)

I hear that there's a new "tribute" album to be released in the next couple of months (in the UK, anyway), called "Brand New Boots and Panties", in which various artists perform the songs from the original "New Boots and Panties".

I was listening to the radio and heard a rendition of "Partial to your Abracadabra", and thinking "That voice sounds familiar". When the song ended the DJ announced that it was a single from the forthcoming album, and was performed by Paul McCartney, no less. It was a stonking good rendition, and I'm wondering if the backing was the Blockheads. Somehow I just never expected that Paul McCartney would be involved with Ian Dury. But then, Ian and his music never were confined by boundaries.

If the rest of the renewed songs on the album are of similar quality, then it's destined to be a fine tribute.

Much love from one of many who are partial to Ian's magical, musical "Abracadabra"
Ian Scott
Solihull, UK - Tuesday, March 06, 2001 at 19:59:26 (GMT)

Every time I see a flash geezer driving down the road in a TVR sports car I'm reminded of you, Ian, and I smile. It's not widely known but the three-letter car marque is short for the name of the guy who founded the company that makes the motors. I smile because the driver, probably a clever dick, probably doesn't know that he's actually doing his posing in a Trevor!

Ian, you were the Guv'nor. God bless.
Paul <future.com@virgin.net>
Birmingham, UK - Monday, March 05, 2001 at 03:08:18 (GMT)

thankyou for making my teenage years a hoot! I played New Boots and Panties to my music teacher in 1978, I can still remember her face as Plaistow Patricia boomed out!!!! I shall mourn your decline with some Thunderbird wine and a black handkerchief. Thanks, Ian.
Tini <tini_white@hotmail.com>
Glasgow, UK - Monday, March 05, 2001 at 00:37:56 (GMT)

Ian, you were by far the most talented and sincere mucicians that I can recall. I was in work when I heard on the radio about the challenger shuttle exploding and I was stunned. News of your death had the same effect on me. God will forgive you for the razzle you nicked. Goodbye Ian
Neil <hereisit@hotmail.com>
oshawa, Canada - Saturday, March 03, 2001 at 20:46:59 (GMT)

All I can say is you woz more than fair Ian, truly brilliant; I only just recently got into your music, I thought you woz somebody that my dad liked. Just wish I'd been born those few years earlier & got to see a gig, you woz a true Essex geezer.
Karen <kazzzababe@hotmail.com>
Upminster, Essex, UK - Saturday, March 03, 2001 at 12:06:25 (GMT)

He was a happy chappy..... sadly missed.
John Robinson <tameside@ic24.net>
Manchester, UK - Thursday, March 01, 2001 at 00:05:18 (GMT)

I kept telling my friend, you gotta get this new Ian Dury record, New Boots and Panties. One day I got on a crowded bus and my friend was sitting all the way in the back and she shouted to me, "Jonny, Jonny, I got New Boots and Panties!"
Great title, Ian, and still my fave LP of all eternity.
Jonny Held <jbandx@aol.com>
Brooklyn, USA - Wednesday, February 28, 2001 at 02:05:47 (GMT)

Hit me with your rhythm stick. Hit me. Hit me. Hit me. The loss of Ian is a reason not to be cheerful. Sex and drugs and rock'n'roll won't be the same without him. Love from the colonies...
Tyler Carder <tcarder@sailnet.com>
St. Petersburg, FL, USA - Monday, February 26, 2001 at 21:13:18 (GMT)

Lots of fond memories of Ian. I saw him on the Live Stiffs Tour at Middlesbrough Town Hall in 1977. That was a night to remember. I also remember his performance at Gateshead Stadium at the Rock On The Tyne event.

There'll never be another.
Steve Connor <Steve.Connor8@ntlworld.com>
UK - Monday, February 26, 2001 at 13:07:05 (GMT)

IAN WAS JUST A TOTAL HERO AND WILL ALWAYS HAVE MY RESPECT AND WILL BE AN INSPIRATION TO ME AND TO MANY OTHER MAY HIS LEGEND LIVE ON

SEAN DAVIS <SDAVIS3.FREESEVRE.CO.UK>
CHELMSFORD, UK - Sunday, February 25, 2001 at 10:39:05 (GMT)

every bit of clothing
outta make you pretty
you can cut the clothing
grey is such a pity
i shall wear the clothing
or miss the walk...(something)
see my taylor hes alled simon
i KNOW! its going to fit

tina mann <weathermann1@aol.com>
keyport, nj USA - Saturday, February 24, 2001 at 23:02:02 (GMT)

Ian, without you there would have been no Madness. Thank God that you inspired so many people. Your memory will stay with us for many years to come. Good luck up there, (as if you need it, you geezer).
Lizzy <booth_luvs_ska@hotmail.com>
Bucks, UK - Saturday, February 24, 2001 at 15:19:26 (GMT)

goodbye Ian your music will live on wherever open minds exist you were a diamond and a shining artist!!
Paul Headon <paul.headon@ntlworld.com>
Swansea, United Kingdom - Saturday, February 24, 2001 at 00:27:36 (GMT)

What are the rest of the boys doing? are they carrying on?
Boog <www.boog.com@skynow.net>
nr Norwich, UK - Friday, February 23, 2001 at 18:29:38 (GMT)

I saw Ian & the boys two weeks before his death. I asked a sound engineer if he could get ians autograph for me,he said due to ians health he wont do this,but when i pulled out a copy of a Kilburns single his eyes lit up and said wait here! within seconds he was back with my single with the words"love Ian Dury"this i have framed with the songsheet& a ticket from the gig.And wot a gig.after waiting outside afterwards i met my hero,it was very,very sad to see Ian this way but as he was wheeled out in his wheelchair there was about 200/300 fans clapping this man who was really on his death bed,to still perform to his fans. Wot a top geezer.He will be sadly missed.
Boog <www.boog.com@skynow.net>
nr Norwich, UK - Friday, February 23, 2001 at 18:26:23 (GMT)

Ian Ijust want to thank you for providing us with such joyous musicand for being a top geezer. You stay cheerful right till the very end.
rohit arora <modestgoduk@yahoo.com>
London, UK - Friday, February 23, 2001 at 16:12:01 (GMT)

So many times I listened to your music
Drunk and crawling 'round on all fours
You were a fan of Sweet Gene Vincent
And I was a fan of yours.
Dave Burke <dora9@sprynet.com>
Auburn, USA - Thursday, February 22, 2001 at 04:34:20 (GMT)

I'll remember as long as I live hearing the opening bars of 'What a Waste'. I've yet to hear another band perform with such liquid grace, rythmn and power. Fond memories of my youth and best wishes - wherever you are Ian.
Patrick Baglee <patrickbaglee@hotmail.com>
London, UK - Wednesday, February 21, 2001 at 20:02:04 (GMT)

'Spose this means you won't be returning my Black & Decker now? Oh well...
H. Hill
Harold Hill, UK - Sunday, February 18, 2001 at 22:08:52 (GMT)

Ian was the greatest musician thta ever walked this hallowed ground, he fought many problems and didnt let any of them get in his way
he is greatly missed and will always be
He was the greatest and i only wish he could make up and make love one last time
KARL A MILES
Karl Miles <queen@sniffout.com>
Chorley, UK - Saturday, February 17, 2001 at 22:08:07 (GMT)

Your rhythm stick hits me every day and I wake up and embrace the joy your music has touched me with.
Al the Greek <alex@tsent.freeserve.co.uk>
Essex, UK - Saturday, February 17, 2001 at 16:12:51 (GMT)

I am very sad to hear of Ian's passing. I remember when I first bought Do It Yourself; I could not play it enough. I wore out an 8-track(!) and cassette copy of that one, as well as draining a car battery one hot summer night...
Thanks for all the music and the memories.
Marc <zuzuman@yahoo.com>
Atlanta, USA - Thursday, February 15, 2001 at 19:53:50 (GMT)

I don't know what to put here,I have re written this so many times,so how about,thanks Ian,for being you!
Tim
Southampton, UK - Thursday, February 15, 2001 at 00:25:32 (GMT)

When Ian died my boyfriend said, "So what?"

Now, almost a year on, the boyfriend has gone and Ian remains!

We know there is no more to come but we cherish your memory Ian.

God bless you!
Clairebear <clairus99@yahoo.co.uk>
London, UK - Wednesday, February 14, 2001 at 11:56:52 (GMT)

YOUNG AND OLD AND GONE. GOD BLESS.
derek <dekas@bigpond.com.au>
perth, AUSTRALIA - Wednesday, February 14, 2001 at 10:27:44 (GMT)

I was first introduced to your music by a lovely geezer from Bristol.He was called Mark Spears(where are you now)
The vibe just blew me away.
Only saw you play live once,it was at Southampton Gaumont theatre in 1980.
What more can I say.The best gig ever ,and I had seen them all play live.
God bless mate.
Mike Sanderson <MSande3830@aol.com>
Wolsingham, UK - Wednesday, February 14, 2001 at 01:36:53 (GMT)

To add to the my previous message, my first intro to Ian
was Art class, without warning me, a friend placed
a portable tape player under my desk, pushed the play
button(the song blockheads was cued up) on full volume,
the teacher grabbed the radio, shook it violently and kept
screaming "turn it off-turn it off" and guess who got
kicked out of class.
Barry Wedd <barefootbarry@yahoo.com>
Ottawa, Canada - Tuesday, February 13, 2001 at 16:58:17 (GMT)

Searched out Ians name to check out any future tours and
was shocked to discover this news. This frost-bitten
Canadian boy almost wore through his vinyl version of New
Boots and Panties back in High School in 1979. Thanks for
memories Ian.

Barry Wedd <barefootbarry@yahoo.com>
Ottawa, Canada - Tuesday, February 13, 2001 at 16:47:40 (GMT)

Rest in Peace
cyber
UK - Tuesday, February 13, 2001 at 08:38:30 (GMT)

I'VE PLAYED THE SONG "INBETWEENIES" ON THE RADIO (WWW.RAC105FM.COM) RIGHT NOW, AND I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THE WORK OF IAN HAS BEEN.
I JUST WANT TO THANK IAN FROM HERE FOR ALL THE GOOD MUSIC HE HAS CREATED.
ORIOL SERRA -RADIOSPEAKER FROM RAC105FM-
ORIOL SERRA <ORIOL_SERRA@HOTMAIL.COM>
BARCELONA, CATALONIA - Sunday, February 11, 2001 at 12:06:09 (GMT)

a man who will be missed by so many,his music and attitude towards life should be an inspiration to others. Ian dury will live on in my memory forever, god bless ian.
jamie rees a true fan.
jamie rees <jammyrees@hotmail.com>
cwmbran, UK - Sunday, February 11, 2001 at 10:12:58 (GMT)

race you to the bakery!
Fish918 <Fish918@thewatercooler.com>
Nijmegen, NL - Saturday, February 10, 2001 at 00:25:15 (GMT)

Thank you for the music
Richard Rawles <RICHARDRicochet@aol.com>
Christchurch, UK - Friday, February 09, 2001 at 20:51:26 (GMT)

Ian, so much respect to you. You're so badly missed mate.
Alan Wilson <alan@westernstar-studio.co.uk>
Bath, UK - Friday, February 09, 2001 at 13:27:25 (GMT)

Go to sleep, Francis. You've done all you can with the day. Safe and sound - that's a promise. You'll be welcome in the Milky Way. Tumble down, tired and true. Spirit to restore, a balance is due. Go to sleep, Francis. Close your eyes."
t. elms <tlcj2001@world-online.no>
Norway - Friday, February 09, 2001 at 13:09:41 (GMT)

I have been a fan for years. He gave me the position to be Spasticus Artisticus. Forever I will miss him. Thank God his music will live on forever. February 08, 2001.
Anthony Brock <twotuber@hotmail.com>
BROOKLYN, NY - Friday, February 09, 2001 at 00:13:42 (GMT)

Can't rreally add to what everyone else has said here except to say that Ian was a unique, one-off never to be repeated.
DJ Wisk Automatic <pacific_303@yahoo.co.uk>
Northants, UK - Thursday, February 08, 2001 at 22:56:05 (GMT)

Just read the biography by Richard Ball, Ian really was a "diamond" geezer! Thanks for your influence over another top band Madness - Ian was and always will be the original "nutty boy"....
Darryl Seager <drs@seager69.freeserve.co.uk>
leicester, UK - Thursday, February 08, 2001 at 19:21:24 (GMT)

Ian was a diamond geezer and an inspiration to all around. We can all learn a lot from his life. God bless.
Dave <d.hepworth@ntlworld.com>
Darlington, UK - Monday, February 05, 2001 at 19:49:25 (GMT)

Its 8.30 pm Feb 5th 2001 . I have just found out Ians dead
I am devastated .Long live the rythem
DJ retro ( paul hollis) <Daintech@ledanet .com.au>
cairns, australia - Monday, February 05, 2001 at 10:27:56 (GMT)

No comments, HE was the best
F.A.de Vries <F.A.DE.VRIES@12move.nl>
Tilburg, Noord Brabant Nederland - Monday, February 05, 2001 at 01:50:41 (GMT)

I was a late fan of the Blockheads, and Ian's death is a sad loss of somebody with a huge talent and who fought the hurdles laid in front of him.
John Hammond <mond@hammond1.plus.com>
Bedfordshire, UK - Monday, February 05, 2001 at 00:30:58 (GMT)

you were the business ian,music with talent and humor
god bless
martin pexton <MARTIN@mpexton.freeserve.co.uk >
leeds, UK - Sunday, February 04, 2001 at 07:34:54 (GMT)

my memories of your penultimate concert will live with me
forever ,thats my reason to be cheerfull.
p kerridge <pik@aladdinscave.net>
nch., UK - Saturday, February 03, 2001 at 21:23:03 (GMT)

my memories of your penultimate concert will live with me
forever ,thats my reason to be cheerfull.
p kerridge <pik@aladdinscave.net>
norwich, UK - Saturday, February 03, 2001 at 21:21:26 (GMT)

ian,we,ll miss you
chris davies <stakeout@lineone.net>
london, UK - Saturday, February 03, 2001 at 19:25:39 (GMT)

Ian was and always will be the guvnor !
darren
Kingston, UK - Thursday, February 01, 2001 at 21:59:53 (GMT)

I enjoyed with your music. Thanks a lot, Ian. My daughter will know your music (is 3 years old), don't worry !

Thanks for all!!!
Alfred Duran <athalfrid@arrakis.es>
Barcelona, Spain - Thursday, February 01, 2001 at 19:47:40 (GMT)

Ian respect was always Dury even though in 1978 my mum was convinced you were Sid Vicious! "Panties" is definitely an utter classic and u never did anything pony luv and joy thru adversity that's why we luv you Tony.
Tony Gleed <gleedbugtone@orbix.co.uk>
London, UK - Thursday, February 01, 2001 at 15:51:18 (GMT)

Ian,
First saw you late night, live on BBC 2 with the Blockheads.
I was intoxicated with the raw rhythem.
Bought album and heard humour.
So many smiles,

Dancing to Rhythem Stick with my babe.

I miss the humour,

I hope you still inspire others,
Ian.
Ian Dawson
Stoke-on-Trent, UK - Wednesday, January 31, 2001 at 23:51:04 (GMT)

Have just finished reading the biography. Brought back great memories of Friars, Aylesbury, summer of '78. First concert I ever went to and by far the best. For those who never attended a Blockhead concert they will never comprehend the real entertainment value of the unique Ian Dury. Where can you buy any gig videos?
Brett Rivett <brett@andrewmilsom.co.uk>
Marlow, UK - Wednesday, January 31, 2001 at 18:48:27 (GMT)

In 78 ian gave a lot of disabled, the gift to do well
and be at one with each other god bless you mate!
ronnie <ronniemillr@hotmail.com>
livingston, UK - Sunday, January 28, 2001 at 23:04:10 (GMT)

A great man who is sadly missed already. Have a good one mate, this is the big time now!
Idle Al <al.crosby@btinternet .com>
Manchester, UK - Sunday, January 28, 2001 at 17:08:07 (GMT)

thanks for all the groovy bits and the excellent bits that made you a wonderful artist to imagine to...from people that like and love what you did...sleep well in the light of the new life that awaits us all..every breath we take kisses your lips in that wonderful place ...thanks for all the music...
dave and maryann <stereojunkies@hotmail.com>
UK - Sunday, January 28, 2001 at 02:54:30 (GMT)

thank you ian for the fantastic music and inspiration for london songwriters
chris murrell <chris@murrellc.freeserve.co.uk>
UK - Sunday, January 28, 2001 at 01:45:32 (GMT)

New Boot and Panties...

Fang <grawlfang@tesco.net>
Harlow, England - Saturday, January 27, 2001 at 00:38:21 (GMT)

When I hear Ian's music I see back my childhood. His music stands for a period in my life when I first listened to music at all. However I (partly due to lousy distribution and promotion of his record company) never bought an album of his, I always loved his music and cynic lyrics.
Now I have bought a best of album to relive old times.
I found it very shocking when I heard that Ian died last year. A colourful man passed away.
All the best wishes for his family and close friends.
Special message to (dutch) radio stations: PLEASE PLAY HIS MUSIC MORE OFTEN!

Cheers

Andre Randsdorp <randsdorp2@zonnet.nl>
Breda, Holland - Friday, January 26, 2001 at 09:29:22 (GMT)

Farewell to one of the best.
David Jenkins <hempedia@hotmail.com>
UK - Thursday, January 25, 2001 at 17:57:12 (GMT)

Farewell, Ian. You're on to a better place, anyway.

B.
Boris <boris_p@excite.com>
Toronto, Canada - Thursday, January 25, 2001 at 01:43:09 (GMT)

Ian will be sadly missed and I only wish he had lived long enough to meet my African wife who has suffered from polio since childhood.She would have found him inspirational.
Norman Strike <normanstrike@hotmail.com>
Harlow, UK - Wednesday, January 24, 2001 at 14:55:07 (GMT)

I bought my kid's a copy of Ian's second album in CD form because they don't understand why I, when waiting for the family to hurry up for an event, repeat "waiting for your taxi, your taxi never comes". At the music store counter the cashier looked at my selection, got the manager's attention, and kissed the CD. "So sad", he said. He told me Dury had died that week.

He was witty, silly and scary dead-on sometimes.

My kids gave me a record player for Christmas so I could pull out and play all the old vinyl. They have a little friend named Trevor, however, who regrets his new nickname.

Don
Don U.
Valrico, Florida - Tuesday, January 23, 2001 at 21:40:38 (GMT)

The genuine article,top man..we'll miss him..the District Line will never be the same...
sullski <sullski@aol.com>
UK - Tuesday, January 23, 2001 at 13:50:34 (GMT)

I had a dream last night about a guy called Ian Dury... needless to say i had to check out who this guy was. i plan to listen to his music to see why i dreamt about him.
Michael <mathres@hotmail.com>
London, UK - Tuesday, January 23, 2001 at 12:19:01 (GMT)

CHEERS FOR OPENING MY EYES A BIT WIDER.SO GLAD I SEEN YOU IN PERTH.ALL THE BEST .......
ALLY MUNRO
INVERNESS, UK - Tuesday, January 23, 2001 at 00:12:58 (GMT)

I FIRST HEARD OF IAN DURY WHEN I WAS IN AIR FORCE 1978.I WAS IN ENGLAND,1978-1980 AND BOUGHT EVERY THING I COULD ON IAN. WHEN I LEFT I CONTINUED TO ORDER STUFF BY MAIL.DURY WAS A TOP FAVORITE OF MINE. WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM DURY FANS.ESPECIALLY ABOUT 1990'S LIVE MUSIC.THANK YOU ,CHARLES
charles kline <soll58@hotmail.com>
cleveland,ms, usa - Monday, January 22, 2001 at 19:21:05 (GMT)

A part of my life died when i heard the news
Martin Leedham
Manchester, UK - Saturday, January 20, 2001 at 11:42:41 (GMT)

like it said-the memory doesn't work to well these days...that would be '77 not '97!!
michele <junqueen3@myauctionwatch.com>
san pedro, CA, USA - Friday, January 19, 2001 at 19:15:09 (GMT)

enjoyed many a good time to "new boots and panties"...had hoped to see him live way back when ('97?) when he was on the bill with elvis (costello), nick lowe, mink deville (and? sure i'm leaving someone out-if memory serves me which it usually doesn't) but for some reason he didn't make that tour-never had the chance to seem him "live" but am grateful for the gift of music he left us all---great to read that "sweet gene vincent" was sung at the tribute how fitting! ian singing that song is sooo moving! for all the humor and irony in ian's songs, there was always an underlying melancholy-which all good humor has, i suppose. love to ian and his family and friends.
michele <junqueen3@myauctionwatch.com>
san pedro, CA, USA - Friday, January 19, 2001 at 19:12:42 (GMT)

I bought my first album last year and I've only just got to know about this great rock'n'roll poets work, luckily I got to see him live also last year at the junction. Must've been 1 of his last gigs, Condolences to his Family, Friends + Fans ... Oi Oi, peace.
Jason Neave <jason-jo@1link.freeserve.co.uk>
UK - Thursday, January 18, 2001 at 23:41:09 (GMT)

All the best Ian! Thanks for the songs and the inspiration.
Gary Hunter <gary.hunter.01@bbc.co.uk>
Belfast, UK - Thursday, January 18, 2001 at 17:01:26 (GMT)

No greater love for life to be found in music or example. Thanks, Ian, for all the fun.
Bill Marx <allmarx@earthlink.net>
San Francisco, USA - Thursday, January 18, 2001 at 00:08:23 (GMT)

Wow! Just found out Ian Dury died last year!! Amazed! Really liked his New Boots and Panties album.
Didn't realise he was 58 - still young age to die. Maybe polio had an effect.
Sad to hear the news.
Gregus
Greg Webber <gregwebr@one.net.au>
Perth, Australia - Tuesday, January 16, 2001 at 12:21:48 (GMT)

I remember traveling to Norway visiting relatives and buying one of his albums there in 1987. I still have it, I always will.
Peter Graves <pegraves@email.com>
Tempe, AZ, USA - Tuesday, January 16, 2001 at 05:08:47 (GMT)

Forever alive. Love to all Ians' family and friends from a guy with a "Little party in his hair!"
fraser welsh <fwelsh@btinternet.com>
london, UK - Monday, January 15, 2001 at 22:28:46 (GMT)

"All I want for my birthday is another birthday..." You deserved one.
Mike Greene
UK - Sunday, January 14, 2001 at 17:34:02 (GMT)

I was just going to write gone but not forgotten but,
reading some of these lovely peoples words i realise you'll
never be either, thanks mate.
richie robbo <richrob@cav.clara.co.uk>
birkenhead, UK - Saturday, January 13, 2001 at 16:08:33 (GMT)

HI,I just read an article aboput Ian Dury from wsws and like to share with you, my condolence. I post it to read you all.
Ian Dury (1942-2000): a poet of the spoken word
By Chris Marsden
11 April 2000
Use this version to print

Last week, family and friends said farewell to singer-songwriter Ian Dury during a humanist service held at Golders Green in North London. Dury died from colon cancer on March 27 at his home in Hampstead. Annette Furley, who led the service, said of Ian, �He was one of the few original personalities in the music business. He used to write music that made you want to dance and also made you laugh.�

When I first saw Ian Dury and the Blockheads perform in Sheffield in 1978 or 1979, I came out with a rigor mortis-like grin on my face that lasted the entire journey home. My cheeks hurt for days. When I heard he had inoperable cancer over a year ago, I was obviously saddened by the news. But even then, despite its inappropriateness, I found myself smiling as I remembered just how �Very good indeed!� Mr Dury was.

Of course, I am a 30-something and you, good reader, have every right to take what follows with a pinch of salt. Every generation grows up believing that the music of their youth was just about as good as it gets, and the stuff they are churning out now is largely rubbish. I am no exception to the rule. But whatever one may think about the rose-tinted nature of any tribute by a fan, Ian Dury had so many of them, spanning generations and continents. This is no mean feat in the fickle world of popular music.

The other remarkable thing about Ian is that, long after his too-brief moment in the limelight, he continued to be regarded as something of a national treasure. As well as continuing to perform and make albums, he acted, produced a stage-musical and employed his gravel-like cockney voice for advertising voice-overs. He earned great respect for his campaigning against polio for the UN. In 1998, he and singer Robbie Williams travelled as UNICEF ambassadors to Sri Lanka to highlight efforts to vaccinate children against polio.

When he was seven, Dury himself had caught polio on a trip to a Southend swimming pool. It left him walking with a limp and he also had a shrunken arm. But his lasting popularity owed nothing to sickly sentimentalism�anyone seeking to patronise Dury would have been given short-shrift for indulging in such �a load of old bollo�.

He was that rare and wonderful thing�an original talent. He possessed a scathing wit and a beautiful way with words, while at the same time being immensely fond of his fellow man, warts and all. There are few songs as razor-sharp in their critique of male working class social behaviour as the eponymous �Blockheads�. �You must have seen boys who're blockheads.... Part eaten food particle in their teeth, what a horrible state they're in. They've got womanly breasts under pale mauve vests ... catalogue jackets, a mouth what never closes ... who screw their poor-old Eileens, get sloshed and go berserk.... How would you like one puffing and blowing in your ear-hole?� asks Dury. Quite. Yet the song finishes by demanding identification, �'Cos after all is said and done, you're a blockhead too!�

Dury was born at Upminster, Essex, on May 12, 1942. His father was a bus driver and his mother a health visitor. Dury wrote the song �My Old Man� as a tribute to his father and to show the hardship of working class life. He spent a year at a school for disabled children in Sussex and then attended the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe as a boarder, which he loathed for its elitism and pretentiousness. He studied at Walthamstow Art College and then at the Royal College of Art under Peter Blake. After graduating, he taught art for several years.

He is regarded as one of the progenitors of Punk Rock. His first band, Kilburn and the High Roads, discarded attempts at a mid-Atlantic accent in favour of Ian's use of �spectacular vernacular�. This, together with their sartorial style�charity-shop chic�and a mixture of aggression and humour, was an admitted influence on the Sex Pistols (yes, Punk was meant to be funny and intelligent, not just �angry�), who played together with the Stranglers at the Kilburn's last gig in 1976.

But the Punk movement returned the favour to Ian in more ways than mere emulation. The Blockheads, despite their talent, would probably never have become so well known without the musical doors having been so thoroughly kicked open by Punk. Ian Dury and the Blockheads could rub shoulders with the Clash, the Buzzcocks and Elvis Costello far more comfortably than with Earth, Wind and Fire, the Average White Band, Chic and the Commodores. He said of his earlier song Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll (�Is all my brain and body need�) that it �started as a mild admonishment and ended as a lovely anthem� and was �trying to suggest there was more to life than those three�. It had its tongue firmly in its cheek, with lyrics such as �Grey is such a pity. See my tailor, he's called Simon, I know it's going to fit!� The BBC still chose to ban it from its play-list, but in the punk era this only earned an ever-broader audience for this pop classic.

Their spiritual affinity with Punk notwithstanding, musically the Blockheads were just as much influenced by Jazz Funk and Reggae as they were by Rock and Roll�more so on some of their best songs. To the extent that Dury can be, and often is, described as �quintessentially English�, it is not in the spirit of conservative writers, philosophers and politicians. He regarded himself as a socialist and an internationalist. He was the cultural product of Britain, yes. But Britain, and especially London, is the melting pot of the world. At its most innovative, British music takes on board the best (and the worst) the planet has to offer and gives it a tweak all its own. This was a major feature of the Punk era, with its mixture of garage-band rock with reggae rhythms and a pop sensibility. It continued with the Ska bands of the 1980s, of whom the most commercially successful, Madness, acknowledge their debt to Dury.

1977's New Boots and Panties is the seminal Blockheads record, so good that it haunted Dury for the rest of his career. And with every credit to Dury's wonderful lyrics and the Blockheads themselves (one of the tightest musical outfits ever assembled), it would not have been so truly great without the input of Chaz Jankel, the keyboard wizard and tunesmith. Dury's albums without Jankel do not stand up to New Boots and Panties or the follow-up Do-it-Yourself. His last album, Mr Love Pants, represents a return to peak form. Recorded after he found out he was dying of cancer, it brought Dury back together with the Blockheads, including Jankel, but with the exception of drummer Charlie Charles, who also died of cancer.

Dury came over like the elder-brother, or slightly naughty uncle you wished you had. He was a small but handsome man, with a large head who could look, by turns, dangerous and loveable. His songs were rich both lyrically and musically, anthemic and yet intimate. Personal favourites for me in the early years include Wake up and make love with me, Clevor Trever, What a waste, This is what we find!, Dance of the screamers, Inbetweenies, Sink my Boats and Lullaby for Francis.

He was a poet of the spoken word, who could range between a seductive whisper, soft enough to send babies to sleep or divest a woman of her clothes, to a raging cry of anger and defiance. Dury was funny when he wanted to be, but his lyrics also explored the darker side of life. If I was with a woman is a disturbing account of predatory sexual obsession (�I'd make believe I loved her, but all the time I would not like her much�), the scabrous picture in his character Billericay Dickie's attic.

His two biggest hits will be remembered more broadly. Hit me with your rhythm stick! got to number one in the charts. One million people bought it in a week, and this is in the tiny island of Britain! Its driving, swirling rhythms were unlike anything heard before or since. A song with a complex Jazz feel (including a twin sax solo by Davey Payne) had everyone from young punks to their grannies singing along. And what they were singing was a joyous hymn to world unity through music, dance and sex! �From Milan to Yakatan, Every woman's, Every man�.

Reasons to be Cheerful Part 3, another number one, was pure disco and became a staple of the New York hip-hop scene. But it had lines like, �Some of Buddy Holly, the working folly, Good Golly Miss Molly and Boats! Hammersmith Pally, the Bolshoi Ballet, Jump back in the Alley and nanny goats!� It is probably the only song written that singles out the delights to be had from wearing yellow socks.

Special mention must be made of Spasticus Autisticus, released in 1981 for the Year of the Disabled. Dury wrote a cross between a battle cry and an appeal for understanding�"Hello to you out there in normal land��"Get up! Get up! Get down! Fall over! Whoah!� The BBC in its infinite wisdom deemed it offensive to polite sensibilities and denied it airplay, only confirming the validity of Dury's uncompromising lyrics.

In the Thatcherite 80s, with its pretentious celebration of cool and hip detachment, the tide of musical fashion ebbed for the Blockheads and flowed for a lot of very silly and pompous bands with blousy shirts and big fringes. Dury still recorded the occasional album, alongside his other projects, and there are delights to be found on all of them. He once said of his music, �If you're a jazz lover, which I am, you don't think of rock �n' roll as something to aspire to. You don't think you're Rembrandt. When you come offstage at some dodgy pub gig, you're lucky if you think you're [Music Hall comedian] Max Miller.� Yes, it's true, Ian Dury wasn't a Rembrandt, but he was something more than his modesty gave him credit for.

An online book of remembrance for Ian Dury can be found at: http://www.iandury.co.uk/

Nicolas <univerligh@hotmail.com>
Madras, India - Saturday, January 13, 2001 at 08:20:48 (GMT)

skinny white sailor
the chances were slim
tho the beauties were brief.....
g'bye old friend!
bob dudek <bob.dudek@xrxgsn.com>
roselle,nj, usa - Friday, January 12, 2001 at 03:57:45 (GMT)

the blockheads were the first band i ever saw live -1978
and the last -1999. they were still note perfect and had
that extra "something" that sets the truly great apart.
Ian was a one off - an english eccentric and is greatly
missed.
david .j. thomas
UK - Thursday, January 11, 2001 at 23:03:50 (GMT)

I'll never forget my high school graduation in 1978.

Many of my fellow schoolmates and I were into late 70s UK punk music. We had a lot of fun with it.

On graduation night just after we'd walked the stage gotten our diplomas my classmates and I were assembling in whatever room we were to turn in our caps and gowns at. It was a moment which for many of us was the final contact we'd have with our school, or any school for that matter.

Anyhow, at that moment one of my friends came and said: "Kurt, wait here. Don't go anywhere...just wait right here."

Though bewildered, I obliged. A minute later my friend returned with a gift.

It was an LP or "vinyl" if you will, of Ian Dury's "New boots and panties". I still appreciate it to this day.

I hope Ian Dury is able to rest (and walk unfettered) in the Lord's presence at this moment and forever.
Kurt J. Wayne <kwayne@home.com>
Flowery Branch, GA, USA - Thursday, January 11, 2001 at 13:26:34 (GMT)

Message parlour records

From message parlour records from ian dury in rainbow land

The ideal gift for the man or woman who s got nothing .

Dream ticket the cd thats allready promising to live up to its name .

featuring the brilliant vocals of ian dury ..

if you would like this Cd please send � 5 plus p&p (agent for message parlour records ) payable to Tommy kennedy entitles you to free membership for life to the rainbow party plus this brilliant cd .please feel free to forward on to other people

Tommy Kennedy
70 markland house
darfield way
London w10 6ua

Please allow 28 days for delivery for further info check www.xat.org/ronnie ...

From a very good connection to ian freind ...
Tommy Kennedy <records@zodoa.co.uk>
london, UK - Tuesday, January 09, 2001 at 22:46:49 (GMT)

The late 70s/early 80s was a fantastic time for UK music and great bands flourished. The songs of Squeeze, The Clash, Thomas Dolby, The Stranglers and The Jam, among others, all evoke memories of my time in England. Above everyone else, though, there was Ian Dury and his unique slant on life, love and all the things you weren't supposed to talk about. Myself and my 13 year old son Jack (a new generation fan!) were gutted when we heard the news. May you rest in peace and feel no pain, mate.
Mike Bartlett <mikethepom@hotmail.com>
Sydney, Australia - Monday, January 08, 2001 at 04:54:10 (GMT)

'Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick' - need I say more.
Rob < rob@roberttaylor.co.uk>
Wrexham, UK - Sunday, January 07, 2001 at 17:01:44 (GMT)

wow boy,kicked arse, missed you at glastonbury i / we suffered two sets off bjorn?/swedish shite to see you i miss youre whitty bits and feeling pretty shity God bless you and youre family thanks for the past,Nice boots and panties STILL PISSED X LARKFIELD LOONIE
RICHARD GOATLEY <R.J.Goatley@btinternet.com>
medway/gravesend, UK - Sunday, January 07, 2001 at 01:36:04 (GMT)

Ian's music formed the soundtrack to my teenage/early twenties and then flourished and matured at the same rate I did. He will be saldy missed and not just for his music. A marvelous personality larger than life. A truly inspirational man who lifted spirits and caused parties to happen because of the unconfined joy which sprang from his soul. God bless and go to sllep now, Ian.
Paul Brannon <Influenceuk@compuserve.com>
Burnley, UK - Friday, January 05, 2001 at 20:35:10 (GMT)

Although i cried when i heard the news back in March i've only just found this site after reading the new biography over xmas. I remember my dad actually giving me a fiver to buy Do it Yourself because we were both so impressed with New Boots & Panties and Thatcher was just about to put VAT up to 15%.

I bought New Boots during the '78 world cup whilst visiting France on the French exchange - good job my host family didn't understand the lyrics!

Cheers Ian,

Paul.
Paul McCarthy <paul4003@yahoo.com>
Channel Islands, UK - Friday, January 05, 2001 at 14:00:13 (GMT)

this year the music industry lost two of the most brillient wordsmiths to come shouting out of England. Ian Dury & Kirsty McColl. this was a particularly sad year for us "grown up Punks". My fondest memory of Ian is seeing the documentory that was on C4 many years ago. It gave me an insight into the life of this man. The struggles to overcome the Polio. Then the struggle to be recognised as a real musican not an oddity. This man was the Dogs Bollox. His words inspired a generation. He will be sadly missed.
dubboy <whelan01@hotmail.com>
Dallas, usa - Friday, January 05, 2001 at 01:59:25 (GMT)

I only learned of the loss of this great Artist today,01/04/2001 as I was browsing in a CD store in Seattle. Although I feel a great sadness in Ian Dury's passing......I can't help but think of one of the most memorable events of my life to date..... Watching Ian Dury and the Blockheads play in an open air Concert in Castlebar,CO. Mayo Ireland! Thanks, that show will always be playing in my head & heart ;)
Gerard McCreave
Seattle Washington, USA - Thursday, January 04, 2001 at 20:58:43 (GMT)

I was lucky in my youth to have a great station like WHFS play stuff like "Hit me with your rhytym stick". Weasel actually gave Ian Dury a Gene Vincent record when he made a promtional appearace at WHFS. God bless you Ian wherever you are.
Joshua Benkin <jrbenkin@mailandnews.com>
Rockville, MD, USA - Thursday, January 04, 2001 at 01:24:00 (GMT)

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Ian Dury, 12th May 1942 - 27th March 2000

Ian Dury,
12th May 1942 - 27th March 2000