Ian Dury The Definitive Biography by Will Birch takes you pretty much from the cradle to the crave of one of Britain’s iconic proto-punk icons. Though it’s a long old read with occasional lulls, there’s always enough to keep you reading about the life of Dury, told through Will Birch’s meticulously researched biography.
It’s not just the insight into the making of the man and his family back story that makes Ian Dury The Definitive Biography so good; the warts and all account of Dury the music legend, general git and lovable rascal makes for an unbiased and far more interesting look at the man that brought us Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll, Blockheads and Reasons To Be Cheerful.
The depth of the insight and detail seems to be significant, giving Ian Dury a lot more substance, especially for newcomers to the funk rapping wannabe cockney sparrer, who might see more comedy there than is really the case. If you’ve only ever heard Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick you might be fooled into thinking that Dury was all novelty value, but there was a lot more to his roller-coaster star than that.
It’s the ability of the biography to fill in the gaps and give flesh to the bones of Ian Dury’s life that makes it a worthwhile read, despite it’s slight repetitiveness and dips in fascination. It also provides a brilliant excuse to familiarise yourself with his work, whether you’re a newcomer or a long lost fan.
Ian Dury The Definitive Biography, by Will Birch review: 3.7/5
Ian Dury The Definitive Biography, by Will Birch is available to buy from Amazon.co.uk.
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