Oi! Oi! There’s a new Ian Dury DVD produced by Wienerworld out. Ian Dury- Rare and Unseen chronicles Ian Dury’s time in Kilburn and the High Roads (including footage of him on the London Weekend Show), to his untimely death from liver cancer in 2000. Essentially, this DVD is Ian Dury telling his own story through a series of hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking, archival interviews, with some performance pieces thrown in.
Ian Dury just leaks charisma. He’s quick on his feet (figuratively), and will leave you in stitches as he talks about his struggle with the effects of polio and some of the people he’s known over the years. Dury even gets to chew the fat with the late, great Tony Wilson. Other highlights of Ian Dury- Rare and Unseen include live musical performances of “Sex & Drugs & Rock and Roll”, “Sweet Gene Vincent” , “Blockheads”, “Rough Kids” and “England’s Glory”.
Sadly, the DVD is not without it’s share of flaws. The clips, which are not presented in chronological order by the filmmakers, contain little-to-no narrative that ties them together and play like a fan-made YouTube play list. Ian Dury- Rare and Unseen is also scant on biographical information; for example, it completely glosses over Ian Dury’s battle with alcoholism.
I can only really recommend Ian Dury- Rare and Unseen to fans already acquainted with musicians’ work and want a nostalgic glimpse at Ian Dury’s live performances. For the sale of each DVD they will donate some milk and honey (money) to the Macmillan Cancer Support Trading Ltd.
By: Shawn Alexander Roy – shawnalexanderroy@gmail.com
[Rating: 4/5]
