Haven't seen the film - but the song (Sex and Drugs) was soon dropped from the live set and Dury said he wished he hadn't written it. Dropped from the Greatest Hits too. So it is sad that they have chosen this as a title for his story!
Dury was great and a one off - but some of his lyrics are sexist and vile. I never got the impression he liked women much and I dislike the term "understanding" - what does that mean really? Cheating on your wife!
[deleted]
Try watching the movie.
I cannot think of any of Dury's lyrics that are sexist and vile, rather they are full of warmth and humanity, warts and all.
Don't Care What The Governments Say
They're All Bought And Paid For Anyway
- Sun Green
Concentrating solely on your point about the song, one of the few quibbles I had with this movie was the title - not by any means my favourite Dury song, and an easy and lazy choice for the makers.
It is one of his best-known songs. What else could they have called the film?
- Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
- Reasons To Be Cheerful
- Spasticus Autisticus - god, imagine what a furore that might still cause!
Maybe they could have gone with "A Life in the Day of Ian Dury". Dunno, but I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I can't remember any of his lyrics being sexist or vile. Ian came across as a selfish, egotistical and very driven man with a lot of charm, but I didn't get the impression he hated women.
Well, "What A Waste" occurred to me, but the producers probably wouldn't have liked it. But why does it have to be a song title? That has become a bit of a cliche really - even a LINE or a phrase from one of his songs might have been more original.
I understand your point though - it's the one song everyone (even the ones who call him Ian Drury) knows and the best title to reach a bigger audience.
We should rack our brains to think up a better title!
That Drury thing must have driven him crazy. I liked the line the film where he said to the DJ, "It's not Drury or Dreary, it's Dury."
It's on the Best Of compilation, fella. Listening to it now!
share1) Whether he liked it not, whether he played it live or not, it is Dury's most famous song.
2) What was the film about exactly? Er...sex, drugs, rock and roll. Even the whole thing about his son could have only came about through sex in the first place.
3) While he may have cheated on his wife when he first met Denise, by the time they had moved in together, he and his wife had long called it quits for the first time. So when he spoke of his 'understanding', it wasn't about cheating. It was him being a dick, but it wasn't him cheating.
Just so you know.
AndrewSparkes.co.uk
I think you'll find that 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' is waaaay more famous....
shareThe first song I think of when I hear the name Ian Dury is "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick." Frankly, grabbing one of his songs titles for the name of a musical biopic is very stale, but that would have been better than "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll," which is so very tired and suggests the filmmakers didn't really know the artist -- or didn't care.
Better yet: "Blockhead." Or something more abstract.
When Ian's name is mentioned to American musicians, most don't recognize it, but when the song "sex & drugs & rock & roll" is mentioned, the same musicians start singing it.
But it's a British movie, so maybe that has nothing to do with choosing the title.
Wondered a lot things. Firstly how did he and Betty survive and live in such a nice house, who paid, surely not Dury pre-fame earnings, Betty would have worked part-time presumably but they seemed to live well enough, not ostentatiously obviously but enough. Neither her or Betty seemed to have cared much about Baxter, jesus I felt so for that child. Felt the film was warts and all enough I just really felt for Baxter. Any Dury experts please feel free to criticise. Was nice that Chaz seemed to have a bit of sense and perspective. I still wish someone would have dragged Baxter forcibly to school though!!
share"Hit me with your rhythm stick" may be "waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay" more famous but not wordwide. Sadly or not "Sex and drugs and rock n' roll" is. Yes "indeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed".
shareActually Ian was a teacher at Canterbury College of Art, so his earnings weren't that bad.
shareThere was a musical named: "Hit Me! The Life & Rhymes of Ian Dury"
As For his best known song, I had already completely worn out 2 discs (including one of those cool gold colored ones that I sure wish I had today) of New Boots and Panties before ever hearing "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick," and I'll bet a whole bunch of folks had the same experience
MEDINA
SOD
Should have been called; "The Rasperry Ripple Story."
share