An Ian Dury Moment

Ian Dury, Dany Bubbles, c.1963-66 © Ian DuryBefore the Blockheads, Reasons to be Cheerful and Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Ian Dury was an art student at RCA, part of the youth-charged Pop Art set of the 1960s. Formally, he studied at Walthamstow Art College where he was taught by Peter Blake, who would become a life-long friend. It was Blake who originally asked Dury what he wanted to paint, to which he replied, “pin-ups, rock ’n’ roll and gangsters.” Blake ask...