h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Ian Dury and the Blockhead's 'Reasons to Be Cheerful' - A847460
Author: Demon Drawer, ACE, Guru,[No illegal pre-emptive war in my name] (A962552 Third Annual H2G2 Academy Awards) - U104826

I think this one has finally had all the missing links finished off having cross referenced a number of lyric sites. And other sites to get to the bottom of the options. Thanks to the help of my co-authors from the writing workshop I'd like to present Reasons to be Cheerful

An excellent entry everyone!! well done! just one typo, well one that I noticed! in the section on Nanny Goats you put, rice milk, when I think you mean nice...

Quite right Z unless of course the gaot is grazing in a paddy field.

Correction made.

Have been to http://www.iandury.co.uk/biogfrm.html I believe the official IAN DURY AND THE BLOCKHEADS website...

"The roots of Dury's creativity can be traced back to the cultural wastelands of post-war Essex and the various schools Dury attended in the 1950's.... Dury studied at Walthamstow Art College..."

"In 1981 Ian Dury And The Blockheads disbanded. Dury quit Stiff and signed to Polydor, who released the LP LORD UPMINSTER, featuring the controversial single SPASTICUS AUTISTICUS. For this record, Dury was re-united with Chaz Jankel and they recorded in the Bahamas with the legendary rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare."

I am going to proffer a potential real to one of the lines (could be way off here)

It seems to me that Ian was an east end boy... between Walthamstow and Upminster is a place called Becontree Heath (amongst other places)- which had an area of heath called 'Nanny goat common.' If Ian was one of the many who lived in the eastend he may well have been familiar with the Becontree estate (the common was on the edge of this estate)! The houses were 'Homes for heros' which were being built in the post war years ('30s) but was renouned for all sorts of things for many years.

Now i am not saying that it is where the reference comes from but if someone wants to look at Ian Durys links to Barking and Dagenham/Becontree in relation to the timeline of the song it may be possible towork out some kind of correlation. Me I am afraid I have an article to write on Becontree which has to take priority

Otherwise -- good luck

Hath
x

Cheers Hath interesting local fact I was not aware off will add something about it to the annny goat section

NOT a definate fact though DD the linkage should be proven first.... I just know of the Nanny Goat common through thesis research and have vague recollection of seing Ian Drurys name mentioned in connection with my home town.

The link may well be entirely in my deranged mind

Hath
x

Well I'll put in here as an hypothesis for you then.

And you get a credit.

Before I start, can I just say that this is a great entry about a great song that I truly love! Which is what has inspired me to go through it at such length - I hope all this isn't too pedantic and that it helps!

Cheers,
Number Six



Right, here we go...

The Title
The apostrophe should be after 'Blockheads' - after all, the band were called Ian Dury and the Blockheads, not I.D. and the Blockhead! I was going to suggest adding (Part Three) afterwards, but this is something you tackle lower down, and it might confuse people unfamiliar with the song... incidentally, did you know the film 'The Madness of King George' was originally called 'The Madness of King George II' but they had to drop the 'II' because it was believed that American audiences would assume the film was a sequel and not go to see it because they hadn't seen the original!

Some of Buddy Holly
I think there's a missing letter - maybe "Ian truly likeD"?

Hammersmith Palais
This was immortalised in '(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais' by The Clash - in the late 1970s, it was the main reggae and dub dancehall in London. It was renamed Po Na Na in the late 1990s and is the venue for the increasingly popular 'School Disco' night.

Jump back in the ally
Maybe 'alley'?

18 wheeler Scammels
I think it's spelt 'Scammell' - I used to have a toy one... and perhaps a comma afer 'Mr Dury'?

Thumbing out the Candles
a bit of a typo there - 'not the most copndustive of beasts'?

Seeing Piccadilly
Maybe worth mentioning world famous sports store Lillywhite's at Piccadilly Circus and the Ritz Hotel near Green Park tube?

You're welcome
another typo - I reckon you need to go for 'Politeness' and maybe commas at each end of 'as with generosity above'?

We can spare it
another typo - 'Generosity'?

Too short to be haughty
There's a 'o' missing from the Frost Report - and maybe put it in italics - The Frost Report?


Going on forty
'deborgerd' - maybe 'debauched'?

No electric shocks
'he had of' - unless you're writing in Cockney, I'd go for 'he had have'.

Elvis and Scotty
(missing 'e' from 'Interesting'...)

I like your juxtaposition, but I think the Scotty reference is far more likely to be talking about Scotty Moore, the guitar player who, along was Bill Black on bass, was the main ingredient that Sam Phillips of Sun Records added to the raw talent of Elvis that led to Mr. Presley making it as a recording phenomenon. I think, as someone with an interest in the early, vital period of rock and roll, Ian's favourite period of Elvis would almost certainly have been the early 'Sun Sessions' era with the band of Elvis, Bill and Scotty - as opposed to the later film star and bloated Las Vegas performer stages of the King's career - and this is why he says 'Elvis and Scotty' as opposed to just 'Elvis'. That and rhyming with the next line, of course.

There's more on Scotty here:
http://www.bluespeak.com/feature/96/08/960846.html
and here:
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/book_thatsallright.html

Health service glasses
Weren't there also the round wire-rimmed variety, as popularised by John Lennon? Also maybe mention sixties-period Michael Caine as an example of the plastic-rimmed kind?

Wee Willy Harris
I think it's spelled 'Wee Willie Harris' - he was a fifties rock n' roller who's still working today - you can hire him here:
http://www.vegas.eclipse.co.uk/weewillieharris.htm

'Rock 'n' roll Universe' has this to say about him:
Wee Willie Harris is best remembered as the Fifties rocker who dyed his hair pink. He made a handful of belting rockers including the anthemic 'Rocking at the Two I's' and unlike most of the other Fifties rockers of the day, he embraced the whole 'Teddy Boy' image. He was briefly heard of in the Sixties in Sweden. He'd dyed his hair platinum and got religion. And that, it seemed, was that.

Not so, my friend. Wee Willie Harris has been working solidly all along, touring the world and making a living from showbiz...

I got that from http://www.nervous.co.uk/reviews/fcd3059.htm

He released an album in the 1990s, called 'Twenty Reasons to be Cheerful' - mainly as a payback to Ian Dury for mentioning him in 'Reasons to be cheerful'.

Listening to Rico
Great stuff here, but Rico's surname is Rodriguez, not Martinez...

There's a biography of Rico here:
http://www.geocities.com/braunovi/RodriguezRico/RicoH.html

I think there's also a typo in 'Jamaica' lower down...

Phoning up a buddy
I think you could do with losing the apostrophe from 'Hoskins'

Saying oky dokey
I could be wrong, but I think 'Okey-dokey' is the more usual spelling!

Singalong a Smokie
It could well be the rock band, but I think equally likely Ian's talking about the legendary Motown Soul singer and songwriter William 'Smokey' Robinson, lead singer of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and writer of classics like 'My Girl', 'The Tracks of my Tears' and 'Tears of a Clown'. Smokey went on to have an entire song written as a tribute to him, 'When Smokey Sings' by ABC...

Coming out a chokie
Myself, I'd say 'Coming out of Chokey', chokey being the way I've always read it in books...


The Ending

Yes, yes
Dear, dear
Perhaps next year
Maybe even never

This one's only my interpretation, but to me the last line says 'Maybe even now' and is followed by 'In which case..." - a sentence which is left frustratingly open. The way I see it is that he's being nagged to do something by his wife or girlfriend, which is why he says perhaps next year, then changes it to maybe even now, and then says 'in which case....' and goes off to do whatever it is! But that's just my theory!

Number six you meen 'The Madness fo George III' Not II. George II was a perfectly sane monarch all things considered.

AS for the rest you have gone through in great detail and I will see what can be added, corrected etc. And I think there is a credit in there for you as well.

Why, thank you - a pleasure to work with such a prolific h2g2 author!

Hey it was a collosial project and I needed the help of the rest of the guys and you contributions are also greatly appreciated.

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Congratulations on another fine entry DD

Hath
x

Yah. And associates on this one.

I put out and some of these guys pick up I don't know.

I'm sure Ian would understand...