Ian Dury and the Music Students - Spasticus Autisticus

[OCEANQUEEN1]

ian Dury was an amazing artist.

From his lyrics I bet he was a great SCRABBLE PLAYER !

[petehall347]

just watched the film brilliant shit

[HOTSHOTTA100]

This song in heavy rotation on the disco/house scene in Chicago today! Wow. I never knew what it meant.

[echo680]

very shocking at time - still is i guess, but certainly thought provoking - who can say what words and why etc ? you were used o Dury's songs being outrageous...but i remember thinking at the time that it wa sorthy, ,it wass intended to be "worthy". i heard hin say in an interview that he once had a guy come up to him at agig and said " you're puttting it on, intcha... what ...the arm and that, you're putting it on !! !!

[DjGizzo]

****i'm Spasticus!****

[grantatthetree]

the ovie sex and drugs and rock and roll ian dury was befor my time but by hell he was a great singer sorry im offending him vocalist 10/10 for movie and this song is legend

[AJreader18]

Anybody who has or is about to watch this video please can you join the support group on facebook for this song, for march 27th for no.1 thanks :)

[firestartertwistedfi]

Look we've been down that route recently with the Rage song - let's do these things sparingly

[teamcrumb]

ha ha ha

[tethystheone]

I think when some people hear the word "normal" they are really hearing "normative" or how you should be. I have no problem saying normal; after all there is much more to life than being normal. RIP Ian. You are missed.

[aduramater]

I'm Jeanetticus Austicus, arthriticus, depressticus.

[inregionecaecorum]

I'm Laurentius Autisticus, and these days somewhat Arthriticus as well.

Those who are offended miss the whole point.

[christian2oo2]

thats possibly the funniest thing i've heard all year... cheers

[cymraes111]

werescaredofbob

why do you find this "just a bit tasteless"?! Mr Ian Dury wrote this as someone said earlier to reclaim the terms used to insult people. He had polio and had no doubt been subject to ridicule and insults during his life because of this. What's tasteless about being proud of who you are?!!!

[spasticus95]

no no i didnt mean that its that edcanham had written a bit of a tasteless comment, read the damn comments moron. note i changed my name cos my brother got on it and watched things he shouldnt. i actualy am going to be disabled (i have it but its too early for it to take affect) i shall not disclose my disability because of the shit i get for it

[EdCanham]

sorry, i like the song, im sorry

[werescaredofbob]

ok its just a bit tasteless you must admit all water under the bridge now

[Soarhead77]

At long last played on BBC Radio - albeit on Radio 3 after midnight. Thank you Max Reinhardt.

[bertbretherton]

We are so short of guys who write as Ian did and bands like his these days. I am so grateful to you for posting this. I am 67 and my system is so old my browser will be phased out shortly. But, for gems like these I will be graeful forever.

[werescaredofbob]

in my opinion this was his best ever singing of this song

[Sesquipedaliantique]

My Internet Explorer is fucking rubbish, all videos appears jerky. However, given the theme of the song, I think it works rather well to have Mr Dury jerking and seizing on the screen.

Boss tune.

[niliap]

Ian once said the song and its title was inspired from the scene near the end of the Movie Spartacus where all of the slaves start standing up saying "I'm Spartacus"

It was a War Cry, a Battle Chant, a statement saying Yes I am Handicapped, If you have a problem with that then deal with it!

He was handicapped himself, crippled by polio and wanted to give others in similar situations the courage to stand up for themselves and accept their differences.

God Bless you Ian mate!

RIP

[jordisdagboek]

he had poli himself( The virus may affect the nerves governing the muscles in the limbs and the muscles necessary for breathing, causing respiratory difficulty and paralysis of the arms and legs.) and thats why he wrote this song . He was spastic himself but he defendet this ilness.

[pclarky]

Don't have a problem with it, even in these super political correct times. Think if any thing brought attention to mental probs.

[Nogli]

However, spastic has also been broadened, considering how it was used almost exclusively for cerebral palsy (the focus of SCOPE). It got a little misunderstood in the playground I guess.

[Nogli]

The title itself isn't offensive. Spastic is a proper inoffensive term, that was bent into an insult. Remember SCOPE used to be Spastic Society? I got called that a few times at school because of my epilepsy and the resulting zombie after my failed epilepsy treatment (levetiracetam, ugh). And yes, I totally agree with pollythewasp. Reclaiming it would be great. SCOPE should never have changed to that. That was just giving in to the dicks that used it negatively.

[pollythewasp]

This was released in 1981 to mark the International Year of Disabled Persons. Hardly surprising the BBC banned it then, seeing as they thought Frankie's Relax was pornographic. Surprised they didn't ban Roland Rat for appearing on Top Of The Pops naked.

[haroldturkeypants]

I think they should,ve banned Roland Rat for being shiiite!

[Deadboy360]

it grea this song although the title sort of offends me a little but... it by somone who has a disability so... I suppose it ok... coz he explains the disability in the song and what it's like for him...

[889780]

you really dont get it do you.

[Deadboy360]

erm yes I do... I know what it's like coz I have aspergers you twat otherwise I wouldn't have said what I said!

[pollythewasp]

What is it you find offensive about the title?

[Deadboy360]

the fact that it says "spasticus" autisticus...

but I have nothing against the song itself coz the person who wrote it did it for a reason - to tell people that having a learning dificulty isn't something to be taken for granted but something to be admired... and also... to let people know you shouldn't judge others just because they have a learning difficulty... or... whatever...

[pollythewasp]

I getcha now, 'spastic' is one of those proper words that's been highjacked by derogatory meaning. Shame. I think Ian's meaning was just though, it's that 'reclaiming' of the word, like homosexuals have done with 'queer', and african americans sort of did with the 'N word'.

[Deadboy360]

yes... thank you!

at last! a sensible person has given me something to work with more!!!

anyway...

[Deadboy360]

and yes pollythewasp... you are right and it is a shame that people who have even the mildest form of autism are seen as being "spastics" and "retards" (god... I hate using those words...)

people called me "spastic" in school and I didn't like it coz they thought it was funny... just coz I have asperger's

[P.S. whoever reads this, and has asperger's or anything similar, thinks that I spoke out of term using those words... I am truly sorry but they weren't intended in a discriminatory way...]

[WoodRatGirl]

Nah, I have Asperger's myself but unlike some I have a bloody good sense of British humour and unlike some Aspies I'm considered more "normal."

[Deadboy360]

what is "normal" but another label?

(that was rhetoricalbut feel free to try and explain what normal is)

and yeah I am considered "normal" too although I don't "feel" like I am ya kno?

[Soarhead77]

Many Aspies spend most of their lives "pretending to be normal". Liane Holliday Willey actually wrote a book called that. Others wonder what the term "normal" actually means. The term neurotypical is preferred.

[Deadboy360]

@Soarhead77 I have to agree with you on that =)

[rookie4619]

splendicus

[1961spurs]

ian was my hero why do they always die young

when there are so many plebs around why not take more plebs...........

[alkh3myst]

Paradise Garage classic!

[koolzainski]

yesssssssss!

[Yannak]

Unintentionally hilarious sums this up.

[HorridFroth]

Your ignorance is staggering. Stephen Hawking has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease. Ian Dury had polio.

This song is satirical (as was much of Dury's work), and was actually intentionally released in 1981 (UK Year of the Disabled).

Your comments about 'homosexuality disease', and praying for healing kinda complete the picture for me. Cretin.

[waspman4]

he didnt suffer from downs!! BEFORE you write about some one WHY dont you get to know what their about FIRST!!!!!

[SpartacusLtd]

These idiots should be shot out a cannon to the inner depths of the solar system. What a bunch of wallopers

[murray84]

why does he have to use the same riff in every fucken song? that is the work of a true spastic.

[Deadboy360]

he was disabled through polio!

you are a plank murray84!

[diggerdog04]

im 16 and ive suffered with illness since i was 9 i couldnt even walk, ian dury is my all time favorite singer and the only people who find this offensive dont have these sortof problems so they dont understand

[lachattenoire27]

What fun! Thanks for sharing this!

[nosperv]

It never ever occured to me to focus on Ian's disability as his lyrical genius shone so much brighter than so many of his able-bodied musical peers. The BBC are still playing their pathetic little games by banning Sparks's "Dick Around". W****rs

[spudwater]

Ian is the first Rap artist. i love this song it"s got a energy to it.

[EBursey]

To be fair you don't really get the lyrics unless you are/have been disabled. I'm 20 & I use a mobility buggy & nobody even looks at me funny, but I'm switching to a wheelchair & in 2 days i've had more gawkers & nosy buggers than you could imagine, compared with 2 years of using the buggy. RIP Ian Dury!!!

[bertielis]

I agree 100%. But get your own back and ram 'em with ya buggy and see their response.Long Live Spasos.

[freedleson4]

IMO, one of the most UNDER acknowledged musical artists of all time.

[rich1980]

whats the best album do you recommend for someone who wants to get into these guys? Thanks man

[2002declan]

new boots & panties its hot!!

[autozonesucks]

they just did not get it

[Joe90ridesahonda]

the first,new boots and panties

[eoghan2001uk]

I'm a cripple, and this song is played by me in my wheelchair all the fucking time. Miss ya Ian ..RIP..

[haroldturkeypants]

Pity the twats at the Beeb didn,t get it when it was first released.

[HazzerJ]

Yeah - the bastards say it isn't PC. Damn them for not understanding - they're gonna bring our world down to our knees if they don't learn to chill and understand the people around them.

[goatshredder]

@eoghan2001uk Props for 'cripple'. Take the power back.