Ian Dury interview, ireland 1998

British singer-songwriter Ian Dury on his cancer treatment, campaigning for UNICEF and his love of performing with The Blockheads.

Ian Dury tells Gay Byrne about the cutting edge treatment he is undergoing for cancer of the colon, which he is happy to report, is in remission.

I’m very lucky, it’s early diagnosis, plus I’m with the top of the range doctors.

A premature report of his death was broadcast by Bob Geldof on his London radio station XFM show.

He got it slightly wrong.

Ian is in Dublin to play two gigs at The Olympia with the band The Blockheads. He considers performing to be an integral part of his recovery.

My blood’s flying round, my adrenaline is soaring, my spirits up there.

He loves being on stage, particularly with The Blockheads,

The best team of musicians I’ve ever worked with.

Ian contracted polio when he was seven years old and has been working with The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Africa on a polio immunisation programme. Over a two day period, two million children in Zambia were vaccinated against polio and Ian was present as an observer.

Ian also travelled with singer Robbie Williams into the Sri Lankan war zone where a ceasefire took place so children could be immunised.

They wouldn’t let us go to Sudan or Afghanistan, or anywhere like that, it’s basically too bloody dangerous.

While he may have refused to write the libretto for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ‘Cats’, words come easily to Ian,

I ’m a people kind of person, I’m a geezer kind of guy.

This episode of ‘The Late Late Show’ was broadcast on 9 October 1998. The presenter is Gay Byrne.