Ian Dury and the Blockheads were legends, but after Ian’s death the Blockheads are still out there and going strong. Maddog caught up with new frontman Derek Hussey during an appearance in Norwich and got the low down on the new album, politics and what it’s like to fill the great man’s shoes…

MD: The latest Blockheads tour kicks off in Cambridge on April 1st. How have you been gearing up for it and what can we expect?

Derek Hussey: You can expect an all action show. We’re going to be performing some of the tracks off our new album Staring Down The Barrel mixed in with some old favourites. We’re having a couple of days rehearsal at the end of this week actually, just to get in the groove before the off.

MD: Staring Down The Barrel was out last month. How did you find the recording process? How do you feel about the final product?

Derek: The process was actually quite longwinded. The Blockheads, since Ian died, have been doing it all ourselves from an office in Harlow. We’ve been organising all our gigs and getting around the country ourselves. We’re quite self-sufficient. We save a couple of quid here, a couple of quid there. When we’ve got enough in the treasure chest, we go into the studio and record a couple of songs. We had it all in the can and mixed at Christmas. We bumped into Peter Blake at our Christmas gig. He asked about the album, asked who was doing the cover, and put his hand up and volunteered to do the artwork. That’s how it’s come together really. We took it along to EMI, they liked it and they’ve taken it on board for us.

MD: It seems quite strange that a more-or-less self managed band has a record coming out on EMI…

Derek: EMI were very impressed with our setup… they liked the idea of a band that could get this far without any backup and support. We’ve delivered them a DVD, an album, the cover, and they’ve taken it on board. Hopefully they’re now going to promote it successfully.

MD: Your latest single, Greed, lyrically reflects the role of bankers and speculators. I understand the song was written a few years ago. How do you reflect on it presently, in light of current economic concerns?

Derek: It’s extremely fortunate that our album has come to light and been promoted just at a time when the words almost seem prophetic. I don’t think you need to be a genius to see that we couldn’t go on like we were going on… the consumerism these days is so intense that you wonder how people can afford to play this sort of life. I know I can’t! If you work in a city job where you make lots of money, it doesn’t really matter what shit hits the fan because you are usually covered. I don’t think anybody realised it was going to be as quick and harsh and as real as it turned out to be…

MD: On that note, The Blockheads are a band still offering a commentary on political issues. How much importance do you place on the relationship between music and politics?

Derek: We didn’t intend to write anything politically poignant, but when we looked at the songs we had, the lyrical content seemed to have a little bit of railing about everything that was odd with the world, they seemed to have a little bit in common with each-other – that’s why we put these ten songs together. I think people like to hear somebody with something to say, rather than something that is just trivial. I don’t think The Blockheads work in trivia. Ian wasn’t a trivial person. He painted pictures with his words. I’m not quite as good as that, but I thought that I could maybe highlight certain things within society that we weren’t happy with, or certain things that needed a voice. Some things seem to get swept under the carpet. What seems to be important to people in the papers often isn’t very important to me at all… it’s far too dumbed down. I hate front pages with stories about celebrities… it means there is no real news…

MD: You were in close proximity with Ian Dury in the decade before his passing. Do you feel a responsibility to his legacy, having taken up the mantle of Blockheads frontman, and do you see your contribution as a continuation or departure from his influence?

Derek: In the first instance, it’s a big set of boots to fill. I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve had such encouragement from the band to just get out there. We do sound quite similar, we’re both cockney-ish London. That gives us continuity, stabilises the old band and lets us do old songs and sprinkle the new ones in. I feel that I have an obligation to him… I know how precious he was about wording. I don’t think I’m quite as careful or as clever. I hope that he’d like the content… The Blockheads certainly thought it fitted. When we took it to EMI first of all, they thought it was old Ian songs that had never seen the light of day, so that was quite a compliment. He never used to wave his finger about issues… he used to metaphor and put things in a roundabout way that told his story without him looking to pontificate. I’ve just used circumstances and what’s going on around me to rattle and growl about. Some things I might be way off on, some things I think I’ve hit the nail on the head.

MD: What are the future plans for The Blockheads once the tour is over?

Derek: We’ll get on, write some more. If we have any success with this album, we’ll ride it and get some more stuff out there. We’ve got other stuff underway, we’re working all the time. We’ve got at least another half dozen songs that we can get started on… we can follow up quite quickly. Since Ian died, it’s been difficult for us on the road. We don’t fit into a bracket, like a sixties band or an eighties band or something like that. Promoters don’t know quite where to place us, but we go down very well wherever we go. We did Glastonbury last year and were one of Michael Evais’s favourite acts. I think we’ve got plenty of mileage left. I’d like to get out there, to play to bigger audiences and be heard out in the ether, hopefully with something that is quite worthwhile.

Words > Alec Plowman