Spasticus Autisticus - Ian Dury

'Spasticus Autisticus' was written by Ian Dury and Chas Jankel in 1981 for the International Year of Disabled Persons. The lyric was deliberately provocative, as the word Spastic (a name for sufferers of cerebral palsy) was becoming taboo in Britain, due to its use as a derogatory term. Despite the fact that Dury was himself disabled (from polio, rather than cerebral palsy), the BBC deemed it offensive to polite sensibilities and denied it airplay, only confirming the validity of Dury's uncompromising lyrics.

The single did not chart in any territory, but I remember it made quite an impression on me when the single was first released and Dury performed it on television in the music programmes at the time.

My collection: 7" single no. 2939
Found: Record fair, Leiden, January 31, 1998
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Spasticus Autisticus' / 'Spasticus Autisticus (Version)'