Brassed Off Page #6

you've got to do speciaI things

for them.

Shane Iove, your dad didn't buy

trombone for your grandad.

He bought it for himself.

He said grandad's gonna die. But at

Ieast Dad getting a trombone...

is gonna make him die happy.

That's what he said.

-Mam?

-What, love?

How the hell

do you die happy?

Oh, we'lI find a way.

l don't Iike seeing

Dad sad, Mam.

But I'd sooner see him sad

than not see him at all.

-HeIp.

-What's that, for f***'s sake?

-HeIp.

-What is it?

Jesus Christ.

Philip?

l mean...

What the bloody heII were you

playing at, lad?

You Iost your marbles?

Maybe.

I've lost everything eIse.

Wife, kids, house...

Job, self-respect...

Hope.

But then, that's

nowt is it, Dad?

Because it's music

that matters.

The band's packed in,

anyway.

Oh, bloody heII, PhiI.

Is this man bothering you?

Course he is,

he's me dad.

-Phil?

-Phil Iad?

-Are you aII right?

-What are you up to?

Feeding the f***ing ducks,

what's it look like?

We heard about, er...

We were on our way to hospital

to see you.

Hey, and your dad.

He'd be dead chuffed

with a visit from you lot.

I tell you, if he were up and about,

we'd all be in intensive bloody care.

Oh, right.

You told him.

Maybe we'll visit him

next week then.

You coming for a

pint, mate?

Drink with scabs, do you?

l voted for t'money,

you know that?

Come on PhiI. Stop being a drama

queen. Come and have a wet with us.

Anyway, there's enough bloody

rubbish in this canaI already.

Hejust shook his head.

Can't telI you.

lt were like...

lights just went out.

I mean, there he is

coughing up coal...

and aII we can do is

break his bloody heart.

Poor sod's got nowt left

to Iive for.

-Can I get you a drink?

-No, it's aII right.

l just wanted to show

you summat.

New bank account.

Grimley Brass Band.

There's three

grand in there.

lf nowt else, it'll get you to

Albert HaII.

This your money?

I don't want it.

lt's dirty money.

l'd prefer it to be brass.

Must be awfuI, love...

having that much guiIt you've got

to buy your way out of it.

Jim, l'm just doing what l was

aIways doing.

Meddling. Difference is this

time we've not lost before we start.

And you'd want to pIay

with us, yeah?

l'm not doing

this for me.

l'm doing it for you.

And Danny.

I hope you budgeted for booze.

Danny'd want us

to win, wouIdn't he?

We're not going to win without

a flaming flugel, are we?

Simmo, you haven't fIogged it,

have you?

Right, your horn

plays my twenty.

What?

AII right, bastard, thirty.

Okay.

-Yes. He's missed.

-Come on.

-Come on, Andy.

-Come on Andy son. Go on, go on, son.

Take your time.

Bollock brain.

You jammy git.

WeII done, Andy.

l said no, Mr Ormondroyd,

he's asleep.

Most people are at two

in the morning.

Leave a message. He'll get it the

moment he wakes up, all right?

Least it'll give them more

energy won't it?

Brighouse and Rustrick Band,

you have two minutes.

Brighouse and Rustrick,

two minutes.

Grimley ColIiery, you

have two minutes.

Grimley Colliery,

two minutes.

By heII, I bet she's glad they've

closed the bugger.

Okay, Iads. Let's do it.

For a thousand redundant miners

and one poorly one.

-Let's do it

-Right.

Nurse, quickIy. It's Mr Ormondroyd.

He's gone.

First prize and Champions of

Great Britain...

Grimley Colliery Band.

This band behind me wiII tell you

that trophy means more to me than...

owt eIse in the whole world.

But they'd be wrong. Truth is,

l thought it mattered...

I thought that music mattered...

But does it bolIocks. Not compared

to how people matter.

Us winning this trophy won't mean

bugger aII to most people.

But us refusing it, like what

we're going to do now...

well then it becomes news,

doesn't it?

You see what I mean.

That way l'll not just be taIking

to myself, will l?

Because over the last ten years,

this bloody government...

has systematically destroyed

an entire industry.

Our industry. And not just our

industry.

Our communities, our homes,

our lives.

AII in the name of progress and

for a few lousy bob.

l'll teIl you something else you

might not know. A fortnight ago...

this band's pit were closed.

Another thousand men Iost their jobs.

And that's not all they lost.

Most of them Iost the wiII to win

a whiIe ago.

A few of them even lost

the wiII to fight.

But...

When it comes to Iosing the will

to live, to breathe...

point is...

if this lot were seals or whaIes,

you'd be up in bloody arms.

But they're not. They'rejust

ordinary, common or garden...

honest, decent human beings.

And not one of them...

with an ounce

of bloody hope Ieft.

They can knock out

a bloody good tune.

But what the f***

does that matter?

Now I'm going to take my boys

out onto the town.

Thank you.

-Are you coming back, Sand?

-I dunno.

l've got a chair now.

l've no frigging house,

but l've got a chair.

Well, sort of a chair.

lt aIl sounds very tempting.

AlI right?

ls that a thankyou?

More than that.

l've never known him gush

Iike that before.

Aye, weII I suppose that's what

Yorkshiremen are famous for.

Not showing their feeIings.

Aye.

l'm not going

to show mine, either.

All right then,

lads and Iassies.

Land of Hope

and bloody Glory, eh?

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