(wind whistles)

ls it a bird? ls it a plane?

No, it's the latest craze
sweeping the Pennines.

To be honest, l'd rather be
sweeping the Pennines right now.

You're supposed to have
three weeks' training for this.

Granada Reports don't have
that kind of money...

..so l'm just going to literally
launch myself off this mountain.

This is very possibly the late
Tony Wilson, for Granada Reports.

Wish me luck.

Just pull the bar in
to get control back again.

Hear it flapping, it's OK.
lf it stops flapping, l'm in trouble.

Pull it in till it's flapping again.

One, two, three, go.

(# Wagner: Ride Of The Valkyries)

Whoa!

Whoo!

(laughs)

l'm flying!

This is a physical... high.

A physical, legal high.

This is the most amazing feeling,
better than sex.

Ooh.

Forward, forward... Whoa!

Whoa!

Whoo!

He-hey!

Oof!

Help. There's a barbed-wire fence!

There's...
There's a barbed-wire fence.

No!

Ohh.

Shit.

Whoa!

Aah! Fucking hell!

Well, l'm battered,...

..l'm bruised,...

..l've done something unfortunate
to my coccyx, l'm slightly upset...

..and l'm utterly elated.

l'll definitely be doing it again.

This is Tony Wilson, a shadow of
his former self, for Granada Reports.

Back to the studio.

Take care. l'm sure l'll be in touch.
So exciting, l'd love to do it again.

- No problem.
- OK, cheerio.

(sighs)

You're, er, gonna be seeing a lot more
of that sort of thing in the film.

All of that actually did happen.

Obviously it's symbolic,
it works on both levels.

l don't wanna tell you too much,
don't wanna spoil the film,...

..er, but l'll just say ''lcarus''.

lf you don't know what l mean, OK.
But you should probably read more.

(# Happy Mondays:
24 Hour Party People.' Jon Carter Mix)

# How old are you?

# Are you old enough?

# Should you be in here watching that?

# And how old are you?

# Are you old enough?

# Should you be in here with

# 24 hour party people

# Plastic face, can't smile
The whiteout

# With the 24 hour party people

# Plastic face, can't smile
The whiteout

# You can't beat 'em

# So why don't youjoin in?

# You cannot beat 'em

# So why don't youjoin in with

# 24 hour party people

# Plastic face, can't smile
The whiteout

# With the 24 hour party people

# Plastic face, can't smile
The whiteout #

- How's the Birdman of Derbyshire?!
- Not... Not bad.

Loved the hang-gliding!

See? What are you complaining about?

He doesn't have to deal with
the consequences of...

The consequences?

- The possibility of death.
- You're insured.

How's that supposed to be
of any comfort to me?

l realise the danger involved...

Well, let me tell you, l am not doing
any more kamikaze stuff. That's it.

- Hello, Tony.
- Hello. Hi.

- Ooh, Alan...
- Tony, l've got the tickets.

Alan, did you see the hang-gliding
article the other night?

- Oh, l did, yeah.
- We had people phoning in.

- l know people phoned in.
- lt's what the public want!

l know, but the public, let me
tell you, like public executions.

l went to Cambridge University,
Charles.

l'm a serious... Hello, love.
..fucking journalist,...

..in one of the most important
fucking times of human history.

- There's no need to swear.
- l mean it.

The Buzzcocks can't play
cos we're not ready.

So it's just the Sex Pistols.

(# No Fun)

# No fun, my babe

# No fun

# No fun, my babe

# No fun

# No fun to be alone

# Alone and by myself

# No fun to be alone

# ln love

# With nobody else #

June 4th 1976. The Sex Pistols play
Manchester for the very first time.

There are only 42 people
in the audience...

..but every single one is feeding on
a power, an energy and a magic.

lnspired, they will go out
and perform wondrous deeds.

For instance, Howard Devoto, at
the front, Pete Shelley, at the back.

They organised this gig.

They're way ahead
of everyone in Manchester.

They're already the Buzzcocks.

# Ever fallen in love?
ln love with someone?

# Ever fallen in love? #

Howard later sleeps with my wife.

Behind me are Stiff Kittens,...

..soon to become Warsaw,
later to become Joy Division,...

..finally to become New Order.

- (# World ln Motion)
- # We're playing for England

- (crowd) # ln-ger-land
- # We're singing this song #

Ginger nut: Mick Hucknall.

# l can't even qualify
for my pension #

That's John the Postman.

He's... a postman.

And that guy dancing at the front,
that's Martin Hannett,...

..the only bona fide genius
in this story.

Well, one of the only two
bona fide geniuses in this story.

He will later try to kill me.

# No fun

# My babe

# No fun

# No fun, my babe

# No fun

# No fun to be alone

# Alone and by myself

# No fun to be alone

# ln love

# With nobody else #

Goodnight, Manchester.

Thanks for your bullshit.

# Louie, Louie

# Whoa

# We gotta go

# Yeah

# Louie, Louie

# Whoa, they know, they know #

Must go.

Oh, no, not David. No.

He goes.

- (sighs)
- What's wrong?

These jeans, they sort of, er,...
they go right up me crotch.

- (# John Martyn: SolidAir)
- Too tight for you.

l'm telling you, they cut...
they cut straight between my balls.

You're not a regular shape,
though, are you?

- Pardon?
- For jeans.

- What do you mean?
- You've got big hips.

(laughs) l have not got big hips.

Yeah, you have.
You've got huge hips for a man.

That's fucking ridiculous...
Lindsay, l've not got big hips.

- You've got bigger hips than me.
- That's fucking bullshit.

lt's really good stuff, isn't it?

Yeah, this is good.
Where... Where'd you get it from?

Mate of mine brought it back
from his holidays.

What, Caribbean?

Rhyl. The Sun Centre in Rhyl.

Right.

Right.

l would describe it as history.

How could it be history?
There were only 42 people at the gig.

What difference does that make?
How many were at the Last Supper?

Er, 1 2.

Well, er, 1 3 including Jesus.

- Hi, Tony. Have you recovered?
- lt's not historically documented.

ln other words, not many. How many
were at the murder of Julius Caesar?

- l don't know, Tony, you tell me.
- Five. So shut up, then.

l'm Tony Wilson.
Here we are, as we are, So lt Goes.

On tonight's show l'll be talking to
Alice Cooper, live at the Apollo.

Apparently he'll be hanging a dwarf
live on stage.

But, first, two minutes
of the most important music...

..since Elvis walked into
the Sun Studios in Memphis.

The Sex Pistols and Anarchy ln The UK.

# And l am an anarchist

# Don't know what l want
but l know how to get it

# l wanna destroy the passer-by

# Cos l

# l wanna be... #

ln 1976 two or three people controlled
all the music on television.

And they didn't like punk.

So, for a year,...

..ifyou wanted to see the most
exciting bands in the world,...

..they were on a regional show
coming out ofManchester.

My show.

- (# Make Up 2 Break Up)
- ..when foundation's on my face

# Foundation on my face
Eye! Eye! Eye!

# Shadow on the cheekbones

# Hides the gaze of death's face

# A death's-head thrown across me

# Sitting, sitting, sitting
out of place

# Sitting out of place #

(# The Passenger)

# What does he see?

# He sees the bright and hollow sky

# He sees the stars come out tonight

# He sees the city's ripped backsides

# And all the winding ocean drive

# And everything was made
for you and me

# All of it was made for you and me

# lt just belongs to you and me

# Let's take a ride... #

- (# ln The City)
- # You make me look a fool

# l wanna say

# l wanna tell you

# About the young ideas

# You'd better listen
now you've said your bit

- (# No More Heroes)
- # Whatever happened to

# Dear old Lenny?

# The great Elmyra?... #

The Stranglers. Amazing.

- Class act, that.
- They're shit.

- They're a bunch of wankers.
- Hey. Language.

(# Karl Denver: Wimoweh)

- This is better.
- (imitates)

Now, this guy...

l fuckin' love this guy.
This guy is fantastic.

Listen to that voice.

# Ah-woo ee-oo-ee-oo
woo-woo-aaaayy #

- Listen to him.
- Looks a bit... homo, with that...

Nah, man, that's part of it,
the big drop-handle moustache.

- Oh, no, l don't know about that.
- Brilliant.

# (yodels) #

Guy with the handlebar moustache,
that is Karl Denver.

This is Shaun Ryder
and that one is Paul.

Later they become the Happy Mondays
and get Karl Denver to sing with them.

- (# Lazyitis)
- # Somebody who just loves to run

# One child grows up to be... #

We'll be hearing more
from the Happy Mondays later...

..but right now l'm getting tired
of just putting bands on television...

..so l'm about to open
a live-music venue.

lt's, er...

- lt's a bit of a dump, isn't it?
- Not Las Vegas, is it?

- Go round to the left, Tony.
- Dog shite everywhere. Disgusting.

Yeah, well, it's urban, it's exciting.
lt's exactly the place we should be.

(dogs bark)

You don't think those kids
will nick the car?

- They're not gonna nick the car.
- Are you sure?

- Right, the reason we're here...
- Margaret?

Because of the explosion of music
with New Wave,...

..there's lots of exciting
bands happening...

..and l just think that, culturally,
Manchester's slightly lagging behind.

Yeah, to get into a nightclub
you have to dress like a hairdresser.

- Yeah.
- The wife's a hairdresser.

Well, that's great...

..but some people aren't, and they've
got a right to dance and party.

- l'm Tonay.
- Hi. Nice to meet you.

Sorry, this is Tony.

Tonay doesn't believe in,
er, television.

l was just saying, cos it's funny
cos, erm,... Tony's on the telly.

You know what l call television?
The idiot box.

- ldiot box.
- Yeah, there's a lot of rubbish on.

We split the door 60/40 to me.

The band, they get a crate of ale.
You can have Fridays. All right?

- OK.
- Look round while l do the till.

OK. Thank you.

Linds. Come on.

- lt stinks in here.
- Erm, there's a problem.

You never told me he was called Tony.

- Who?
- What's up?

Tony. There's two Tonys.

Yeah?

Well, that... that... that...
Straightaway that's a... that's...

Can you not see
how that's a potential problem?

He's in charge of the club, l'm in
charge of whatever it is we're doing.

There's two Tonys on equal pegging,
there's a confrontation.

- Who's Tony one, who's Tony two?
- For fuck's sake, Tony.

- We'll need some differentiation.
- Yeah, but he's not called Tony.

He's called Tonay.
You know, Don... Tonay.

lt's his fucking surname, Tone.

- ls it?
- Yeah.

lt's a bit grubby.

Yeah, l know, but we can get it
cleaned up for the nights we're in.

- Use your scrubbers to clean it up.
- That's worse.

What is worse, Tony?

Well...

Sorry to harp on about this, but that
makes him Mr Tonay and l'm just Tony.

- (laughs)
- What's wrong with that, Tony?

Well, there's a hierarchy there
straightaway: Mister.

Mr Tonay is more important than Tony.
''Hello, Mr Tonay.''

''Yes, Mister. No, Mister.''
And plain old Tony. ''Tony, me mate.''

l've got to have some credibility.

Why don't you just call him Don?
How about that?

See if he goes for that. Call him Don.

- Don...
- We're trying to set up a club.

- (dogs bark)
- What kind of music you bringing in?

Erm, sort of, er,... New Wave.

Kinda indie.

- lndian?!
- No, indie.

(spits) Don't want any of that.
Don't like that ska.

- OK.
- Don't want any of that.

A notion. l'll leave you with this:
heavy metal.

Get one of them bands in here. They
drink like the fuckin' Queen Mother.

- Leave you with that.
- Nice car, Don.

- She's thirsty.
- See you, Don!

- l think the name thing went OK.
- He heard you that time.

- l was gonna be a don.
- (car horn)

l was gonna be a Virgil till me mum
lost her bottle at the last minute.

- No, he means he was gonna be a don.
- l went to Cambridge.

What about a name for the club?

Call it Factory.
l like that. Bit Andy Warhol.

Bit LS Lowry.

l just saw a sign on the wall,
said ''Factory closing'',...

..and l thought we can have one
going ''Factory opening''.

- (# The Clash: Janie Jones)
- # And he'sjust like me and you

Mal, when you come down to me,...

..can you just make sure
you just get a glimpse of my boot?

Just... OK, if it gets on screen
l get a clothing allowance.

- OK.
- Yeah. OK.

# He's in love with Janie Jones,
whoa...

That is the Clash,
this was So lt Goes,...

..and, as it goes, so it went.
lt's all over.

lf you wanna hear good music
from now on, get off the couch...

..and go down to the Factory night
at the Russell Club every Friday.

Go forth and preach the gospel.
Good night.

# ..how he feels

# Pretty bad #

There's quite a few.

lf they've started letting them in,
that's a good crowd.

- Fucking cock!
- Wanker.

- That's original.
- l like your hair(!)

- Oh, fuck you.
- Why does he let people say that?

He doesn't care what they say
as long as they're talkin' about him.

You know that, Alan.

- Someone who likes me. Hi.
- l love you. Will you sign this?

- Yeah. What's your name?
- John.

- Oh, hello, Mark.
- Hi, Tony. All right?

Tony, l really miss your programme so
l thought, to get it back on telly...

Oi, oi. He don't want it to come back.

He wants it to be gone forever
so it can become a legend. Don't ya?

A man with a grasp of semiotics.
There's your answer, sweetheart.

- Can l get you half a lager?
- You can get me a pint.

Right, OK. Right.

- Wilson, you fucking cunt!
- That's original.

Your drink's coming.

- ls he a friend of yours?
- Yeah, he's our singer.

Out the way, Steve.

Hi, Tony Wilson. Pleased to meet you.

ls he gonna hit me?

- You're quite close to me there.
- Yeah, l know. l wanna be.

Why?

- Cos you're a cunt, mate.
- l know, l heard you the first time.

- (# You've Heard lt Before)
- # Your smile breaking my heart

# Taking some time out

# Away from the places

Got to stop him singing, Tony.

lt's avant-garde.
You wouldn't understand it.

lt's very poor. Very poor.

- Try and dance to that...
- lt's provocative.

Provocatively poor.

Appallingly poor.

# Oh, you've heard it before #

They're not calling you
the new George Epstein, you know.

- lt's Brian Epstein.
- George Epstein, Beatles manager.

- That's Brian Epstein, you dickhead.
- George Epstein.

- lt's fucking Brian Epstein.
- lt's Brian Martin.

lt's George Martin, you knob.

Brian Martin the producer,
George Epstein the, er,... manager.

- Come on, let's sit down.
- You're just fucking wrong.

(# Digital)

The introduction's
not usually this long.

l think the singer's in the toilet.

Where've you been, you twat?!

# Feel it closing in

# Feel it closing in

# A fear of whom l call

# Hearing someone call

# l feel it closing in

# l feel it closing in

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out

# l feel it closing in

# As patterns seem to form

# l feel it cold and warm

# As shadows start to fall

# l feel it closing in

# Feel it closing in

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out

# Day in, day out #

(crowd roars)

# Louie, Louie
Whoa #

- 60/40 to you, we said.
- Smashing.

There's a pound, get yourself a drink.
Come with me. Follow Uncle Tonay.

Yeah. Well... Well... l'm not...
l'm not... l don't do any coke.

Where are we going?

Cos,... you know,
it's just that l've got, er...

- Shh. Come on.
- What are we doing?

Let's have a nosh to seal the bargain.

- l've eaten, actually,... Don.
- Oh, we won't be eating, my friend.

When the Don's hungry, the Don eats.

Wahey!

Hello, girls! Your Uncle Don's here.

- Come on. Jump in, Tony.
- How's about a tit-wank?

- Don't be shy. Come on.
- Yes, please. ls that all right?

- On your knees and eat!
- (laughs) Careful!

Alan, where is he?

- Where's who, babe?
- Tony. l can't find him.

l think he went out... Aah!
l think he went outside with Don.

- Do you mind if l just...
- Take it all off.

l... You don't mind if l just poke it
through the side?

- (laughs)
- No!

- Well, that's what l normally do.
- l think it's too big for that.

Come on, Tony, don't be shy!

- ls that what you do at home?
- Yes.

- (gasps) Feel that. Just have a feel.
- Oh, that's nice, that, innit?

Oh, aye, yeah.

(groans) Do you mind if l touch
your tits while you're doing it?

- Mm-mm.
- Thank you.

Go on, Tony.
Put that on your TV show.

Tony?

(laughter)

Tony.

- 'Ey, shut the fuckin' door.
- 'Ey, 'ey, 'ey!

- lt's not how it looks, love.
- Come in, love!

What are you doing, Tony?

- Come on in, love! Join the party.
- lt's not how it looks.

- Don put me up to it. He made me.
- Comin' in?

- (girl giggles)
- Yeah?

- lt's not how it seems, right?
- Are you comin' in, or what?

- lf you're not comin' in, fuck off.
- Leave it, that's my wife.

- Go on!
- That's my wife... Tonay?

- What you doing, Tony?
- Go on.

That's my wife.
Listen, l... l love you.

- l love you.
- (laughter)

Can you... Can you finish me off?

- God bless.
- See ya.

- Hello.
- Ah, posters, Tony.

You've got the posters?!
This is the fucking gig.

Yeah, l know.
Took ages to get the right yellow.

- The gig's over.
- l know.

That's fucking great,... actually.

Yeah, it's really nice.

lt's beautiful. But useless.
And as William Morris once said,...

..''Nothing useless
can be truly beautiful.''

- You know what?
- All right, Tone.

Yeah.

- Heather, this is Tony Wilson.
- All right, love.

You seen Lindsay?

She went off with Howard.

She, er...

She just caught me getting a blow job
off a hooker in the back of a van.

Better go and get her.

- (water runs)
- (woman laughs)

(man and woman pant)

(clears throat)

Excuse me.

(Lindsay moans)

- Hi, Tony.
- Hi.

Erm,... have you got the car keys?

- ln me bag.
- Thanks.

(moaning)

l only got a blow job.
That's full penetration.

- (louder moaning)
- See you, Howard.

See ya, Tony.

All right?

(moaning)

l definitely don't remember
this happening.

This is the real Howard Devoto.

He and Lindsay insisted we made clear
that this never happened.

But l agree with John Ford.

When you have to choose between
truth and legend, print the legend.

l thought their name was Warsaw.

You can't have a band called Warsaw.
You can't put that on a poster.

People would think
it was a holiday advert.

Joy Division:
do you know what that is, Mr Wilson?

lt's when the Nazis, er,...
picked out racially pure women...

..and, er, had sex with them.

Yeah, well, Joy Division,
that's us, eh?

- Well, it's a very Nazi name.
- So?

Yeah, but it's quite... cheery,
as well.

- You know: ''joy''.
- Yeah.

Like a... division of joy
or something.

- Joy.
- Joy... Division.

Let's all say that together.
One, two, three...

- Joy.
- Joy.

Look at that flat-bottomed valley.

lt wasn't always crazy
between me and Lindsay.

Most days we werejust
another young couple,...

..who wanted all the things
young couples want.

Nice house, nice car
and a couple ofkids.

Enjoy the walk,
cos it's just you and me.

Would you like a little Tony
and a little Lindsay walking around?

No, it'd be a nightmare.

- l like to be free.
- OK.

OK. All right, that's the last...
last word l'll say on the subject.

Two words: body clock.
OK? Body clock.

- How are you doing?
- All right?

- Hello, l'm here.
- All right, Tone?

That's us. That's us.

The majors are the status quo
and we're not, we're the anarchists.

lt's gonna be like a co-op,
we're all gonna share in the proceeds.

We pay for the costs and everything
and the rest of it is 50/50.

50 Factory,
50 per cent goes to the artist.

Alan's gonna be
head of business affairs.

lt's Red Leb, that.
Have you smelt it? Smell that.

Smell that.

l'm giving you total creative freedom.
Right?

lt's dead fucking simple.

You don't like us, you fuck off.
l don't like you, l fuck off.

l'll write you a contract saying
there's no contract in me own blood.

- l'll do it if you want.
- Not in his own blood!

- Here you are.
- l'll do it.

- You write it... in your own blood.
- No, don't give him the dirty knife.

ln the wo... ln the words of
the great prophet, ''l dares do owt.''

- Oh, it ain't legal, this.
- Come on.

- Oh, he's done it, he's done it!
- There you go. Real blood.

''l...''

''..Tony...''

How can you read that?

l'm not sure that'd stand up in court!

What more do you want? He's written
the contract in his own blood!

Martin?!

What you doing?!

(coughs) Recording...

..silence.

You're recording silence?!

Now l'm recording Tony fucking Wilson.

Erm, we want you
to produce a band for us.

Who's us?

Er, Factory Records.

Right, 50 quid an hour.

Plus l wanna be
a partner in the company.

See ya. (coughs)

- See ya.
- (coughs)

Stop, stop, stop. Stop that
horrible fucking racket, please.

What's wrong with it?

Nothing was wrong
with the drumming as such,...

..it's just that, erm,...

..people have been playing like that
for about... 20,000 years...

..and quite frankly, erm,...
it's boring the arse off me.

Now, let's just try something...
a lot simpler, OK?

Faster but slower.

There's logic there somewhere.

- (drumming)
- l know what he means.

Right, stop.
We got... We got a rattle.

We're going to have to dismantle
the whole fucking kit.

You what?

How long's that gonna fucking take?

l don't fucking know.
As long as it takes.

ls, er....

ls this still costing us
50 pounds an hour?

We're still workin', aren't we?

What l'd like...

..is to rebuild it on the roof.

On the roof?

- Yeah.
- On the actual roof of the studio?

Bloody hell.

(siren)

Start playing.

How will l know when to stop?

Don't worry about stopping. l'll send
someone out when it's time to stop.

(plays drum intro
from She's Lost Control)

Sorry.

(softly) Just remember,
Tony Wilson's money.

(# bass intro from She's Lost Control)

Right, stop, stop.

Hey.

Stop!

(shouts) Stop!

Fucking retard!

- You... You wear it very well.
- What?!

You wear it very well,
now play like a fucking musician.

Fucking prick.

- Listen to it in the car.
- lt'll sound rubbish in the car.

We've got to see what it sounds like
on a transistor radio.

(# She's Lost Control)

# Confusion in her eyes
that says it all

# She's lost control

# And she's clinging to
the nearest passer-by

l sound like Bowie.

- That's good. You like Bowie.
- l hate fucking Bowie.

ln All The Young Dudes he sings about
how you should die when you're 25.

Do you know how old he is?

He's 30, 29, something.
He's a liar.

Look, it doesn't matter.

A lot of great artists produce
their best work when they're... older.

- You know, WB Yeats...
- l've never heard of him, mate.

Yeats is the greatest poet since
Dante. lf he'd have died at 25...

- l would have heard of him, Tony.
- Hang on.

Listen to it.
This is... This is great.

This is fucking excellent.

- Are you listening to it? lt's great.
- lt's brilliant.

lt is. lt's very good.

There's nothing else out there
that sounds like it.

- That's the best thing about it.
- lt's wonderful.

- You like it?
- l do.

l love what he's done with the drums.

Yeah?

# And how l'll never knowjust why
or understand

# She said ''l've lost control again''

# And she screamed out
kicking on her side

# And said ''l've lost control again'' #

Joy Division were a great band
but they were Rob's band.

l wanted a band ofmy own.

A Certain Ratio had all the talent
and energy ofJoy Division...

..but better clothes.

- You look absolutely fantastic.
- You reckon?

- lt's great.
- We look like the Hitler Youth.

- You don't say that to Mr Wilson.
- l think you look more like Scouts.

Have you seen our legs?
They're like fucking milk bottles.

l wouldn't worry about it,
although, that... that reminds me,...

..l must get some chicken drumsticks
on the way home.

All right... No, it's all right,
l've got it covered.

lnstant tan: ''Tanfastic''.

lt's hedonism, it's shorts,...

..it's... it's funk,...

..it's... tans.

- lt's sexy.
- Ah, it's cold, man.

(# Flight)

# Has this passed? ls that the time?

# We need flight to stay in line

# Take your time

# We'll give our minds to you

l like the haircuts, Barney.

- No, they look good, don't they?
- # Take your time

# We'll give our minds to you #

- Crap, though.
- Fucking shit.

(# Love Will Tear Us Apart)

# All my failings exposed

# There's a taste in my mouth

# As desperation takes hold

# ls it something so good

# Just can't function no more?

# Love

# Love will tear us apart again

# Love

# Love will tear us apart

# Again

# Love

# Love will tear us apart

# Again

# Love

# Love will tear us apart

# Again #

(crowd roars)

What's the worst band name
you've ever heard?

- Worst?
- Skinny Monkey.

The worst one l heard was, a mate of
mine had a band called, er, Barabbas.

- (laughs)
- Fucking Barabbas!

''Who do you want?'' ''Barabbas!''

- (# Transmission)
- # Radio

# Live transmission

# Radio

# Live transmission

The National Front took to
the streets ofManchester today...

..in the biggest demonstration
ofneo-fascists since the '30s.

# We would have a fine time
living in the night

# Left to blind destruction

# Waiting for a sign

The Transport
and General Workers' Union...

..tightened their stranglehold
on the nation's petrol supplies,...

..bringing the country
to a grinding halt.

Thousands ofmotorists
queue all day...

..amid rumours of fuel rationing
and a return to the three-day week.

# Touching from a distance
further all the time

More chaos in the public services...

..as mountains ofrubbish
fill London's West End...

..and nurses bring the hospitals
close to collapse.

Now grave diggers in Liverpool
refuse to bury the dead.

# Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance
to the radio

# Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance
to the radio

# Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance
to the radio #

lan!

- (bellowing)
- lan!

- What the hell's the matter with him?
- Fuck knows. l dunno.

Oh, fuckin' hell! lan? lan!

Fucking come on, then!

What you doing? Fuck this.

Rob. What the fuck
are you doing, you cunt?

Come on! Come on, then!

- Right, watch his head.
- (slurs)

- (slurs)
- All right, mate.

Ah, fucking hell.
His fucking mouth's bleeding.

Has someone got a doctor?!

- l've just dropped two skinheads.
- Come on, mate, come on.

- What you doing?
- He's got me fags.

Oh, you fucking twat!
He's fucking bleeding here!

- And l need a cigarette.
- (splutters)

Where's Rob?!

- (groans)
- Can you get a fucking doctor?!

He's fucking bleedin' here!

Tony Wilson, how do you answer
the charge that you're a fascist?

What?

Your band, Joy Division,
named after women...

..captured by the SS for the breeding
of perfect Aryans. lsn't that sick?

Have you never heard of situationism
or postmodernism?

We need a doctor in here!

Do you know nothing about
the free play of signs and signifiers?

Yes, we've got a band
called Joy Division.

We've also got a band
called Durutti Column.

l'm sure l don't need
to point out the irony there.

What the fuck's going on?

We need a doctor. l don't know.
He's had a fit or summat.

Oi. Fuck off.

Fuck off or l'll lay one on you.

- He will. l've seen him do it.
- Will someone ring a fucking doctor?

- l'll get a doctor.
- Calm down, Barney.

Don't fucking tell me to calm down!
You fucking calm down!

- (chuckles) Fine!
- For fuck's sake.

You all right there, lan?

- Yeah, l'm fine, mate.
- Are you sure?

l said l'm fine, Rob, yeah?
Just shut up.

All right, then, all right.
Fair enough.

Not even to tell you
that we're gonna tour America?

- Fuck off.
- Fuck off.

l'm telling you now, straight up,
we're gonna tour America.

- Nice one.
- Are you serious?

l've just told you, straight up,
we're gonna tour America.

- Oh, come on!
- Fucking hell, boys!

Fucking cheers.
We're going to the US of A.

Cheers.

Can't fucking believe it.

l thought you'd like that, boys.

Are we gonna be staying in, like,
top-class hotels and...

You're in knocking shops
and l'm in five-star hotels.

- (laughs)
- Suits me fine!

l think we did better there, mate.

- l think l'd better rework that.
- (laughter)

Around!

(whistles)

Go left! Go left!

(whistles)

(whistles) Go left!

(whistles) Come by! (whistles)

- (whistles)
- Peter, l won't interrupt your flow.

(whistles) Go left.

l am doing, obviously.

- No, you're all right.
- Right. Why a duck?

He just started, you know, er,...
..and he just started, er...

Ooh, he was... he was...
he was biting ankles.

Er, but it... it don't harm 'em,
not like if a dog did it, you know.

Right, yeah. Extraordinary.

- Unbelievable.
- Right.

- Have a go.
- Right, OK.

- What do l do? What do l say?
- Well, ''Go left.''

- And then do what?
- Just shout.

Shout what?

- ''Go left.''
- Oh, shout ''Go left.''

Go left! Go left!

- See?
- That's remarkable.

l've not quite got
the command of the, er...

Whistle.

(whistles feebly)

Aye. (whistles)

- Can't do it that well. Go on, then.
- Go left!

Stick to what you're good at.
Unless you're a duck, then branch out.

(knock at door)

lan.

- How are you?
- All right.

- ls he in?
- No, no, he's at Granada.

l've got a spliff going.
Gonna come in?

Nah. l can't. Gotta get back.

Cheers.

That's fantastic news about America.

Yeah, it's good.
l'm looking forward to it.

l'm really chuffed.

l'm bored. You could stay with me
for a little while.

No, l've gotta go.
l'll catch him later.

All right. l'll tell him you called.

Er,...

- ..send you a postcard, yeah?
- Yeah, do, that'd be great.

''Wish you were here.''

Debbie?

(TV.' Werner Herzog's Stroszek) So...

..your car's kaput.

And your girlfriend is gone.

When thine house they have sold...

Aber wirklich nicht.

Prost.

Prost.

(# harmonica)

(# whooping)

- ..all the buildings or whatever.
- Mm-hm.

What l'll do is, apart from asking you
any anecdotes about town criers,...

..l'll say
''How is it relevant today...''

- Tony.
- And not just being for tourists...

- Can l just have a word?
- Yes.

- The office have just called.
- Right?

lan Curtis has died.

- What d'you... What d'you mean?
- He's hanged himself.

He was found at his home this morning.

- Are you joking?
- No.

- l'm sorry.
- Well...

He's dead?

Yeah.

What a stupid bloody bugger.

Sorry about this, mate.

lt's a... friend of mine.

lan Curtis,...

..lead singer...

..of Joy Division,...

..has died... today!

Oyez/

(rings bell) Oyez/

- lt's really beautiful.
- (rings bell)

Oyez/

lan Curtis,...

..writer of...

..Love Will Tear Us Apart,...

- ..has died today/
- l like it.

- Do you?
- Yeah, l do.

Oyez/

lf you listen to lan's music
and you know he killed himself,...

..then you probably imagine
some very dark, depressive figure.

A... prophet of urban decay
and alienation.

But l have
some wonderful memories of him,...

..such as the very last Factory night
at the Russell Club.

# Louie, Louie

# Whoa

# We gotta go

# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

# Louie, Louie

# Whoa

# We gotta go

# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Pogo like a bastard!

(crowd roars)

# Louie, Louie

# Whoa

# We gotta go

# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

# Louie, Louie

# Whoa

# We gotta go

# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

# (bellows)

# (bellows)

# Louie, Louie

# We gotta go

# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah #

Fuck off!

Mr Wilson.

Tony, hi.
l know this isn't a very good time...

..but l've made a tape of me
singing Joy Division songs.

- You probably need a singer...
- Don't hang about, do you?

- Tony. Can you give this to him?
- l've been practising the dance...

- l'll make sure he gets that.
- Yeah, but... he meant a lot to us.

- All right, mate.
- Mr Wilson!

lt's not the time for autographs
but thanks for coming...

Tony. Tony.

Michael.
Michael, what are you doing here?

l'm not here as a journalist,
l'm just... l'm mourning. l'm gutted.

Well, you... You are gonna
write about it, though?

- Oh, l don't think l can.
- Yes, you must. You have to.

- Come in. lt's good that you're here.
- ls that all right?

Aye, well...

(sighs)

lt's good that you're here.

(grizzles)

How you doing?

Hello. All right, mate.

- How you doing, darling?
- (whispers) Can't believe it.

Good to see you.

- l want you to write the book.
- Whoa!

You're the right person
in the right place. You should do it.

- lt's just so soon, Tony, it's sad.
- lt's historic. lt's historic.

Come on, this is...
this is where your book should start.

- Right.
- Where it should start.

All right?

- Didn't realise you were here.
- Hi, Tony. How you doing?

Er,... this is lan's gran.

- Oh.
- Tony Wilson.

Thanks for all you did.

l've seen you on the telly.
You always look so smart.

Come on, let's go and get
a cup of tea, shall we?

That is the musical equivalent
of Che Guevara.

l'm gonna go.

- Why?
- l just don't feel, you know...

l'll, erm... l'll speak to you. Bye.

- Take it all in.
- Yeah.

- (# Atmosphere)
- # ..find it easy

# Aching to see

# Walking on air

# Hunting by the rivers,
through the streets, every corner

Bye, son.

# Abandoned too soon

# Set down with due care

# Don't walk away

# ln silence

# Don't walk away #

Don't beat about the bush, Lindsay.

l'm gonna ask you a straight question
and l want a straight answer. Right?

Give me the dignity of that.

Are you leaving me?

Yes.

- (car horn)
- Bad energy around here now.

Well, what does that mean, bad energy?
What the fuck does that...?

Energy? You don't know what energy is.

- That is late 20th-century hokum...
- Don't say another word.

- ..masquerading... as spirituality.
- Shut up. Shut up.

Don't... Don't... Don't touch me.

That is the last time
you will ever touch me.

- All right.
- Ever.

No... All right, that is the last time
you will ever touch me.

l'm asking you really nicely.

Please...

Please don't leave me.

Oh, just fuck off. Go. Don't...

- Don't.
- Don't leave me.

(car horns)

(sighs)

Right. OK.

- Right, thank you, yes.
- (car horn)

Fuck off.

(tyres skid)

This is a low point for me,
obviously,...

..but, er,...

..l think it was Scott Fitzgerald
who said...

..''American lives
don't have second acts.''

Well,... this is Manchester.

We do things differently here.

This is the second act.

(both make bird noises)

Two lickle dicky birds
sitting on a wall,...

..one called Peter
and one called Paul.

Just like you, Louby-Lou,...

..Turkey-Lurkey...

..Goosey-Loosey, Henny-Penny.
D'you know what l mean?

No.

(whoops)

(howls)

(yelps, whoops)

(# Wagner: Ride Of The Valkyries)

The history of popular music
is like a double helix, OK?

That's two waves that intertwine.

So one wave... goes like this,...
the other one goes like that,...

..so you've got two...

..waves doing that, OK?

Like, one like that and one like that.

Basically, when one musical movement's
in the descendant,...

..another one is in the ascendant.

Right now we're in a kind of
a crisscross, a kind of a hiatus,...

..but the two guys that are gonna be
on the crest of the next wave...

..are Paul and Shaun Ryder.

This is a true incident,...

..a bit like the hang-gliding,
which, remember, works on two levels.

This takes place in 1980,...

..when Shaun and Paul
put rat poison into some bread...

- ..and fed it to 3,000 pigeons.
- Rassam, rassam, rassam...

- Rick Rastardly, wing-ding,...
- (squawks)

..forever and ever, amen.

Ohhh! Here you go!

- Catch it!
- lt's down! Ohh!

Ahhh!

- (pigeons squawk)
- Whoo!

Hi-yah!

Obviously it's a reconstruction.

No... pigeons were harmed
in the making of this film.

Although there are those
that say they're pests.

Rats with wings.

- (sound of machine-gun)
- Die!

(machine-gun)

(shouts)

Fac 51 , aka the Hacienda.

Buildings create synergy.
They're a focus for creativity.

When the Victorians built railways,
they didn't just put up Portakabins.

- Jesus Christ.
- They went to town.

Listen to the reverberations.
Lovely, isn't it?

Sound of... The sound of my voice.

Buildings change...
the way people think.

That's how it happened
in Renaissance Florence.

Yeah, but this isn't
Renaissance Florence,...

..this is... Dark Ages Manchester.

lt's like a fuckin' abattoir.

Tony.

Tickets for tonight.

- Right. Er...
- What fuckin' good are they now?

l'm sorry they're a bit late, erm,...

..thought we might use them
as a souvenir or something.

Yeah. That's...
Yeah. That's all right.

lt's OK, it doesn't matter.
We don't... You know.

This will be
the number-one invitation.

They didn't hand out tickets
for the Sermon on the Mount.

People just turned up.
They knew it was a good gig.

So how much has come out in total
from our music budget?

700 grand.

(chuckles)

Well, goodbye.
We obviously have nothing in common.

l'm a genius, you're fucking wankers.
You'll never see me again.

You don't deserve to see me again.

Martin?

- Nice, though, isn't it?
- Fantastic, mate.

- (# A Certain Ratio: Skipscada)
- # A da da da da

# Ra da da da da... #

May 21st 1982.