24 Hour Party People

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.

Whoa!

Whoo!

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.

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.

# 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 you join in?

# You cannot beat 'em

# So why don't you join 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, 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.

# We're playing for England

- # 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.

What's wrong?

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

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.

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,...

..if you wanted to see the most exciting bands in the world,...

..they were on a regional show coming out of Manchester.

My show.

..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 #

# 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... #

# You make me look a fool

# l wanna say