Act Two
12.
EYE OF THE TIGER
Enter PAUL, KYLE and JAYSON. JAYSON is bleeding from his head. Heās pumped. Music from the start.
JAYSON: Did you fucking see me? Swear down I was gonna bang out, Bruv.
PAUL: Jayson will you just calm the fuck down please, Iāve got the BBC coming.
KYLE: Are you gonna denounce the violence?
PAUL: I donāt have much choice, do I?
Help me move these tables, would you?
KYLE: Donāt denounce it. Own it.
PAUL: Own it? We canāt keep coming across like that. Weāre putting them off.
KYLE: Putting who off?
PAUL: Look at Facebook, Kyle: we got social workers, teachers, doctors, all sorts that oppose this community centre opening. They back us up on Facebook, but the reason they donāt come on the marches, Kyle, is because of the shit that went down out there just now and that goes on every fucking time we demonstrate.
KYLE: We are who we are, Paul.
PAUL: Help me move this shit, will you? No. Weāre more than just a bunch of football hooligans.
JAYSON: So why was there monkey noises then?
KYLE: Shut your mouth, now, innit, Jayson.
JAYSON: No you shut your mouth, Kyle, Iām fucking defending you.
KYLE: They werenāt doing them at me. They like me.
PAUL: Did any of it get filmed?
KYLE: I donāt know, do I? They was doing it at some African copper.
PAUL: If they filmed it then theyāll show it. Fuck. And you, Jayson. What the fuck were you doing acting like them lot?
KYLE: Them boys want action, Paul. Youāre holding us back.
PAUL: No, Iām holding us together.
KYLE: How are you holding us together?
PAUL: How am I holding you together?
Kyle, let me ask you a question.
KYLE: Thisāll be good.
PAUL: Do you agree with gay marriage?
KYLE: No. Of course I donāt.
JAYSON: Typical.
PAUL: Jayson, let me ask you a question. Why are the majority of people in prison black?
KYLE: How would you even know if thatās true?
JAYSON: Iād imagine itās true.
KYLE: Youād imagine itās true? Why would you imagine itās true?
JAYSON: You see some crime on the news and nine times out of ten ā
KYLE: Nine times out of ten.
JAYSON: Well maybe not nine times, but ā
KYLE: How much then?
JAYSON: I donāt know, do I?
KYLE: Is it less than that? Or more?
JAYSON: Donāt start on me. You just said you donāt believe in gay marriage.
KYLE: Racist.
PAUL: And you ask me how Iām holding you together.
We are not all comfortable bedfellows ā
JAYSON: Youād love to be my bedfellow innit, though, Kyle.
KYLE: Is this batty man flirting with me?
PAUL: Every time we go on a demo, like today ā itās a perfect example ā the boys that turn up want a fight. So Iām gonna do this BBC interview and put the record straight. Iām gonna be calm and measured and statesman-like and try and undo this shitstorm you lot have created. Weāre patriots, proud patriots.
(To KYLE.) You look like youāre hearing this for the first time.
KYLE: I might as well be.
PAUL: ITāS THE FUCKING TELLY. I canāt talk like Iām down the pub.
JAYSON: You are down the pub though.
PAUL: Yes Iām down the pub, on the telly. I need to soundā¦I need to soundā¦
KYLE: You need to sound right.
PAUL: (Sings verse one and then the chorus, omitting verse two.)
JOURNALIST: All set?
PAUL: Hello love, yep.
JOURNALIST: Theyāll introduce us from the studio, Iāll ask you a couple of questions, and then thatāll be it. Does that work for you?
PAUL: Perfect, darling, yeah.
JOURNALIST: Weāve got about twenty seconds, so letās have you in position. Are you OK with a couple of questions about your sister?
PAUL: No.
KYLE: Yes.
JOURNALIST: Sorry which is it?
PAUL: Donāt be giving me no aggro, alright?
Jayson get the fucking blood off you.
KYLE: We have to talk about Poppy.
PAUL: Sheās off limits.
JAYSON and PAUL assemble on the karaoke area in front of the camera. JAYSON stands to PAULās left. He puts his balaclava on just before they go live.
Kyle. Weāre on.
JOURNALIST: OK, this is us now. And donāt call me darling, please.
PAUL: Kyle. Come on. We need more than bloody two of us.
KYLE remains āoff screenā and shakes his head.
JOURNALIST gestures āThreeā¦twoā¦one.ā
PAUL: Donāt fuck me over you b ā
JOURNALIST: Thanks, Alice. Iām here at the Albion pub in Tower Hamlets and with me is the leader of the EPA, Paul Ryman. Paul Ryman, are you a racist organisation?
PAUL: No. Absolutely not.
JOURNALIST: Weāve just seen footage of todayās demonstration and we can clearly see ā
PAUL: Anyone who thinks weāre racis...