Ron The Builder

The morning after the Page 3 night at Cargo, I travel over the river to south london, with a mighty hangover made worse by a blazing sunshine I find my way to a building site in Brixton to meet up with Ron The Builder.

I originally had met Ron for pints one evening where he shared many stories on his involvement and reflections on Class War. Again we met at the dismal “Stop The War Coalition” 5th Anniversary (?!?) where Ron and many others heckled the speakers due to their passivity in not supporting direct action to stop the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ron passionately burst the bubble of pomposity out of his arch nemesis George Galloway! Having shared in our mutual joy of pints and roll ups a number of times, Ron tells me the story of his wedding, the chapter that is missing from the “Bash The Rich” book when he first met Ian.

I will let him tell it in his own words in this video.

Leaving the building site we walk together through Brixton, Ron takes me through a brief history of the development and gentrification of the area, filling me in with stories of how it was in the 1980’s. Stories of squats, riots, pubs and Crowbar magazine – a South London zine similar in fashion to the Class War paper.

After eating jerk chicken we have a pint at a local pub where we bump into Phil Thomas who tells me about his sister JayJay, Swansea, The Alarm and Class War. Ron’s recollections and input really help me understand a clearer picture of  life in Thatchers 1980’s and his passionate zeal still fights on. He can often be found at Speakers Corner and if you need a wall plastered then he’s your man.

Page 3 Legends Living on.

Thursday night and I make my way through the trendy surroundings of Shoreditch, over to Cargo for Tangent Books launch of Banksy’s “Home Sweet Home”, the very last place you would expect to find Ray “Roughler” Jones and Ian Bone. The two old boys are sat around a table discussing tales from the Swansea days, Ray seems to be breaking into a sweat, obviously withdrawal symptoms as he’s away from his usual west london haunts in Portobello. Ian surveys the crowd pensively, keeping an eye out for a Daily Mirror journalist, supposedly he has been in email contact and has spun them the lie that he is in fact Banksy. The idea makes me smile. Ian out at night with spray paints and stencils scaling a wall. Genius.

The venue starts packing out with the usual milieu of East London fashionistas and try hards. Grafitti artists are daubing the walls as the DJ plays records. And on the line up tonight, after a 28 year hiatus, Ian and Ray are back together as PAGE 3 to perform “Fuck Off Gordon Brown” and “John Bindon”. After a brief moment of worry when Ray goes missing (he went to the bookies and got lost!) – the two of them are on. The crowd is initially confused, this isn’t the kind of music they expect around here, but after a while the catchy rhythms of PAGE 3 become infectious. Well it’s not too difficult really as Ian tells me he writes all his songs to either “Knees Up Mother Brown” or “My Old Mans A Dustman”. The evening goes well, a packed night for the launch of Tangents new book (Which looks great!), and the video above is our impromptu performance of “John Bindon” featuring Ian and Ray, myself at the back (half cut by this point due to the wristband I was given that entitled me to free pints) next to the wonderful Jane Nicholls and two other women (Their names escape me now) but they are the new recruits to the Page 3 backing group. Also featured is Piers Thompson (One half of the “Portobello Laurel & Hardy” double act with Ray), who shot it by propping the camera up, from the excellent Roughler TV.

The image above are original lyrics from the old PAGE 3 days. For those who haven’t read the book the band were taken to court by The Sun newspaper over copyright infringement and we expected the gig at Cargo to be stormed by a Court injunction at any time. Though thankfully it never materialised. Part of my research has involved getting the original lyrics off Ian for the script and for your pleasure I include a section of “Tory Funerals” in memory of the recently deceased Doc Whelan:

“I couldn’t care less, I couldn’t give a toss,
At the sudden death of a factory boss,
The ruling class are really hated,
All I want is them cremated! Conservative Ministers or Tory MPs,
There’s one sure way for them to please,
They call me a bastard, call me a red,
In return just drop dead!
Tory Funerals, Tory Funerals,
I want more of Tory Funerals, Tory Funerals, Tory Funerals,
I want more of Tory Funerals.”

This image above is again courtesy of Young Chris Lows archives (More stuff to follow!). Original flyers from the Living Legends (The band that PAGE 3 became) gigs which pay a very close resemblance to the original Class War papers – I guess Ian just loves to get a Lucy Parsons quote in where ever possible.

Above is the artwork to the Living Legends single “The Pope Is A Dope/Dum Dum Bullets For A Dumb Dumb Dummy” featuring the controversial image of the Pope in cross hairs.

Ray Jones tells me he is off to Swansea to record some of the old songs and excited over the fact that PAGE 3 are back together. He is already trying to get me to book them for the premiere. Let me get the first draft nailed first. We also plan a trip to Swansea very soon to meet up with some of the key characters from the book.

The rest of my night is a drunken haze over in a pub in Whitechapel with Martin Wright and good friends. I wake up the next morning with flashbacks of me trying to get the other drinkers to sing “My Old Mans A Dustman” even though I couldn’t remember any of the lyrics and memories of Martin singing an old Irish folk song as a duet. The research so far has been going really well. The question is will my liver sustain this abuse?

Young Chris and The Archives

A drizzling night over in Archway and I meet the lively and enthusiastic Chris Lowe. The character in “Bash The Rich” who pops up as the 14 year old drummer of The Apostles and writer of the theoretical Class War paper “Angry”. Chris presents me with a scrapbook deep of newspaper cuttings, stacks of copies of the original Class War magazines, and a bundle of other punk and anarchist zines from the early eighties.

Amongst these many gems include the original copy of “Fuck Off”, the magazine that preceded “Class War”, which displays many of the same outspoken and confrontational characteristics.

Also featured below is a copy of Richard Parry’s “Logo”, the magazine mentioned in Ian’s book that ripped the piss out of Class War in an article entitled “The Alcoholic Road To Anarchism” as well as ripping the piss out of the rest of the Anarchist scene. Everyone was up in arms over it except the members of Class War who defended it. Alongside it is Ian Slaughters zine “Pigs For Slaughter”.

The most exciting part of my current research is immersing myself in the zines and countercultures of the late seventies / early eighties. The language and design of the underground press and D.I.Y zines is really influential. While the film will be the story of Ian’s life told through his eyes it will also be heavily driven by the political and cultural context of the period it is set, so it is great to flick through old paper cuttings, copies and peeling pamphlets collected by Chris over the course of fifteen years. For a more thorough collection of “punk” stuff check out Kill Your Pet Puppy.

Archiving documents from the time of the books setting is a major source of inspiration in able to get to grips with the script and its backgrounds. The images above are from the London Anarchist Youth Group (On left) and the London Workers Group (Right) both of which feature heavily in the book.

As well as the bundle of research Chris also gave me a dvd of treats including archive footage of the Class War conference in 1985, during the books setting, with the main figures reflecting back on Henley, Bash The Rich, Miners Strikes, Inner City Riots and the continuing Thatcher Tory Government. The above clip is the infamous hypothermia speech by Ian, as referred to in the book, at the Class War conference 1985. Chris jokes that Ben Elton must have seen Ian and ripped off his “anarchic” style of delivery. But unlike Ian, Ben Elton is a complete fucking sell out.

This clip above, again from the 1985 conference, is archive footage of one of the leading characters Martin Wright talking about the future of Britain, class struggle and an Anarchist revolution. Being able to see this footage is fascinating when trying to create a film that is based around real people and real events – although I am not making a strict bio-pic – it is great to get a taste of the characters persona’s.

This clip above is the final section from the 1985 conference with both Ian and Martin Wright talking about the Class make up of Class War, the writing and approach of the paper and building a wider movement while trying to break out of the Anarchist ghetto.

Having put a fair few beers away, Chris shares stories about the fun times at Martin Wrights old place in Duncan Terrace as a rebellious youth, which could make there own film. Having spent more and more time with Martin, walking the back streets of north London and reliving the old routes he use to walk as a road sweeper, I get a great understanding of Ian and Martins friendship. Both sharp, well read, witty, passionate and down to earth. Two men that would never compromise an inch of their integrity. And both great rabble rouser’s. This final clip is after the setting of the film/book, from 1998 and the Movement Against The Monarchy, it just goes to show that whenever Ian and Martin are together a rebellious mob is always close behind and trouble never too far away.

Back To Bashing The Rich

Having just moved down to London, Ian is back out on the streets of Portobello with an unruly mob trying to make it to David Camerons house. In the meantime I have broken down every chapter of the book onto cue cards and made a very long character list. We sit down after food and chat over all the people, their characteristics, their pasts and present.

Last I had heard of Martin Wright prior to going up to Manchester in 2006 was that he was very very ill. A blood clot on the lung. I had expected the worst. So was very pleased to meet up with him, looking in fine health and good spirits at our old haunt of the LARC library. We chat over his recollections of his Class War days and the general political climate of the 1970’s to the 1980’s. I meet with Martin regularly. At the Boo-A-Bobby event and round his flat to talk more about the characters in Ians book and his recollections of Class War. Like Ian, Martin is still very much filled with passion and political venom, yet is modest and realistic about the past and present. The cosh wielding maniac is articulate, humble and truly entertaining. A proper working class hero. Having recommended a few books for me to read, to get an understanding of the decade that spawned Class War, one particularly sticks out with it’s vivid and striking first hand account of fighting the national front from 1970s to 1980s, “Anti-Fascist” by Martin Lux (A former comrade of Martin and Ian’s). Covering a decade of rising right wing sentiments on a street level that would find themselves echoed through the reign of Thatcher and also “the lefts” reaction to defeating the fascists – the classic pacifism/violence debate – sentiments that were to come to the fore of the 1980’s and mark the birth of Class War and the confrontational class anger that surrounded it.

I begin to get in touch with more of the old Class Warriors. Firstly meeting with Ron The Builder and we put away a fair few pints, again at The Chandros, as he fills me in on the story of Martha’s wedding. He is excited at the prospect of cameoing and wants to play a copper. Brilliant. Next up to meet properly with is Phil Gard the printer and Chris Low the angry fourteen year old. I must also get in touch with Ian Slaughter!

A story appears in The Independent over Christmas about me acquiring the film rights. Trust the old Bone. Still got plenty of life in him. And more some. Cracking article on Page 14!!

From the cue cards I move into putting each scene down into a rough script format so I have something to work with. Then I can iron out the narrative and get a first draft nailed. In the meantime I have been waiting anxiously to hear if my other film “Dark Night Of The Soul” is going to shoot this summer. I’m itching to be filming. And desperate for employment. Need to channel my frustrations. Starting to get into the mood for writing “Bash The Rich”. It is epic. Yet exciting. And completley different to anything else I have made. A full out comedy.

And to help those writing juices flow I meet up again with the man who kick started it all into action. Ray Jones. The character in the book who links Swansea with London. A key figure. And funny fucker. Ian phones telling me that a new film is out called The Bank Job mentionning John Bindon so the three of us spring into action. The famous welsh punk band Page 3 is reformed – Ray “Roughler” Jones and Ian “Class War” Bone reunite to sing “John Bindon” a song dedicated to his party trick of balancing five pints on his cock!?! So we film it on the fly in Ladbroke Grove. The double act is faultless. And it is great seeing them together – helps formulate the characters in my own mind by seeing the real characters in the living flesh. All coming together nicely I think.

The Bristolian

Having chatted over the phone we arrange to meet next time Ian is up in London, it’s the day after his sixtieth birthday, the sunday of the Notting Hill Carnival and we meet in The Chandros pub next to Trafalgar Square. Supposedly where he was drinking during the Poll Tax Riots. Fucking hell I’m thinking this geezers full on for a sixty year old. I hadn’t eaten breakfast and nervously put away four pints as I chat to Ian and his partner Jane. Good impression is made. Ian declares that I shall have the film rights for £10 and not a penny more! Tells me he is going to be moving back from Bristol to London soon. Says he’s sixty now might as well come back and give it a good ten year crack at kicking something back off again. I leave well pleased and very pissed. Head up to Notting Hill with a stack load of Bash The Rich stickers that Ian gave me and spend the rest of the day in an induced haze plastering them all over west london.

Before November I spend a weekend at Ian and Janes in Bristol. We chatted intensively over three days, going through stacks of old Class War and Alarm copies, listening to Living Legend vinyls and digging out old vhs tapes. It is exciting getting to grips with the book and Ians life. I meet Roy The Bristol Blogger and his lovely wife and child while helping to move a trampoline into their car. Feeling like part of the family. Eating Bristol pub dinners with Ian and Jane and enjoying the warm and friendly company. Sleeping on the blow up bed reading issue one of Class War. I also meet Tyler the dog. A friendship blooms. The three days fly by. And I leave wishing them well with the move and looking forward to seeing them in the Big Smoke soon.

Train back to Paddington. Begin archiving old issues of Class War, Wolverine, Angry, Alarm. Getting into the spirit of book.

Ray Jones and Phoning Ian Bone

Having originally bought the book at the anarchist book fair it wasn’t until six months later that I finally began to read and laugh along with the stories of Ian’s life, what stuck out for me was the clear narration – angry and in your face yet humorous and witty at the same time – I jokingly thought wouldn’t this make a funny film. It chronicles 30 years of radical British history. It would be an epic challenge but wouldn’t it be wonderful to bring that recent past into the present in an engaging, enlightening and entertaining way. As I read on a name rang a bell – Fabian Tompsett – a guy I’d met when I made a short film about the 121 Centre in Railton Road, it was part of a drama documentary module at film school, everyone else was making costume dramas so fuck it I thought I’d make a short film about a squat and it’s eviction. This was the first time I came across Class War in a copy of Decade Of Disorder found in the library when researching my student film called Section Six. After film school in 2003 I met Fabian again, our film collective which we had set up, cleverly called Collective Vision ran “Free Cinema” nights at LARC in Whitechapel. It was at one of these very screenings I met a big, burly man called Martin who would sit around the projector and smoke dope with us. A real friendly geezer. And as I am reading Ian’s book this character Martin Wright is mentioned – a fearless and semi-psychotic character – it can’t be can it…

Get lost in the completion of “Kapital” for the Manchester International Festival premiere. Write a new script set in Soho. But the book is still in the back of the mind. I am a massive reader, always have been since a kid, always trying to escape. Read more books than I watch films in all honesty. But I had never thought I would want to make a book into a film. But there was something there that ignited a spark in the Hall imagination. I Present a “No-Budget Filmmaking Masterclass” at the Portobello Film Festival 2007 in August – chatting with the festival director Jonathan Barnett he tells me he knows Ian Bone and might be able to get hold of his number – stroke of luck for asking. And the luck continues. Ten minutes later smoking a cigarette outside Westbourne Studios and Jonathan introduces me to the Roughler TV duo who want to do an interview – behind the camera Piers Thompson – and the interviewer was none other than one of the books characters former Page 3 singer Ray Jones. I’m pretty drunk by this time and find Ray absolutely hilarious – bubbling with enthusiasm and optimism – the interview goes really well. And its great promotion as The Plague was making it’s TV debut on BBC2 as part of the British Film Forever season two days later. I tell Ray about wanting to make Bash The Rich into a film. He loves the idea. Phones Ian there and then. Hands me his home phone number saying that Ian is expecting my call.

Brief Introductions

This Blog was set up to keep people informed on the developments of Bash The Rich, Ian Bones autobiography being adapted into a film by Writer/ Director Greg Hall. If anyone that was around during the books setting wants to drop a line then please do. Or if you are just interested in knowing how things go then I hope you find these posts informative.

A bit of background I suppose. To kick things off. If you google Greg Hall The Plague Film then a lot of stuff comes up. Shot it aged 22 for £3,500, with untrained actors, across london. Picked up awards, screened at festivals, got some really amazing write ups and finally distributed in cinema, on dvd, on TV type thing. Then aged 25 I got commissioned to shoot whatever I wanted funded by the Manchester International Festival as long as I edited it to composer Steve Martlands score. The Festival was part of the gentrification of the city, but a cultural gentrification completley funded by the City Council and Business cabal. They probably wanted a film that would advertise the wonderful regenerated city. But they gave me complete creative freedom and so I contemporarised a handful of dark fairytales and made a bleak and difficult film telling the lost voices being killed by gentrification called Kapital. Might as well experiment on someone elses budget. Some people loved it – The Metro gave it 4 out of 5 stars – but some people hated it. Even described as “unnecessarily bleak”. Which I thought sounded quite cool and was going to get it put on a t-shirt. So I find myself in a position where I have a sense of integrity that is respected within the film industry. Cool. I don’t ever want to make advertising or shit television. What would be the point. I want to make pieces of cinema that evoke a reaction. Absolutely broke as fuck but do what I love.

Ian Bone – what can I say about him that hasn’t already been said before. I’m sure most people checking this probably know about him. But if you don’t then go buy the book you tight bastard. I know some people are going to be annoyed about this book being made into a film because they may recollect events differently or not agree with Ians views. I think it’s a funny and informative read full of passion and down to earth humour. It’s a very subjective book because it’s Ians autobiography. Film making is a subjective form, the idea of it being objective is bullshit, you are manipulating images and sound to create meaning. I know Ian’s book will translate well into a funny and entertaining film and it will give a massive platform to the ideas of anarchism. You can be cynical and think that it will just be recuperated. But it’s better than doing nothing.