David Peace - Red or Dead

Thank you, said Sir Harold Wilson. Thank you very much, Bill. It is very kind of you. Very kind of you indeed, Bill. And thank you for your card, your card when I was in hospital …

Bill shook his head. And Bill said, No, no. That was nothing, the very least I could do. I was very worried …

Yes, said Sir Harold Wilson. I wasn’t sure myself if I was going to make it. If I was going to pull through. I had three operations, you know? And they were quite common ones. But they told me they had to take out half my guts to keep me alive. Half my guts, Bill.

But you are OK now? I mean, you look well enough…

Thank you, said Sir Harold Wilson again. And yes, now I am one hundred per cent. But as you know, I have decided to step down at Huyton, at the next election. I will not stand again, Bill.

Bill nodded. And Bill said, Yes, I was very sorry to hear that. And I did worry it was for health reasons. I was very concerned …

No, said Sir Harold Wilson. Not for health reasons, Bill. Not really. To be honest with you, Bill. I just feel there is no reason really to go on. I remember, within a week of meeting my wife, I told her, I told Mary, I said, I am going to marry you. I am going to become an MP. And become prime minister. And it is what I did. And I did it four times, Bill. And that is as good as any prime minister before me.

Bill nodded again. And Bill said, Yes. That is something.

Sir Harold Wilson sat down now. In the dressing room, before the mirror. His shoulders hunched now, his hair white now –

But I just feel I have done as much as I will ever do, said Sir Harold Wilson. As much as I can ever do now, Bill.

And then the dressing-room door opened again. And Shelley Rohde came into the dressing room. And Shelley Rohde shook hands with Sir Harold Wilson and with Bill. Bill liked Shelley Rohde. Bill liked her laugh. Bill liked her book on L. S. Lowry. And Bill liked the story Shelley told about L. S. Lowry. The first time Shelley went to interview Lowry. In his house. Lowry told her he had given up painting. Lowry told her he was too old. But then Shelley had looked again at the painting in the room. In his house –

The painting was still wet.

Now Shelley Rohde led Sir Harold Wilson and Bill along the corridor to the television studio. First Shelley would interview Sir Harold. And Bill would wait in the wings. In the wings, behind the set. Bill listened to Shelley Rohde interview Sir Harold Wilson about his new book. His book on the State of Israel. His thoughts on Zionism. About his family, about his upbringing. Church and chapel. Unemployment and typhoid. Scouting and university. His career and his politics. The public image and the private man. With a slow pulse rate and with a quiet heartbeat. And then Shelley introduced James Conroy-Ward. And now James Conroy-Ward sang Admiral Porter’s song from H.M.S. Pinafore —

Bill waiting in the wings, Bill listening in the wings. Waiting and listening, unbuttoning his jacket and buttoning his jacket until Bill heard Shelley say –

Welcome back. Now our next guest grew up in Ayrshire, one of five sons in a family of ten. Almost inevitably, at the age of fourteen, he went to work in the mines. And only when that pit closed, three years later, did he find his way from the dole into football. By the time he was twenty-five, he was not only an international but he also played for Preston North End in 1938, when they won the FA Cup Final. Now ironically, eighteen years later, he found himself manager of the club they had beaten in that final, Huddersfield Town. His subsequent triumphs with Liverpool are too numerous to mention. Suffice to say, when he retired as manager, he was offered a radio chat show which he accepted on the condition that his first guest was Sir Harold Wilson. So here now, for a return match –

Ladies and gentlemen, Bill Shankly!

Bill stepped out from the wings. Bill unbuttoned his jacket. Bill walked towards the sofa. And Bill shook hands with Shelley and with Sir Harold. Bill sat down between Shelley and Sir Harold. And Bill said, That was the reason I put the show on, because you were first …

But why did you particularly want him, asked Shelley.

Well, he’s an MP for Huyton, in Liverpool. And I was Liverpool. And he was one of the people. A socialistic background. The socialistic background like me.

Is it true though, asked Shelley, that you wouldn’t let him get a word in edgeways?

Well, I thought he was trying to steal the show. So I had to calm him down.

And Shelley laughed. And the audience laughed.

Bill smiled. And Bill said, No. It was a very interesting show.

Shelley sat forward. And Shelley looked over at Sir Harold –

I’ve often thought, Sir Harold, your support for Huddersfield Town is a little out of expediency? Or is that totally unfair?

Oh no, it’s born loyalties. You’re the same, Bill …

Bill nodded. And Bill said, Yes.

You are born that way, said Sir Harold. I still carry around with me — I won’t bore you with it — but I’ve still got the little card from a newspaper called Chums — which I’m sure went out of existence a long time ago — with a picture of the Huddersfield Town team in 1926. My mother would give me a bob. I went on the tram right through. A penny each way. Three pence for a pork pie. Or fish and chips. Cheap in those days. Sixpence to get in. I had to be there at ten o’clock because of the crowds …

Bill nodded. Bill smiled. And Bill said, A fearless team, Huddersfield Town then.

I could tell you every team change, said Sir Harold.

Bill nodded again. And Bill said, They won the League three successive seasons.

They did, said Sir Harold. And they were in the Cup Final, the Cup semi-final two of those seasons.

Bill nodded again. Bill smiled again. And Bill said, Yeah. And I played against them in one Cup Final. But we won’t talk about that …

But wasn’t there a famous player who you brought down to Huddersfield, asked Shelley. When you were manager there?

Well, there was a famous player who was on Huddersfield’s books, Shelley, when I went there as manager. He was fifteen year old. That was Denis Law. About eight and a half stone and very skinny.

And so what did you do with eight and a half stone’s worth of potential, asked Shelley.

Well, he was fantastic. The boy was a genius of a player. So I had to then build him up, physically.

How did you do that?

Well, we got him steak and eggs to eat …

And Shelley laughed. And the audience laughed. And Bill smiled. And Bill said, Nearly made Huddersfield Town bankrupt. The steak was kind of expensive. And then we trained him properly. Because I had the experience of a brother of mine who overstrained his heart. Because he was training too hard when he was too young.

That was your brother, said Shelley.

Yes. My brother John. And he overstrained his heart.

All four of your brothers were footballers?

Bill nodded. And Bill said, That’s correct. All five of us were professional players. Yes.

What do you think it is about hardship, asked Shelley, that seems to push people into games, really tough games?

Well, I think it’s your upbringing. I mean, I was brought up in a mining district. And it was either the pits or football. And I think football was a little better than the pits.

But you didn’t have much alternative, did you, said Shelley. Because the two pits closed?

They did.

Now did you find that unemployment had an effect on you?

Oh, it’s the cruellest thing in the world, unemployment. You feel as if you are unwanted. I mean, this is a long time ago for me. But I can see them now. And it’s coming back now, the word redundancy. And it’s a terrible word.

It means unwanted, said Sir Harold.