"STRUMMER"

Written by Sean James Lowe

expressive-edgemedia1@hotmail.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1803 528198

November 12, 2013

INT. MATTS PLACE/DINING ROOM - DAY Matt, mid-thirties, sits at the dining table examining colour charts. Holding one up he looks it over. Then the other, repeats. He displays zero enthusiasm for the task. A knock on the front door penetrates his lingering apathy. Matt pauses briefly for a gulp of tea as he goes to answer it. INT. MATTS PLACE/FRONT DOOR - DAY Matt opens up. DANNY Matt! Matt hesitates for a moment, looks Danny up and down. MATT Alright Danny! Danny, also mid-thirties, bearded, unkempt with weathered, worldly-wise features, throws his arms out to hug Matt warmly. Matt reciprocates, but is slightly more awkward about it. MATT (CONTD) How you doing? DANNY Not bad. Not bad. They step inside. INT. MATTS PLACE - CONTINUOUS Matt closes the front door. MATT Back long? DANNY Couple of days. Not done much though. Just been trying get over the jetlag. Matt grabs a handful of Danny's beard. MATT What's this all about? DANNY Ah yknow, went native. Theres an uncomfortable silence.

2.

MATT (laughs) Yeah. So... DANNY Cuppa tea maybe? MATT Sure. Take a seat. I'll bring it in. INT. MATTS PLACE/LIVING ROOM - DAY Danny slurps his tea. Looks around the room, reacquainting himself with his surroundings. DANNY Two years. MATT Probably seems like longer to you though. DANNY Suppose. How's everything with you anyway? All good with Amelia? MATT Yeah, well y'know - its marriage. DANNY (laughs) Whatever you do, dont try to sell me on the concept. MATT Dont worry, I wont. One thing I will tell you though, as a friend. If you ever get married and think shes just this great girl who accepts you for who you are, she doesnt. She will try to change you, and I mean, everything. DANNY Amelia doesnt seem like that. MATT You dont think so? Remember the wedding? What was I wearing? DANNY Erm... A suit? MATT And what colour was that suit?

3.

Danny considers. DANNY I dont remember. MATT Look. Matt points to photo on the wall. Its from his wedding day. Hes wearing a brown and pink suit. MATT (CONTD) Brown and pink... Think about it. A few beats pass in silence. DANNY Oh, got you something. Matt perks up. MATT Yeah? Nice. Present time. I like it. Danny pulls a small brass figurine from his pocket, hands it to Matt. MATT (CONTD) What is it? DANNY Its Buddha. Matt looks it over. MATT Danny, Im an atheist. DANNY I know. I know. But its big in India. Supposed to be good luck. Just put it on your bedside cabinet or something. Cant do any harm. MATT If I wanted to look at a short, bald, pot bellied man who wears barely any clothes Id go round to see dad more often. DANNY How is he anyway? MATT Dunno. Not seen him for a bit. Think hes being funny with me because of something I said.

4.

DANNY Why, what you say? MATT Well hes started getting a spray tan once a week. He says it makes him look younger and more virile... I told him that it makes him look like a fat Gandhi. DANNY (laughs) He always was funny your dad. MATT Easy for you to say, you werent the one who had him turning up for parents evening wearing a dressing gown. Danny laughs. DANNY Oh yeah, I started to play guitar too. Matt is clearly taken aback by this. MATT What? DANNY Yeah, beach campfire in Goa one evening. Just decided to give it a go. MATT Really? You uh, never seemed to have much of an interest before. DANNY Yeah, I know. I never did. But Tristram handed me the guitar and I just yknow, felt it. MATT Tristram? DANNY Yeah. Really cool guy. MATT (adopting upper crust accent) Felt like mixing with the riff-raff during his gap year from Eton did he?

5.

DANNY No. Gap year from Cambridge actually. Matt rolls his eyes. DANNY (CONTD) Anyway, since then I just cant stop playing. Look... Danny proudly displays the calluses on his fingertips. Matt gives them a cursory, unimpressed glance. DANNY (CONTD) All those years you played I just never thought it was for me. But on that beach it became... I dunno... Magic. I finally got it. I was like, wow! The guitar... Yeah. Danny gazes into the distance, like hes reliving the moment. Matt examines him scornfully. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Matt and Amelia are in bed. Amelia reads a magazine. Matt is growingly anxious. Amelia notices. AMELIA Whats wrong with you? MATT Danny started playing the guitar. AMELIA Thats whats wrong with you? MATT No. Just saying. AMELIA So whats wrong with you? Matt ponders. MATT ... Nothing. Several beats pass in silence. Matts agitation grows. MATT (CONTD) I mean, what's he playing at? Guitars my thing. AMELIA So its not allowed to be his thing too?

6.

MATT No. Its my thing. AMELIA What's the point in being friends if you cant even share the same interests? MATT You dont get it do you? Amelia rolls her eyes, turns back to the magazine. MATT (CONTD) Look, If you get into something together that's fine. But if you start doing I dunno, canoeing or line dancing or karate or whatever and they never have any interest in it. Then its your thing. They cant just decide to start doing it. Its not right. AMELIA So what youre saying is he's not allowed to play guitar? MATT Hes a grown man, he can do what he wants. Just should've yknow, asked, AMELIA What? For permission? MATT Yeah. Why not? Amelia laughs. MATT (CONTD) It might be funny to you but guitars my thing. He can do what he does, hiking, model aeroplanes and all that stuff. I leave it alone, cause its his. Matt simmers in his indignation. MATT (CONTD) Hes really messing with the whole dynamic of the friendship. AMELIA Model aeroplanes?

7.

MATT Yeah, I wouldn't start doing that without telling him. AMELIA (cynically) So kind. MATT Somebody has to stick to the rules dont they? AMELIA Why don't you and Danny just play together? Matt is clearly offended by the suggestion. MATT You're serious? AMELIA Why not? MATT Because it'd be like Van Gogh painting with a three year old. AMELIA Why? Because ones sweet and innocent and the other ones mad? MATT (sarcastic) Yeah, ha ha. AMELIA How do you know he's not good anyway? MATT Instinct. And Dannys always had these short, fat little sausage fingers... Theyre like a handful of little chipolatas. AMELIA Maybe you could help him. MATT Get finger extensions? Amelia carries on reading. Theres a long silence. MATT (CONTD) He's invited me to a jam night at Geordie Jeff's on Wednesday.

8.

AMELIA Who? MATT Danny. AMELIA We're still talking about that? MATT Wonderwall. I bet all he knows is Wonderwall. AMELIA Good song. MATT How good can it be if you could teach it to a monkey in five minutes? AMELIA (hushed) Clever monkey. MATT Inviting me to a jam night? Seriously. Been playing since I was fourteen. Its me that should be inviting him. Only to a real jam, not Geordie Jeffs. AMELIA Who's Geordie Jeff? MATT Old bloke, jams are in the empty shoeshop on Ellington Road. Deadringer for Ringo Starr. AMELIA What? MATT Old bloke. Shoeshop. Ringo Starr. Amelia looks at Matt blankly. AMELIA Oh. She turns back to her magazine abruptly. Matt scrutinises her. MATT You do know who Ringo Starr is don't you?

9.

Amelia shrugs. MATT (CONTD) So thats another one for the list? AMELIA (dismissive) If you like. MATT So... You thought Russia was part of France. That a seahorse was a horse that could breathe underwater... and... Oh yeah, youd never even heard of Pat Sharp's Fun House. AMELIA Oh wow. MATT How can you have been brought up in the Eighties and never heard of Pat Sharp's Fun House? AMELIA Look, you know I was brought up in the country and didn't watch much TV. MATT (laughing) Or read many books. AMELIA Whatever. MATT Or seen an atlas. AMELIA Please just shut up. Matt sniggers. MATT Ringo Starr. AMELIA Yeah, Ringo Starr. MATT He was one of the Beatles. AMELIA Was he? Right.

10.

MATT Hang on. How come you don't know any of that, but you know about Van Gogh? AMELIA Because I took a GCSE in Art. MATT Oh. A few beats pass in silence. MATT (CONTD) So this Geordie Jeffs jams attract all kinds of amateurs. Half of them aren't even there to play. They just go for somewhere to hang around. AMELIA Why dont you just tell Danny you don't want to go? MATT Can't. AMELIA Why not? MATT Because it was me who said to him it'd be nice to go out for a drink. He said when so I said Wednesday. Then he starts with the whole "Oh yeah! Wednesday night is jam night at Jeffs". Amelia puts her magazine onto the bedside cabinet then settles into bed. AMELIA I'm sure you'll work it out... Night. Silence. MATT Yeah. Matt stares ahead blankly, lost in his thoughts.

11.

EXT. STREET - DAY Matt and Danny stride down the street. Matt carries a lavish hardshell case while Danny swings his beaten up acoustic by the neck. They arrive the door of the derelict shoeshop. Danny knocks. EXT. JEFFS JAM - DAY An emaciated man in clothes at least two sizes too large opens up. Vacantly staring at the pair through bulging, beady eyes. He says nothing. Instruments and voices can be heard in the background. DANNY Were here for the jam. The man continues to gaze at them. DANNY (CONTD) Is Jeff there? Danny and Matt exchange glances, neither knows what to do. Growing impatient. Matt steps forward, attempting to push the door open. MATT Look, if you just open this we can come in. The man furiously yanks the door from Matts grasp. His eyes burning with anger. A bemused Matt backs off. MATT (CONTD) Okay. The man turns to recognise a hand on his shoulder. VOICE (O.S) Its ok Marius. I knaa these fellas. Marius reluctantly heads back inside. Geordie Jeff, sixties, with the look of a portlier Ringo Starr, smiles warmly, shakes hands with Danny. He speaks with a thick, North-East of England accent. GEORDIE JEFF Back for more already? DANNY Yeah. Brought some back up this time. This is Matt.

12.

GEORDIE JEFF Alright mate. Jeff shakes hands with Matt, notices Matt eyeing Marius over his shoulder. Jeff leans in closer. GEORDIE JEFF (CONTD) (lowers voice) Dont mind Marius. Doesnt mean oot. Had an overdose a coupla years ago. Poor lad lost some oxygen te the brain. Noo hes a bit... Yknaa MATT Right. GEORDIE JEFF Even if his brain wasnt knackered he still wouldnt understand. Hes from Lithuania see. Doesnt speak a word of English. Terry lets out a loud bellylaugh, slaps a startled Matt on the arm. GEORDIE JEFF (CONTD) Anyway, I knaa you dont I? Matt grins, puffs out his chest self-assuredly. MATT Well I used to play lead for The Shattered Visages. Jeff looks thoughtfully into the distance. GEORDIE JEFF (loud) Stapletons Butchers! MATT Huh? GEORDIE JEFF Ye work at Stapletons Butchers. MATT Thats not me. GEORDIE JEFF Course it is. Ye knaa me, come in every Tuesday. Same every week. Eight Cumberland sausages an a pund of tongue. Matts self-confidence is crushed.

13.

GEORDIE JEFF (CONTD) Best butchers in toon. MATT (sarcastic) Thanks. Ill be sure to tell Stapleton. GEORDIE JEFF Anyway lads what we deein stood here? Come in. Canny crowd in the neet. Find a seat lads. INT. JEFFS JAM - DAY Inquisitive eyes lock on Matt and Danny as they stroll inside, sizing up the new arrivals. The room is dimly lit, cavernesque. People on old sofas. Plasterwork crumbles from the walls. A marked casualness amongst the twenty or so people present. Most chat in small groups whilst fiddling with their instruments. Matt and Danny take a seat next to the right of the performance area. Danny eagerly soaks up the vibe. Matt is distracted. He sniffs the air, then his clothes, followed by his hand. Grimaces. MATT Danny, might seem like a strange question but does your hand smell like onions? Danny is busy tuning his guitar. DANNY What? MATT Your hand. Does it smell like onions? Matt takes another whiff. MATT (CONTD) Fried onions. DANNY Dunno. Danny smells his hand. DANNY (CONTD) Not really.

14.

MATT Thats your left. DANNY Yeah, my left. MATT Lets smell the other one. Danny holds out his hand, Matt takes a sniff. MATT (CONTD) Same as mine. You know what it is dont you? Its from shaking hands with Geordie Jeff. Danny thinks about it for a moment. DANNY Oh well eh? MATT Oh well? You dont mess about with fried onions and then start shaking hands with people. Its not on. Danny doesnt care. Hes watching a gangly teen playing in the performance area. The lad isnt very good. The whole room knows it, but he continues undeterred. Matt glowers at him like hes infected. MATT (CONTD) Whys he the only one playing? DANNY Howd you mean? MATT You do know that a jam is supposed to be people playing together? DANNY Look. Danny points. A couple of jokers are in the corner shaking tambourines in unison. Danny laughs, but stops upon realising Matt is not amused. The crowd warmly applaud the efforts of the teen as he finishes playing. MAN (O.S) Well done Ben! The lad shyly turns away from the applause as he heads back to rejoin his friends.

15.

MATT (mumbling) Take up stamp collecting Ben! DANNY You going up next? MATT What? No. DANNY Oh, go on. MATT No. Danny stands up. DANNY Come on Matt! Danny begins to clap enthusiastically, attracting the attention of most of the people in the room. MATT What you doing? DANNY Show everyone how its done mate. Matt gives Danny dagger eyes then reluctantly strolls to the performance area. Plugging in his stunning Gibson Les Paul Standard. He starts slowly, then clicks into gear. His fingers skip across the fretboard with unerring dexterity. His talent is undeniable. A man nearby mouths the words What is it? to the guy next to him. The man shakes his head and shrugs. Matt finishes. Glances around expectantly, certain hes blown the crowd away. He receives a fervent applause from Danny but theres an otherwise lukewarm response. Matt shuffles back to his seat, flabbergasted. MATT You believe that? DANNY It was great. Dont worry about it. MATT Shouldnt have expected any different from a bunch of people who probably think Chuck Berrys a type of smoothie.

16.

DANNY You wanna go? MATT Danny, I never wanted to come in the first place. DANNY Sorry. I didnt know. MATT You didnt? Last time you mentioned it I changed the subject. Started talking about why they list ingredients on bottled water. Wasnt that a clue? DANNY Not really. You do like to complain about things a lot. Matt frowns at him. DANNY (CONTD) I just thought that it might be good to play around other musicians. MATT Musicians? A bunch of dossers who wouldnt know a six-string from a cheestring and a bloke who stinks of onions? Danny picks up his guitar. DANNY Lets go then. Matt puts a hand on Dannys shoulder. MATT Hang on. Youve not had your turn yet. DANNY (laughs) If they didnt like you then what chance have I got? MATT (smiling) No. No. Itll be fine. DANNY Dunno.

17.

MATT Go on. (yelling) Yeah! Show them how its done Danny! Matt smirks with an air of sneering superiority as he ushers Danny towards the performance area. Danny looks back like a snared rabbit. Danny strums the opening bars of Wonderwall. The audience responds with enthusiasm. Matt struggles to suppress his amusement. Dannys terrible voice is disguised by a growing number who join in. His novice playing doesnt matter either. As he hits the chorus, almost the entire room is singing along. Matt surveys the room, horrified. A rage builds uncontrollably in him. He snaps, stomping towards Danny, seizing his guitar, smashing it to smithereens on the floor. MATT (CONTD) No! No! No! Its mine! Go and buy yourself a model aeroplane! Matt freezes suddenly, peeking towards an incredulous Danny. The room has fallen silent. Dozens of disgusted eyes locked on Matt. We snap back to Matt. The guitar breakage having never happened. A figment of his imagination. Danny beams at the ovation as he finishes the song. Matt grudgingly joins in, struggling to mask his smouldering resentment.

THE END