Free Rock 'n' Roll by Tom Stoppard Page B

on and on, fudging chords and scowling with his hair falling over the strings. He’d cut his finger and he was bleeding on the guitar. It was terrible but somehow great. I got up on the stage and danced. He looked at me, sort of surprised. He said, ‘Oh, hello. It’s you.’ He was the Piper.
    Blackout and ‘Wish You Were Here’ by Pink Floyd, three minutes in.
    Smash cut.
    Prague, 1987.
    Exterior open space. Early morning.
    Nigel is waiting, alone, nervous. He has grown up into a been-around reporter. He has a shoulder-bag.
    Jan arrives. He has a plastic bag containing a record album, and a paper bag containing bread rolls. He has weathered the eleven years pretty well.
    JAN
Ahoj.
    NIGEL Oh … hi.
    JAN I am Jan.
    NIGEL (
pause
) Oh, yes?
    JAN You are Nigel. Of course.
    NIGEL Oh. ‘It’s my first visit to your beautiful—’
    JAN Aaagh! ‘Cigarette! Will you give me a cigarette!’
    NIGEL (
with relief
) Oh, Jesus, what a nightmare! I forgot the cigarettes, then the shops weren’t open, then I stopped the taxi miles away in case I was being—
    JAN (
cheerful, shaking hands
) It’s okay! I don’t smoke. Everything is okay. Tell Tomas it is not necessary to behave like criminals!
    NIGEL I was worried about getting you into trouble.
    JAN Trouble is something else. How is Tomas?
    NIGEL I don’t know him. He’s just the guy in London you call for Czech dissident stuff.
    JAN But you are here for Gorbachev, of course?
    NIGEL Yeah, but our Moscow correspondent is covering the diplomatic story, he came in ahead of Gorby. I’m doing dissidents, which basically means queuing up to interview Havel. So I could use a story if you’ve got one.
    JAN A story?
    NIGEL (
looking front
) What is all that? I’ve been wondering.
    JAN The John Lennon wall.
    NIGEL The John Lennon
wall?
    JAN When Lennon died people started coming here … You know, to light candles and play his music …
    NIGEL (
interested
) Really? Are the flowers for Lennon?
    JAN (
nods
) The police come and clear everything away and arrest a few people, then it starts again.
    Nigel comes forward for a closer look. From nearby there comes the sound of John Lennon singing ‘Give Peace a Chance’ on a tinny cassette-player.
    NIGEL Czech hippies! Pictures of him. Has anybody used this?
    JAN Is it a story?
    Nigel considers, then grimaces.
    NIGEL It’s a piece. But it’s not a story.
    He goes back, taking a handful of cassettes from his bag.
    NIGEL (
cont.
) These are from Esme. She said you probably wouldn’t have CDs …
    JAN (
accepting them
) Thank you! Please tell her thank you. (
slightly surprised
) Uh, Madonna … and Queen … from Esme? How is she?
    NIGEL She’s okay, fine.
    JAN What is she doing now?
    NIGEL Not a lot. Coping with Alice. Our daughter is starting Cambridge.
    Nigel opens his wallet and shows it.
    NIGEL (
cont.
) The family brains skipped a generation. That’s her.
    JAN (
thrown
) With Eleanor?
    NIGEL With Esme. Alice with Esme.
    JAN (
works it out
) Oh. Yes. Can I? (
He looks for a moment.
) She’s … Thank you. (
abruptly
) This is for her. The Plastic People of the Universe. Live album, very rare, in fact illegal—made from tapes taken out by a tourist.
    NIGEL (
nervous
) Okay. What happens if I get caught with it?
    Jan draws his finger across his throat.
    NIGEL (
cont.
) Shit. Really? Okay.
    He’s ready to go.
    NIGEL (
cont.
) Well … sorry to get you up so early.
    JAN No, I came from work.
    He shows a bread roll from his bag.
    JAN (
cont.
) Still warm.
    NIGEL (?)
    JAN I work in a bakery.
    NIGEL Right. Okay. It’ll have to be Havel.
    JAN You don’t need Havel. I can tell you Havel. Havel is in despair with the Czech people. When Gorbachev and the beautiful Raisa smile and wave, the Czech people go crazy. They think Gorbachev has come to save them from Husák. When will they ever learn that only they can