Watching this, on Amazon Prime. It’s quite interesting. One of the first notable quotes, from this record-breaking winner, is… ‘You can’t win’!
I’m interested not only because I love snooker, which of course I do. But because, like Ronnie, I’ve battled – am battling – depression, and other issues, such as addictions.
As an aside, the documentary was made by David Beckham’s production company, Studio 99 (or something like that?).
One very endearing moment is when a young Ronnie is asked ‘How big do you want to be?’ ‘Five ten’ he responds. Bless him!
It’s also interesting because not only do we hear about Ronnie’s highs and lows. We also hear about his family life. Although, whilst we see his young family, the modern versions are – at least so far – disembodied voices. I wonder why?
At about 25 minutes in, we hear more about Ronnie’s father. And how he wound up in prison as a convicted murderer. I’ve got a court appearance coming up. And I’m terrified. ‘Nothing can prepare you for that’, Ronnie says, of his experience. Ok, I haven’t killed anyone. But I still understand something of where he’s talking from.
As I’m typing this, Ronnie’s talking about how, when his dad was being sent down, he said ‘tell my boy to win’. It’s clear that the father/son bond here was incredibly strong.
I’ve tried to find info’ about his dad’s crime, and subsequent punishment. But it’s apparently near non-existent. I’m very surprised.
His dad had worked in the London Sex Shop industry. And was ultimately very successful. Meaning he could treat his family and kids very well, as far as money was concerned.
As Ronnie Sr. has it, when telling of the events that precipitated his downfall, he was just defending himself, from a two man attack. But who really knows? Esp’ with so little info readily available.
I struggled mightily, for example, to find any pictures of Bruce Bryan, the man who Ronnie sr killed, during a fracas at a nightclub in Chelsea. Bryan, a father of two, is alleged to have been Charlie Kray’s driver. Charlie was the elder brother of Reggie n’ Ronnie Kray.
The above newspaper clipping throws a bit more (and rather) different light on Ronnie Sr’s role in the events that lead to the death of Bruce Bryan. As Ronnie Sr tells it in the documentary, it sounds as he was set upon and outnumbered. Whereas the events as described in the newspaper portray him and his drinking buddy as the aggressors.
Ronnie Sr’s accomplice in the pub was one Edward O’Brien. Is this the same Edward O’Brien, an IRA terrorist known as ‘the Quiet Man, who blew himself up. (unintentionally), on a #171 Bus (a bus I was taking regularly around that time!)?
But, let’s get back to Ronnie Jr’s story… as well as the famous talking heads you might expect (eg fellow snooker players, his celeb mates, like Damien Hirst, and The Stones), there’s also some footage of him with his current partner, and his ‘talk therapist’ (Dr/Prof Steve Peters).
This documentary is nicely filmed, and well directed. Using imagery and sound to effectively convey moods. Sometimes dramatic, but often quite mundane. Such as the one above, with Ronnie in bottom-lit repose. Or Ronnie and Jimmy White having breakfast in a hotel!
About an hour in, we see him leaning out of a window, having a fag! I didn’t even know he smoked! This is also an oddly jarring moment, to me at least, relative to his other side – the healthy mind/healthy body Ronnie – the one goes jogging, overcame his addictions, and can be almost Zen, at times.
But let’s return to a more dramatic theme: the stuff about his relationship with his father. It’s fascinating. Ronnie Jr. was clearly indoctrinated for success, from early on. His dad epitomising both the encouraging and the ‘competitive dad’ (‘c’mon son’, vs. ‘you can’t beat me’!).
Ronnie Jr was really quite shy. An introvert. Prone to laziness. ‘I didn’t want to do the hard work. I still don’t want to…’ he says, rather revealingly, during a gym workout.
Whist we don’t see Maria (mum) or dad, but only hear them – at least this far (and I’m a long way in) – we do see a whole panoply of folk, from his fellow snookerists, to his aforementioned celebrity pals, Hirst, Ronnie Wood, etc. Damien Hirst has a few good insights. As one might hope and expect from an artist.
I have to be honest, I’m not taken with the ‘cockney geezer’ ‘ard man stuff. Unlike Guy Ritchie, I’m appalled, no enthralled, by the accent, the constant swearing, even the deliberate coarseness (belching!), etc.
One of the best parts of the entire thing comes near the end, when he bears Judd Trump in the final of the World Championship. That legendary man-hug, which in the official channels was inaudible, well… they were on mic for the making of this film.
And what one hears is quite interesting. It’s simultaneously a surprise, and – esp’ given what’s preceded it – exactly what you’d expect. It’s a weird combination of exalted highs and desperate lows. And – now this is a surprise – it reaches an apotheosis when he tearfully says, directly after the extended man-hug, to his partner and kids, ‘I can’t do this any more.’
The most revealing thing he says to Judd, I think, given the huge amounts of money involved in modern sports, and agreeing with Damien Hirst (who observes that whilst players might chase perfection – or the highs of success – what everyone else wants is drama) is ‘don’t let them burn you out… pick n’ choose; you’re too good to let these fuckers own you…’
I think Judd was getting a terrific life lesson in that moment. And Ronnie was letting it all out. ‘It’s fucking killing me’, he says, as he momentarily melts down. Phew! Talk about drama.
After all this, Ronnie Sr. finally appears onscreen, during the presentation scene. He’s saying to Ronnie ‘That’s it now, innit? You’re done now aren’t ya?’ But Ronnie’s recovered from his ‘can’t do this any more’ moment. Is that his main addiction?
‘You can’t win. There’s no end to it…’
Well, maybe that’s the nature of life. He reveals a ‘me against the world thing’ (‘I dunno where that come from’, he says, half-embarrassed. But he also seems to have found a way to be happy in himself. A large part of which – in the words of his final little outburst – consists in. It giving a fuck!