A band wagon is like an old method of transport, l right, to jump on on a band but the idiom means when everybody starts to do something because it's very popular. So in the case of michael jackson's funeral, there were lots and lots of cele tis and movie stars, and they all wanted to say something about him just because it's the big story at the moment,. jumping on the band wagon. She said, everybody was his best mate. Now, a mate means a friend, and it's british english, so that means everyone was his best friend. Er, she said, er, he had tried, or he'd tried to keep