Jump to content
aberdeen-music

Irvine Welsh


Bigsby

Recommended Posts

Yeah, I'm looking forward to the new one, it features Ray Lennox, Bruce's partner from Filth ("I've got Annie Lennox in one ear and Fanny Lennox in the other." :up: ), and from what I can gather it concerns organised paedophilia which should be interesting ground for Welsh to cover.

1 for the book, 4.50 for next day delivery, RRP 18.99, doesn't come out for a month, you've got to love ebay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got his latest book "Crime" for a fiver delivered off ebay, even though it isn't released for a month, yuss.

Any other fans?

Back of the net! I think his books are like good albums. I read them in rotation. My favorite is Maribu stork nightmares, you just gotta love the Strangs! Have you ready any Laura Hird books? I'd recommend Nail.

Just got Crime for a tenner delivered from Ebay, thanks for the tip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maribou Stork.. is utterly brutal, read it once, thought it good, but depressingly savage, went to re-read it, but had to stop near the really disturbing scene (which I can't now remember what actually happened, my brain decided to edit it out, I just remember that it was ultra-dark). I haven't read 'Bedroom Secrets...', and I wouldn't mind reading 'If you liked School You'll Love Work' (great title).

As to this 'Crime', just read a precis, looks brutal.

Off topic, read Neal Stephenson, he is a literary GOD, and has a new one out in October, right on time, every 4 years or so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back of the net! I think his books are like good albums. I read them in rotation. My favorite is Maribu stork nightmares, you just gotta love the Strangs! Have you ready any Laura Hird books? I'd recommend Nail.

Just got Crime for a tenner delivered from Ebay, thanks for the tip!

Yeah, I read them again as well, except Ecstasy, although I guess I should revisit it - it can't be as bad as I remember it, surely?

My fave is Filth, Bruce Robertson is just such a wonderful character. I do like MSN as well though.

Have to admit I have never heard of Laura Hird (Thora's sister?), will investigate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really enjoyed Bedroom Secrets...., definitely worth a read.

One of the vilest scenes I've ever read was in that book (i've never read Maribou Stork Nightmares though). If you've read it you should know what I'm talking about. Bleeuuch.

Have got Porno and If You like School lying about the house but haven't got round to them. Shame on me....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't make my mind up about Welsh.

Trainspotting was superb and the novella "A Smart Cunt" from Acid House was also excellent, but a lot of his stuff is very derivative.

In the same way that almost all James Herbert's main characters are flawed, late 30's early 40's civil servants or lecturers, Welsh's main protagonists seem to be intelligent, but aimless and morally reprehensible individuals, whether they're schemies, middle-class or whatever.

I do find his use of urban dialect and phonetics hilarious though, likesay, catboy, ya hoor sor! - and he is funny.

I'm currently reading "If You Liked School You'll love Work" and it's pretty weak so far. One story is about stereotypical Cocker-nee Pub owner in the Canaries; another about some Sex In The City types; then theres' a "Tale of the Totally Predictable" character piece set in Arizona with a "twist" ending that Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles could see coming and the latest one I've read is about an ex-jocket Subbuteo player - a story that goes absolutely nowhere.

Welsh is always readable, but he definitely shot his load with Trainspotting and IMHO it's been the Law of Diminishing Returns since...likesay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aye, it was engaging enough, but I felt he was just going over old ground.

Nah, it was completely different. The others were in Edinburgh. This one was in Fife. ;)

Seriously though, I just love reading the characters he creates and the truly fucked up situations he puts them into, such as the guy who was "mourning" his daughter in the Fife story. :up:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My fave is Filth, Bruce Robertson is just such a wonderful character. I do like MSN as well though.

Bruce Robertson has got to be the most disgusting man!!! That book made me feel physically sick at certain points. But I did enjoy it.

I tried to read Trainspotting when I was still at school, but couldn't understand what was being said (might be something to do with it being Edinburgh! Lol.) but I gave it another go and really really enjoyed it.

I watched the film after reading the book which I think is always the best way with books that have been turned into films.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Finished reading Crime.

It was a good read, but much more like a conventional thriller than your typical Irvine Welsh fare, with the exception of one particularly disturbing scene. It could probably be turned into a Hollywood blockbuster quite succesfully with Ewan McGregor in the lead role.

I enjoyed it, but overall with his last few books I can't help but thinking that he's really starting to get worried about people thinking that he's not a "proper" writer and is therefore taking himself too seriously.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just finished "If You Like School....."

Earlier on this thread, I had posted a fairly negative opinion of the Kingdom of Fife "short story" without realising that I hadn't actually read it all and there were indeed several more chapters.

The switch from East Coast dialect at the end of one chapter to plain English in the next completely threw me and I thought I was on to a new short story.

The story - as a whole - was very funny!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

'Crime' was alright, a much more conventional thriller than his usual stuff. 'If You Liked..' was quite enjoyable, coming from Cowdenbeath meant i had a few complaints with the dialogue but it was great to see places i've known all my life in print. That grand opus i was working on about an intelligent doley slacker fae cowden is going to have to go on the back-burner for a while though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My most recent affair was ''If You Liked School..'' which I bought in Bangkok Airport for actually fuck all.

The Cowdenbeath story actually made me piss myself as spent all last year living with a girl from there, who worked in La Ducat and whos ma worked in The Goth. Thats something I love about Welsh, everythings actually real, neebs.

and yeah, to raise a point, how the fuck do the English/Australians and espec. those Americans get through a book like Trainspotting? I can just about manage it as it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My most recent affair was ''If You Liked School..'' which I bought in Bangkok Airport for actually fuck all.

The Cowdenbeath story actually made me piss myself as spent all last year living with a girl from there, who worked in La Ducat and whos ma worked in The Goth. Thats something I love about Welsh, everythings actually real, neebs.

and yeah, to raise a point, how the fuck do the English/Australians and espec. those Americans get through a book like Trainspotting? I can just about manage it as it is.

yer pal's ma probably kens my faither, everybody kens my faither.

and my wee brir.

no my youngest brir though, he's been banned frae the goth fir years.

she'll no ken me though, i moved oot the shitehole years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...