There was a time in the 1990s when everybody one met had either read Trainspotting, or was in the process of doing so. It must have been around 1997, just after the film, (based on the book), had been released, and we were all enthralled by the (disturbingly sexy) world of Edinburgh's junkies. So, being a dedicated child of the 90s, I was amongst those who dutifully watched the film, then ran out to read Irvine Welsh's book afterwards.
It has been 15 years since I first read Trainspotting, and Mr Welsh and I have had something of a tumultuous relationship in that time. Safe to say, I'd never quite read anything like his books - the Scottish dialect was near impossible to understand, but oh so satisfying when you caught the rhythm. The subject matter was always so unflinchingly brutal, I was often too in awe to be offended. However, by the early 2000s, the honeymoon was over. I started to find his characters so abhorrent, I wished them (and, in turn, the book) a bloody and quick end. (This is also the problem I have with Christos Tsiolkas, but, perhaps best saved for another time). So, when I saw that Irvine Welsh was doing a reading, and plug for his new book, at the Berlin Literature Festival, I wondered if it was worth the mental energy to try and revive our relationship. I didn't wonder for too long, since, outside of Skype, this was my only opportunity to hear somebody speak in English for longer than three minutes.
Unfortunately an afternoon nap and maintenance on the U2 train line meant I was a few minutes late. Luckily I only missed the introduction (in German), and the reading followed only minutes afterwards. He read well, though his Scottish accent was so thick I began to wonder if it was English I was listening to. I also find the concept of author as performer rather strange. The Q&A however was something of a treat. Welsh had quite a few things to say about the process of writing and why he gets enjoyment out of it. Some of it was banal, but some of it was surprisingly touching. He said, for him, character development was about getting closer to humanity - to understanding how humans tick and behave why we do. Apparently, when he begins creating a character, he determines their humanity by three basic criteria; what they say, what they play and who they lay. Crass, certainly, but, it got me thinking about how this criteria relates to the people in my life. The 'what they say' part is a no-brainer in terms of how a person presents themselves to the world through speech. 'What they play' is a little more interesting. For example, I don't believe I could be friends with a person who got their musical stimulation entirely through listening to the top 40 charts. They could be a very nice person, I'm sure. Just not my type of person. Lastly though; 'who they lay', or more specifically, who are we attracted to and why? Are we partially defined by the type of person we love?
This concept reminded me of a conversation I had with a couple of girlfriends recently. Somehow we'd gotten talking about 'the ideal partner'. One friend summed her ideal up as such; 'he likely wears Blundstone boots, can back a ute and jump a fence with one hand'. Besides being quite funny, it also paints a pretty accurate picture of the sort of person my friend is; she loves being outdoors amongst nature, she's practical, capable and no-nonsense. Just like her ideal partner.
I actually can't remember what my answer to this question was, but, when I think about any recurring characteristics from loves past, I can come up with a few; quick witted, flawed (but with enough insight to be cognisant of those flaws), and usually smokers (two have had the particularly attractive knack of rolling a cigarette while driving a manual car). I'm not sure what the smoking part says about me, (death wish perhaps), but, I like to flatter myself that I've a fairly sharp wit and, though flawed, I at least try to address those flaws and make myself a better human in the process.
So, thanks Irvine for helping me understand humanity a little better. I'm glad we're friends again. I even contributed to your retirement fund by buying your book afterwards - I just hope the characters are saying, playing and laying to my satisfaction.
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