Skagboys

Title: Skagboys
Author: Irvine Welsh
Published: 2013 by Vintage, originally in 2012.
Genre: Drug drug druggy fiction
Pages: 548


The amazing time-traveling paperback! According to Amazon, this puppy don't come out till April 11th, but here we are. All read. Honestly, I didn't even know Welsh was writing a prequel to Trainspotting until I saw this sitting on the bookshop shelves. Christmas came early this year!

Prequel to Trainspotting? Really?! Fuck the hell yes! It's the early 1980's, and the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Alison are just discovering heroin. Some friends of theirs, like the already psychotic Begbie and sporty Tommy don't care for the drugs, but they have their own worries in a time when unemployment numbers are rising to record heights. With nothing else to do, it's easy to turn to drugs. Or violence. Or both.

I could go on and on about how barry it was to read about some of my favourite characters again, even though the thick Scottish accent gave me trouble in the beginning, but I think I'll just quote one of the comments from Mr. Welsh's Facebook page... "Skagboys is ace as tits" - Barry

Going to have to put Trainspotting and Porno on top of the Want To Read Again -pile. 


   Renton appears tae consider this for a bit. He's daein the junky pose wi his airms wrapped around himself even though it isnae cauld. Skaggy fucker will draw mair polis heat than Nicksy, rattling away like that in public, and in front ay a copper. - Does it? Get easier, I mean, he asks urgently.
   The cop shakes his heid. - Does it fuck; it gets bleedin worse. All that happens is that the expectations you have of life fall. You just get used to all the shit.
   Renton looks as perturbed as ah feel, and we gaze at each other and realise that the cop isnae fucking joking. Ah think about poor Spud. Renton looks starkly at Bacon boy. - What if ye don't get used to it, what it ye can't get used to it?
   The copper looks back up tae the flats, shrugs his shoulders and curls his bottom lip doon. - Well, that window's still gonna be there. 

Everything

Title: Everything (a book about Manic Street Preachers)
Author: Simon Price
Published: Umm... good question. Doesn't really say... 1999!
Genre: Music biography
Pages: 265, + discography, list of websites, and index.


I'm still stuck in the Manics-groove (I quite like it here...), and bought and read this as well. Everything (a boastful, yet quite accurate title) tells the story of the Welsh band Manic Street Preachers, all the way from their bored childhoods to the publication of their 1998 album This is my truth tell me yours. There's your basic history, some interviews (snips and whole ones), plenty of photographs and even analytical essays on all of the members, the fans and other important aspects. Like hoovering. There's also a lot of commentary and backgound on the albums and songs, which is always interesting to read.

For most of it, Mr. Price was there for the ride, and the rest of the info comes from other sources. It's not the whole truth, it's not the complete truth, but it is his truth. And it's written so that, whenever I thought to put the book down, I was always tempted (unless I had to get off a bus or go back to work) to read juuust one more paragraph. Chapter? Five more minutes!

An interesting book on one of the most interesting bands out there.


(From interview with Steve Lamacq)
RE: 'Because when you're at school, you're led to believe that music is going to change your life, you hope a band's gonna reflect the way you feel, and they don't. All they do is just reduce you to a shit second gear.'
NW: 'You do get this feeling of total depression. And there's nothing you can do to control it, to smash your walls. And that's what we're trying to articulate.'
SL: 'You couldn't find that in any music, any album?'
JDB: 'In each other. It sounds a bit soppy, but...'
NW: 'We really do love each other.'
SL: 'So what would you say your chief motivation is?'
RE: 'To write music, obviously, and to make people address issues that are really important.'
NW: 'But James wants to write brilliant songs anyway. He's a talented person.'
JDB: 'I just want to create the greatest record ever... boring old tepid muso, aren't I?'
RE: 'It's really hard for us to convince you... that we're for real.'

(RE = Richey Edwards, NW = Nicky Wire, JDB = James Dean Bradfield)