Paul Sng’s documentary finds the Trainspotting author as funny, sharp and unrepentant as ever – from boyhood in Leith to globetrotting fame and a hallucinogenic trip in Canada
N
o one would reject the title of national treasure more fiercely, but more good-humouredly, than Irvine Welsh. The brilliant Scottish writer and creator of Trainspotting takes centre-stage in Paul Sng’s documentary with just the same unassumingly athletic ease as in all of his other public appearances. For someone who has done as much drink and drugs and as many late nights as Welsh, he looks very good.
This film is a great way to round off the Edinburgh film festival; Welsh is, after all, Edinburgh’s greatest living public figure. His 60s childhood in Leith and Muirhouse was followed by a spell in London, then twentysomething years back in Edinburgh during the 80s, studying at Heriot-Watt and working for the council, during which time he began to write.
Like many other articles or documentaries about Welsh, this one shows us how he is an inveterate traveller and globetrotter, unselfconsciously having fun in LA and on the international literary festival circuit. It also shows us he is someone who has a passionate love of music and sports, which he quite genuinely regards as equal in his affections to literature. With other writers, Scottish or otherwise, I would regard this as a sneaky affectation, a pose designed to bolster side-hustle gigs in longform journalism. But no, for Welsh it is quite real; we see him playing football (impressively) and working out in a Florida boxing gym (even more impressively), skipping like a prizefighter and sparring. We also see him with third wife Emma Currie, exchanging teasing gags about how posh she is, although he doesn’t talk about his previous two wives.
