Porno is a novel by
Irvine Welsh. Most people remember
Trainspotting, the movie. It was based on Welsh's book and Porno continues the story. We
meet Sick Boy, Renton, Spud and Begbie ten years after. A new character
Nikki Fuller-Smith is introduced and we may also spot some minor
characters like Juice Terry Lawson and Rab Birrell from the book
Glue. The
style is familiar from Trainspotting. The story is carried out through the
eyes of Sicky, Nikki, Rents,
Scruffy Murphy and Beggars.
Simon D Williamson
SDW has been hustling in London. The scams are not paying off and when his
aunt offers him a pub in Leith his business instincts spring to life.
Leith is living a period of transition and Simon sees the opportunity.
However, before that you need to get your living from porno movie and drug
dealing. Cocaine is the drug of choice today. He hasn't change a bit:
"Fuck that all. There are two categories. Category one: me. Category two:
rest of the world." So full of himself, Simon directs an adult
entertainment movie with his local crew and funds the movie with a
marvellous credit card scam causing many unhappy faces at Ibrox stadium,
Glasgow. The soap-dodgers pay him off to Cannes Adult Film Festival and
the brilliant future is just about to start.
Nikki Fuller-Smith
25yo extremely good looking student bird with a low self-esteem. She
compares herself continuously to women on the cover of men's magazines.
The bitch with an eating disorder works in a sauna and ends up with Simon
and becomes the pornstar in his movie. Ms Fuller-Shit could be an ideal partner for Sicky but "it's all just game".
Mark Renton
Ten years ago, Renton took the money and flew to Amsterdam. He set up a
club with couple of mates. Life was okay but something was missing. Rent
Boy needed a change. The change came in a form of Simon Williamson. Sick
Boy had a holiday in Dam and pumped into Rents. After they set the records
straight Renton became a partner in making the movie. But in the end
there's a flashback from Trainspotting when Rents, a thieving cunt he is,
takes the money and heads at San Francisco with his refound love Dianne.
The lesson to learn is that Sick Boy involves too much of his personality
in scams, making them art. Rent Boy is much more efficient and when
there's an opportunity you simply have to take the money and run.
Spud
Ah cannae believe it, man. Ah'm writing this history of Leith because,
likesay, they othir cats have made it aw wrong, ken. Leith is aboot
working class and cats like us. Ah nivir was the man
of letters, mind you, but this needs to be done or ah nivir git Ali and wee man Andy, our bairn, back togithir. Aye, ah'm off the gear but
there's still plenty of drugs aroond, man.
Begbie
Ah'm free! Aw ah need is a fuckin ride, ya cunts! Those fuckin buftie boys
videos some sick cunt sent us when ah was in the nick makes ma heid nippin. Some
cunt will pay for thit, ah tells ye! Eftirnoon there's a caird school
and they mates better fuckin be there or they'll git their fuckin mouth
burst. Some fuckin mates!
As you can see, the book is merely exploitation of characters of
Trainspotting. Everything that has changed is that they are not really into
junk anymore but new drugs are around. Simon as a central character is
written well and it's quite intriguing be inside his head. Nikki is not
too bad either althought she repeats herself too much. I would like to
have seen more from Spud because it was interesting to see him to try his
best which is not a much. Spud is so contradictory in a sense being a
kind person but at the same time a hopeless junky. Renton is pure
sidekick. Welsh needed a thief, he got a thief. It seems like merely the
lazyness or lack of ideas by the author dropped Rents into a minor role.
Rent Boy could have become a character who mirrors the people he's in
contact with. We may hear more but. And finally Begbie is even more
violent and paranoid
than he used to be. Total exhaustion starts to bug soon unless you
really like random acts of violence.
I cannot recommend this book for those who are not familiar with Welsh. They should open up the books like Trainspotting or Glue first. A
devoted fan cannot miss this and she's not likely to be disappointed. The
rest of us should wait for something better.