I'd always liked to read, but when I picked up books I wasn't getting the same kind of excitement from them that I was from going out clubbing. I wanted to get the same kind of feel.

He generally ignores the traditional conventions of literary Scots used for example by Allan Ramsay Robert Fergusson Robert Burns Robert Louis Stevenson and James Orr. Trainspotting Marabou Filth and Ecstasy. Welsh has directed several short films for bands.

He has also written plays screenplays and directed several short films. Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist playwright and short story writer.