With a new documentary, Reality Is Not Enough, and another book on the way, Irvine Welsh is as restless and prolific as ever. The Trainspotting author talks about writing, music, and why he still doesn’t think of himself as having a legacy.

Documentary film Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough is currently in UK cinemas. The subject of the film by award-winning director Paul Sng is as busy as he has ever been with another new book on the way and appearances at book, film and music festivals in the post - including Aye Write in Glasgow.

The framing of the documentary allows Irvine to wander through his past, an examination of his childhood in Edinburgh, the influences he gained amongst 70s London counterculture, the impact that the success of Trainspotting and Filth had on him on a personal level, his journey through many places to ultimately return home.

The film is punctuated by readings from his novels narrated by Liam Neeson, Maxine Peake, Nick Cave, Ruth Negga and Stephen Graham.

Irvine Welsh was born in Edinburgh in 1958 and grew up on the Muirhouse housing estate in the West of Edinburgh. After moving to London in the late '70s, he spent ten years dabbling in punk rock before returning to Scotland at the end of the '80s, where he worked for Edinburgh Council, completed an MBA at Heriot-Watt University and started to write.

Welsh’s first novel, Trainspotting, was published in 1993 and became a cultural phenomenon across the world. A harrowing and bleakly hilarious tale of the life and adventures of heroin addict Mark Renton and his band of friends, Begbie, Spud and Sick Boy. The book is widely acknowledged as a work of enormous power and resonance, going far beyond the parochial confines of its fictional world to address universal themes, articulated in a raw, untamed voice that was entirely new to English literature.

Trainspotting and follow-on book, Porno, were adapted into a pair of successful films directed by Danny Boyle. His books have sold in the millions, been translated into more than 30 languages and adapted in a range of acclaimed films and TV dramas.

For an episode of The Glasgow Podcast, we travelled to Edinburgh to meet the author. You can listen to the full interview above.

In the new documentary, you say you’re trying to make sense of yourself and the world. How’s that going?

“Not great. It’s a paint-the-Forth-Road-Bridge type of job to try and make sense of the world now. And to try and make sense of yourself is never particularly a good move. But I did see it as part of embarking on that process.”

The film feels very natural, almost like a meander through your life.

“Paul [the director] is a friend, so there was a lot of trust. He was able to convince me to do quite a more intimate documentary. He said, ‘Just say what you want to say and do what you want to do.’ I liked that. He set up the framing device with the DMT thing in Toronto, but the rest was naturalistic.”

You are at a stage in your career where you don’t need to work, but you are busier than ever.

“I don’t really see it as work. I see it as play. I think of myself as having retired 30 years ago just to indulge my hobbies. I get excited by conversations, by what’s going on around me. For me, the whole process of writing fiction is about trying to understand yourself in the world, how it’s all coming together - or falling apart.”

How much does Edinburgh and Scotland still fuel your writing?

“It is everything. Every writer is formed by childhood and early adult experiences. That really defines you. My next book is set in Vegas with American characters, but it’s still propelled by that bedrock of where I’m from. Even when I’m observing people in Vegas, the powerhouse of it is still Leith.”

You’ve lived all over the world. How important is it to stay connected to your old pals and roots?

“Sometimes I’ve tried to get rid of them. [Laughs] But it is important. I’ve never felt like I was running away from where I came from – just curious about what was around the corner. I’ve always liked where I came from, always liked my family and close friends. I’ve never seen any reason not to be connected to them. Why would I not?”

Looking back through the lens of the film, what did you learn about yourself?

“It made me think about how you perceive time. You get older, you change, but time also moves through you. When I step off the train at Waverley, there’s all this familiarity – but little differences too. It feels like a tableau of being on drugs: it’s the same, it’s different, it’s the same, it’s different.”

You’ve gone from the ‘punky upstart’ to being considered a literary elder statesman. How does that sit with you?

“Going from enfante terrible to national treasure in about two weeks. But I’ve never been self-conscious about anything – I’ve just steamed in and lived in the moment. That’s served me well. I don’t perceive myself as having a legacy or status. What matters is the thing I’m working on right now. Once it’s done, you give it away and move on. That blank page is the freedom.”

Trainspotting keeps finding new readers. Does it surprise you?

“Every five years or so, a whole new bunch of kids discover it. It’s become like a rite-of-passage book, the way On the Road was for us. That’s fabulous for me. But once it’s out there, it’s out there. Maybe I’ll start demanding a Rolls Royce up to the book fair! [Laughs]”

Music is still a huge part of your life. How does it sit alongside writing?

“You’re supposed to give it up when you’re young, but it’s gone the other way for me. I’m more obsessed with dance music now than ever. We started a record label a few years ago, I’m still DJing. At the weekend, tomorrow, next week. With writing you wait years for feedback, but with DJing it’s instant. People are either into it or they go for a pint. That buzz is a brilliant counterbalance.”

Underworld’s Born Slippy has become synonymous with you and Trainspotting. What’s it like having a theme song?

“When Oasis played Murrayfield, I didn’t know they were going to open with Born Slippy. People around me started looking and I thought I was incognito. Afterwards I texted Noel, and he said the whole thing went off brilliantly – from Born Slippy to the fireworks. That was very generous of him, to think of that as part of the whole spectacle.”

You’ve worked a lot in Glasgow. What are your favourite places there?

“SWG3 is just a brilliant space for the city. Back in the day, the Arches was legendary, and of course the Sub Club – you can only be in the Sub Club when you’re in the Sub Club. The Horseshoe is one of my favourite pubs in the world, and the Variety Bar too. It’s a fabulous city.”