Thursday, June 4, 2009

That'll Git Yir Mooth Burst, and Quick!

I am currently reading 'Glue' By Irvine Welsh, though he is probably best known for 'Trainspotting' which was made into a film. This book has most of the same crew, but much less heroin. The guys are all pretty young in this book so it probably takes place before all that.

The setting is the projects in Edinburgh, and he writes in dialect. It took a moment for my brain to acclimate. No, honestly- it took me two chapters just to figure out what the hell "fitba" was, relying only on context. Finally, the little cartoon light bulb above my head illuminated: Fit-ba... Football! That makes sense. Of course, it's really what Americans would call soccer, but still. I'm at least in the ball park, so to speak. (What a cheeky cunt.)

So, through this I have discovered that I sort of like my internal voice as a sleazy Scottish youth that calls everyone (even his mates) 'cunts,' drinks lager, and goes to fitba games to start paggers, and looking fir wee lassies to snog. Just the phrase "I'll burst yir mooth" makes the whole thing worthwhile.

Here is a snippet (don't you just hate that word?) from the book. I want you guys to translate some of it. It will be fun.

"Ah cannae stoap takin the blade oot tae look at it. That Friday ah wis tempted tae take it to school, but ah didnae want any mair bother. Ah stick it in the drawer. Ma shouted ays again. Running doon the stairs n ah nearly tripped ower the dug, eh wis jist lyin thaire in ma wey, no movin."

I have two other books by Welsh to read next: 'Filth' and 'Ecstasy.' If you can get through the Scoatish and the 'cunt' this and that, the stories are pretty good. Downright sleazy, but good.

7 comments:

Sultan said...

Welsh was here in Chicago for a while. I used to see him about at the Pubs. Good guy.

Evil Twin's Wife said...

I understand it fine to read it, but if it's a movie, I turn on the subtitles. Yes, they're speaking English, but the accents are so thick I have trouble keeping up! LOL.

Something Happened Somewhere Turning said...

Wehl then yoo mus ury up n finish now, wot with ahl the Filth und Ecstasy u got goen on there in ol Pleasant place. U dont wont to leeve the ole lot of us angin out to dri with ahl the waitin n stuff now doo ya Mary?
I'm ahl anxchez now to hear mor about this fitba.

Sidd said...

LOL. I'm so gonna love this book. Unless the TV will allow subtitles, I can't follow a Scottish movie at all. But the book, now that I could manage.

leighmo said...

Is it bad that I knew exactly what that snipped said? Sometimes I think I grew up on the wrong Island. LOL.

Nicole' Happiness said...

is it digby "the supposed hard cunt" talkin? that movie was great! i have green eyes, i still wait for the ceiling baby every time i do heroin.luv ya murt

Farnnay said...

hahahahha. mary you are hilarious.

anyways, scottish accents are so freaking awesome. that and irish and australian.

i wish i had an accent.

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