In
reply to one of Irvine Welsh’s retweets pertaining to “Mike Hunt’s Wholesale
Cars”, my reply was met with a “favourite” by a chap named Escobar Walker. My
first “favourite” on Twitter, to be precise.
Now,
as this inaugural milestone came to pass, I decided to do some reconnaissance
on the individual of this timely digital nod in my direction. This Escobar
Walker character. To say I was pleasantly surprised was understated. The bloke was an author! Furthermore, his
books were released electronically!
As
an aspiring eBook story teller/satirist, I appeared to have stumbled upon
common ground. On bloody Twitter! Who would’ve thought? Escobar Walker was and
still is streets ahead of my dream, though. He’s sold over 7,500 copies of his
first novel, Bowling Ball, for a start. Suffice to
say, I jumped onto iTunes and procured myself a copy, along with Sideway Movers; his second oeuvre.
This
is the beauty of eBooks. I’m certain Bowling
Ball wouldn’t have passed the gate keepers of the “big five” publishers.
That’s what makes Bowling Ball all
the more awesome! It’s close to Irvine Welsh, no doubt. I’d go as far to say
that Bowling Ball may even be cruder
than its forefather and that takes
some doing; coffee tables (not involving the late Don Lane) and public urinals.
I say no more.
People
will lament over the typos and grammar of Bowling
Ball, but all told, the story is so side splittingly hilarious that any
qualms over anything else prove trivial. From Chaz Nisbet selling Delonghi
Toasters and having a sidekick occupying taxi boots to rob customers of
personal effects, to Alan Dempster cunningly scouring for every pint consumed
like a miser shit house rat, dare I say this is not a journey for the faint
hearted. A patent head jerker for the bleeding heart liberal. That’s fine,
though. Close to the bone stiff upper lip satire is the best and
personally, my favourite! It’s the best because it breeds reality and Bowling Ball is full of that.
Sideways Movers is a ‘mature’ second
effort, and although perhaps not as comical, its execution transcends its
predecessor. It’s more of a novel and less like a bunch of short stories
cobbled together, which some may accuse Bowling
Ball of. Personally, though, I like the haphazardness of Bowling Ball. Perhaps it can be classed
as an accidental work of art; a mere stagger upon social consciousness.
I’m
sure the bourgeois will have their say on the matter, with the same lines once
again trotted out. The “anti-literature” tag, or “art for the lower social
deck” pompous noise. These are nothing more than ridiculous slogans of shallow
superiority.
As
for the high-brow, pessimistic eBook detractor? No doubt Alan Dempster will be
seen as Mark Renton, Ronnie Nisbet as Sickboy while his sociopath brother,
Chaz, as Francis Begbie. Pastiche is fine, though. Pastiche, for me, is refinement.
It’s simple. The world needs more slash and burn literature. It’s a must
for our cultural dietary requirement. Such art form can close the gap between
those who don’t possess a qualification etched on a piece of fucking paper and those who do. It
can bridge the gap for those feeling disenchanted because they couldn’t afford to
go to university and had to settle for a dead end nine-to-five job. It’s an art
form for the blue collar worker and that’s
important. It can perhaps help break the boundaries of these ridiculous social
classes that perpetuate throughout generations.
I’m
not sure whether Escobar Walker knows just how important his work is, but believe me, it most certainly is. I can’t wait
for the next instalment.
By Simon K.
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