Before he was famous, Irvine Welsh lived it large and for years Sandy Macnair was his wingman. Welsh was the restless instigator, looking for excitement, desperate to escape the tedium of a humdrum life. And Sandy was there to help pick up the pieces when it all went wrong. This is the real-life rollercoaster ride that set the scene for some of Welsh’s most iconic work – before Trainspotting changed everything. As they gallivanted round Britain, from Edinburgh to York and Glastonbury to London, Irvine and Sandy left a trail of destruction as they dodged the polis, the courts and endless radges, not always successfully. They climbed the fountain in Trafalgar Square, joined in the riots at Wapping and drank like they had a death wish. And along the road there was the real Begbie, the original Gorgie/Dalry Oyster Bar, ugly confrontations with Hearts fans, crazed motorcycle gangs, close encounters with smacked-out hookers, gin-soaked lesbians and even more polis.