Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Yesterday, on the BBC World Service's Hardtalk program(me), Irvine Welsh was interviewed. It can be found here for streaming: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02pw672

Description:

Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to a novelist whose fictional world is filled with drugs, sex, sleaze and alienation. Scottish writer Irvine Welsh draws deeply flawed characters and makes them entertaining and all too human. His first bestseller was Trainspotting, a tale of heroin ravaged youths from the wrong side of Edinburgh’s tracks. His latest book returns to the same turf. He now lives most of his life in the US, so how come his imagination is still so heavily stirred by Scotland and his working-class roots?

List Author Irvine Welsh was on BBC Radio 4 yesterday.

The Thought Chamber.
Irvine Welsh

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tzdy8

Description:

The Thought Chamber is a room devoid of light and sound, where a guest is left on their own for up to an hour. During that time, they are asked to vocalise the thoughts that come into their head, resulting in a snapshot of the inner workings of their mind.

In many ways, the results are much more revealing than a traditional interview, as no one can anticipate the subject matters or the direction of where the mind is going. We hear memories, fears, concerns, ambitions, insights, dreams, fantasies - as well as the day-to-day mundane problems that everyone faces.

One minute the guest may be dreaming about flying around the universe - the next he or she is worrying about what to get the kids for tea tonight.

There's no script, no questions, no stimulus - just the random workings of the brain.

Guests during the series include: award winning artist Grayson Perry; scientist and presenter of The Sky at Night, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; and musician and drummer from Radiohead, Phillip Selway.

Presented by Sian Williams

Producer: Mark Sharman
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.

Irvine Welsh was one of the guests on BBC Radio 3's The Verb program last Friday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05w8137

Description:

The Verb is at the Hay Festival.

Ian McMillan's guests in Hay-on-Wye include Stephen Fry, who is the president of the festival. Stephen recently published the third volume of his autobiography More Fool Me (Penguin). For The Verb, he will be talking about his love of U.A. Fanthorpe.

The novelist Irvine Welsh's latest book is A Decent Ride (Vintage), which brings back the character of 'Juice' Terry Lawson from his 2002 novel Glue. 'A Decent Ride' has been shortlisted for the 2015 Wodehouse prize for comic fiction.

The award-winning biographer Daisy Hay describes the relationship between Benjamin and Mary Anne Disraeli in her new book Mr and Mrs Disraeli: A Strange Romance (Chatto).

There's music from home-grown country talent Sasha McVeigh, who returns to her home town fresh from Nashville where she recorded her debut album 'I Stand Alone'.

Producer: Faith Lawrence

Part of Radio 3's week-long residency at the Hay Festival, with programmes CD Review, Lunchtime Concert, In Tune, Free Thinking, The Essay and World on 3 all broadcasting from the festival.