Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance is a collection of three novellas by Irvine Welsh.
The title refers to an early Rosicrucian pamphlet, entitled The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz.
Stories
Lorraine Goes To Livingston
After suffering a stroke, Rebecca Navarro, a best-selling romance novelist, discovers the truth about her corrupt, pornography-loving husband. With the help of Lorraine, her sexually confused nurse, she plots her revenge.
Another nurse at the hospital, Glen, has been secretly admiring Lorraine but after a night at a club, decides to pursue her friend Yvonne instead. Meanwhile, Glen has been accepting money from Freddy Royle, a necrophiliac TV personality. The hospital trustees turn a blind eye to Freddy's nefarious pastime but have to do some fast talking when the new coroner begins asking questions.
Fortune's Always Hiding
An angry and bitter 'Tenazedrine' (
Thalidomide) victim and her lover seek revenge on the drug's marketing director.
The Undefeated
The longest story,
The Undefeated, presents
slice-of-life episodes from the lives of two
recreational drug users. Lloyd, an aging clubber, begins to question his life and considers the possibility of falling in love. Housewife Heather leaves her
Dire Straits-loving suburban husband and starts a new life amongst the
rave scene, where she meets Lloyd.
'Welsh smoothly demonstrates his belief in the liberating power of dance culture. Most interestingly, he avoids the easy route of claiming utopia. If drugs can liberate you, then they can as easily ruin you.'
Stage adaptation
Soon after publication the book was adapted for the stage. The stage version ultimately inspired the film to be made. In the late nineties the stage toured the UK and Canada.
Film adaptation
In 2008, the film
Ecstasy based on
The Undefeated will be produced. It is a romantic
comedy, set in
Scotland and
Amsterdam. The story was adapted into the play
Ecstasy (by Montreal-based Keith Wyatt) that performed to sold-out audiences and critical acclaim across
Canada and at the
Fringe Festival in
Edinburgh. The film concerns a romance between a young woman dissatisfied with the confines of her suburban life and an aging club-goer. The film, directed by
Rob Heydon featuring
Erica Durance,
Billy Boyd,
Richard E Grant,
Jenni Falconer,
Scott Cleverdon,
Stephen Campbell Moore,
Bill Paterson,
Ewan Stewart,
Stuart McQuarrie,
Gary Lewis,
Colin McCredie,
Karen Dunbar,
Elize du Toit,
Keram Malicki-Sanchez and a cameo with
Howard Marks as a Senior Customs Officier at Edinburgh Airport. The filming will take place in 2008 in the UK and Edinburgh, Scotland. The film is a Canada/UK co-production. Adam Sinclair to star as the lead character, Lloyd.
Cultural reference
The band
My Chemical Romance derived their name from this book.
Mikey Way, the
bassist, saw the book while working at
Barnes & Noble in
New Jersey.
References
External links