Last night, I went to see "How Late It Was, How Late," a "piss-and-vinegar"-fueled show, with bombastic AV to back up its brilliant lead actor. The Rude Mechs, an Austin-based group, eked humor out of a desperate situation, and followed an anti-hero from Scotland to Texas. I thought that the group's tempering of their audio-visual assault with the unquestionable humanity of Sammy was very impressive.

The show dealt with the archetype of the anti-hero, the star of the American West. This, and the fact that the show was set up as a series of vignettes, got my friend to start thinking about Scottish fiction. In his experience, several contemporary Scottish novels, including "Porno" by the author of "Trainspotting," weave in and out of snapshots in time, and rely on the anti-hero to carry the tale. Has anyone seen any contemporary Scottish plays (or been to Edinburgh recently)? How have they been structured? What are their themes? If they fall into place with what I've described, why would that mode be popular in Scotland right now? Do you think it might have to do with the alienation/individualism associated with the house/techno/drum 'n' bass dance culture?

What about anti-heros of earlier European fiction/poetry/plays? Were the Rude Mechs referencing an American tradition that originated in the "old world," or do you think that the individualism born of open land was a uniquely American backlash against European community-oriented living? Has anyone else seen the show? If so, what did you think?