Rebel Inc. (magazine)
Rebel Inc. was an iconic Scots publisher and literary journal, founded by Kevin Williamson in 1992 with the upfront but accurate slogan of "F*** the Mainstream!". It adroitly managed to tap into the darker undercurrent of Scottish society in the post-Thatcher era, capturing its counter-cultural rejection of mainstream values in its ethos.
In 1996, following the success of Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, Rebel Inc. was incorporated into the Canongate Books stable of independent publishers. A steady stream of eclectic but edgy releases then ensued, with out-of-print editions by the likes of Alexander Trocchi and Sadegh Hedayat, themselves substantially influential on many of the recent darker Scots authors like Welsh and Alan Warner. It also brought on a new generation of foreign writers such as Joel Rose and Ray Loriga, who shared its outlook nonetheless.
Williamson currently acts as the Scottish Socialist Party spokesperson on drug issues and has also stood as a candidate for the party in several elections. He has a regular column, 'Rebel Ink' in the party's weekly newspaper, the Scottish Socialist Voice.