Willy Vlautin
Encyclopedia
Willy Vlautin is a U.S. author and the lead singer and songwriter of Portland, Oregon band Richmond Fontaine
. Born and raised in Reno
, Nevada
, he has released eight albums since the late nineties with his band while he has written three novels, The Motel Life
, Northline and Lean on Pete.
is an alt.country band that is consistently recognized for Vlautin's rich lyrics. They have recorded eight albums and toured extensively in Europe, where they have a particularly strong following, as well as in Australia and the US.
Working as both a songwriter and novelist provides Vlautin with a mechanism to develop the same characters and situations in both songs and his books. The main protagonist in Northline (itself a song from Richmond Fontaine's Winnemucca album) is Allison Johnson. Allison Johnson was the title of a song on their Post to Wire album. Some of the references in his lyrics also persist across albums, such as Reno's Fitzgerald Hotel. Mentioned on Post to Wire, it became the title of the next album, The Fitzgerald.
was well received. It was an editor's choice in the New York Times Book Review and named one of the top 25 books of the year by the Washington Post. Polsky Films is working on the film version of The Motel Life, starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning and Kris Kristofferson. It is due out in 2012.
His second, Northline was also critically hailed, and Vlautin was declared an important new American literary realist. Famed writer George Pelecanos
stated that Northline was his favorite book of the decade. The first edition of this novel came with an original instrumental soundtrack performed by Vlautin and longtime bandmate Paul Brainard.
In 2008 Vlautin released his first spoken word CD, A Jockey's Christmas. It's the tragic black comedy tale of an overweight, alcoholic jockey who goes home for the holidays.
Vlautin's latest novel, Lean on Pete, is the story of a 15 year old boy who works and lives on a rundown race track in Portland, Oregon and befriends a failed race horse named Lean on Pete. The Sunday Herald stated, "Lean on Pete confirms his status as one of the most emotionally charged writers in America..." Eileen Battersby of the Irish Times stated “As one boy’s journey, Lean on Pete is as real as blood: as a novel it is remarkable. Willy Vlautin, romantic and realist, has written something special that will make you shudder, weep, rage and wonder at how such things happen and do, and how some individuals such as Charley can suffer them, absorb the grief, and somehow survive. How good is contemporary US fiction? This good: catch your breath good.” Cheryl Strayed, The Oregonian states “By the time ‘Lean on Pete’ reaches its sweet but unsentimental end, Charley Thompson isn’t a character in a novel, but a boy readers have come to love. ‘Lean on Pete’ riveted me. Reading it, I was heartbroken and moved; enthralled and convinced. This is serious American literature." Lean on Pete won two Oregon Book Awards: the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction and the Peoples Choice Award.
As a novelist, Vlautin has cited writers such as John Steinbeck
, Raymond Carver
, Barry Gifford
, and William Kennedy
as influences. As a songwriter, he has cited Tom Waits
, Shane McGowan, John Doe
, and Australian musician Paul Kelly
as influences. HIs writing is highly evocative of the American West; all three of his novels being set in and around Oregon
, Nevada
and New Mexico
. HIs books explore the circumstances and relationships of people near the bottom of America's social and economic spectrum, itinerant, and often ailed by alcohol addiction.
Richmond Fontaine
-History:Formed in 1994, Richmond Fontaine started touring the Pacific Northwest live circuit to support their first three albums released on Cavity Search Records. Gradually gaining attention in the UK and Europe the band began regularly touring there. Most of the core musicians and producer JD...
. Born and raised in Reno
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, he has released eight albums since the late nineties with his band while he has written three novels, The Motel Life
The Motel Life
The Motel Life is the debut novel by musician and writer Willy Vlautin. It tells the story of two brothers from Reno, Nevada whose lives are thrown into turmoil following a tragic accident. It is currently being made into a movie, starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, and Dakota Fanning. It is in...
, Northline and Lean on Pete.
Music
Richmond FontaineRichmond Fontaine
-History:Formed in 1994, Richmond Fontaine started touring the Pacific Northwest live circuit to support their first three albums released on Cavity Search Records. Gradually gaining attention in the UK and Europe the band began regularly touring there. Most of the core musicians and producer JD...
is an alt.country band that is consistently recognized for Vlautin's rich lyrics. They have recorded eight albums and toured extensively in Europe, where they have a particularly strong following, as well as in Australia and the US.
Working as both a songwriter and novelist provides Vlautin with a mechanism to develop the same characters and situations in both songs and his books. The main protagonist in Northline (itself a song from Richmond Fontaine's Winnemucca album) is Allison Johnson. Allison Johnson was the title of a song on their Post to Wire album. Some of the references in his lyrics also persist across albums, such as Reno's Fitzgerald Hotel. Mentioned on Post to Wire, it became the title of the next album, The Fitzgerald.
Writing
Published in the US, several European and Asian countries, Vlautin's first book, The Motel LifeThe Motel Life
The Motel Life is the debut novel by musician and writer Willy Vlautin. It tells the story of two brothers from Reno, Nevada whose lives are thrown into turmoil following a tragic accident. It is currently being made into a movie, starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, and Dakota Fanning. It is in...
was well received. It was an editor's choice in the New York Times Book Review and named one of the top 25 books of the year by the Washington Post. Polsky Films is working on the film version of The Motel Life, starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning and Kris Kristofferson. It is due out in 2012.
His second, Northline was also critically hailed, and Vlautin was declared an important new American literary realist. Famed writer George Pelecanos
George Pelecanos
George P. Pelecanos is a Greek-American author. Many of his works are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writer...
stated that Northline was his favorite book of the decade. The first edition of this novel came with an original instrumental soundtrack performed by Vlautin and longtime bandmate Paul Brainard.
In 2008 Vlautin released his first spoken word CD, A Jockey's Christmas. It's the tragic black comedy tale of an overweight, alcoholic jockey who goes home for the holidays.
Vlautin's latest novel, Lean on Pete, is the story of a 15 year old boy who works and lives on a rundown race track in Portland, Oregon and befriends a failed race horse named Lean on Pete. The Sunday Herald stated, "Lean on Pete confirms his status as one of the most emotionally charged writers in America..." Eileen Battersby of the Irish Times stated “As one boy’s journey, Lean on Pete is as real as blood: as a novel it is remarkable. Willy Vlautin, romantic and realist, has written something special that will make you shudder, weep, rage and wonder at how such things happen and do, and how some individuals such as Charley can suffer them, absorb the grief, and somehow survive. How good is contemporary US fiction? This good: catch your breath good.” Cheryl Strayed, The Oregonian states “By the time ‘Lean on Pete’ reaches its sweet but unsentimental end, Charley Thompson isn’t a character in a novel, but a boy readers have come to love. ‘Lean on Pete’ riveted me. Reading it, I was heartbroken and moved; enthralled and convinced. This is serious American literature." Lean on Pete won two Oregon Book Awards: the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction and the Peoples Choice Award.
As a novelist, Vlautin has cited writers such as John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
, Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
, Barry Gifford
Barry Gifford
Barry Gifford is an American author, poet, and screenwriter known for his distinctive mix of American landscapes and film noir- and Beat Generation-influenced literary madness....
, and William Kennedy
William Kennedy
William Kennedy may refer to:* William Kennedy , Canadian sailor and part of the search for Sir John Franklin* William Kennedy , British admiral...
as influences. As a songwriter, he has cited Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, Shane McGowan, John Doe
John Doe
The name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name in a legal action, case or discussion for a male party, whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown...
, and Australian musician Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
as influences. HIs writing is highly evocative of the American West; all three of his novels being set in and around Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. HIs books explore the circumstances and relationships of people near the bottom of America's social and economic spectrum, itinerant, and often ailed by alcohol addiction.
Selected bibliography
- The Motel LifeThe Motel LifeThe Motel Life is the debut novel by musician and writer Willy Vlautin. It tells the story of two brothers from Reno, Nevada whose lives are thrown into turmoil following a tragic accident. It is currently being made into a movie, starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, and Dakota Fanning. It is in...
(2005) - Northline (2008)
- Lean on Pete (2010)