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A great song can inspire you, and a great album can keep you inspired. Today we are lucky. We have a novelist and leader of the rock band, Richmond Fontaine, as our special guest this week. 

In the conclusion of his interview, Willy Vlautin shares the music he listened to while he wrote his first novel, The Motel Life.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog:
You just wrapped up a tour with your band. How do music and writing interact in your brain? Do you have favorite records you listen to while writing? If Motel Life had a soundtrack, what would be the three most key songs?

Willy Vlautin:
Writing music and fiction are two different games for me. Continue reading...

I write best in the morning and usually I try to keep my act together when I'm working on something. I go running, try to take care of myself, I don't drink. I write my best songs at night when my life's sorta falling apart.
 
You know I wrote a whole novel to soundtrack music but it didn't turn out so hot. I had to throw it out.

So I don't let myself listen to music anymore while I write. It sure was fun though. It was a real blast, but the writing was slop--a real consitant sloppy that had never happened before.
 
  A soundtrack to THE MOTEL LIFE would have to be
1) Willie Nelson's  "Railroad Lady"
2) Brenda Lee's "We Three"
3) Calexico's "Sonic Wind"