“Never allow yourself to take a leak in the morning until you’ve written a page. That way you’re guaranteed a page a day, and at the end of a year you have a novel.”

Perfect.
posted by kaibutsu at 1:36 PM on February 18, 2019 [4 favorites]

I love Willeford but have only read Wild Wives and High Priest of California, which were packaged in a single book a few years back.

Am very pleased to discover there's so much more!
posted by chavenet at 2:13 PM on February 18, 2019

"Tougher than woodpecker lips," had me absolutely howling with laughter. On my way to the library right now.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 2:38 PM on February 18, 2019

The Burnt Orange Heresy and Cockfighter both are taut, superb novels. Each gives you a window into a completely different world -- art criticism with The Burnt Orange Heresy and the dying professional cockfighting circuit of the American south in Cockfighter. I've just grabbed Pick-Up, and am really looking forward to diving into it.

I have to admit to not really caring about his detective series, starting with Miami Blues. They receive a lot of praise in the right circles, but always seemed sort of run of the mill to me.
posted by Palindromedary at 3:33 PM on February 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

I have long loved Willeford’s stories and novels, starting, like chavenet,with the High Priest/Wild Wives 2-fer. His stuff is...a highly acidic existentialism? At any rate, I return to it again and again.
posted by Guy Smiley at 5:02 PM on February 18, 2019

I love Willeford's stuff and believe I've read everything. Miami Blues, the film, is also a treat. I once met Fred Ward and ask if he planned any more from the series. He said he bought the rights to them all but no one would greenlight them. Unfortunate. That was probably in 1994.

I believe they tried to make a tv show out of them a few years ago with the actor from Sideways, which I thought terrible casting. Don't think it made it beyond the pilot, but I might have heard that wrong.

They're filming the Burnt Orange Hersey now, with Donald Sutherland.
posted by dobbs at 5:13 PM on February 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

The article's writer mentions Jack Black -- I'd highly recommend his "You Can't Win" to anyone who likes Willeford and anyone who doesn't. Extraordinary book. Just $2 on Kindle. The audiobook is excellent.

And while on the topic of obscure hard-boiled writers, I'll also recommend George V Higgins, Daniel Woodrell, Elliot Chaze, and James Crumley.
posted by dobbs at 5:38 PM on February 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

They're filming the Burnt Orange Hersey now, with Donald Sutherland.

!!!
posted by Guy Smiley at 6:14 PM on February 18, 2019

I have to admit to not really caring about his detective series, starting with Miami Blues. They receive a lot of praise in the right circles, but always seemed sort of run of the mill to me.

I think the Hoke Moseley novels are sort of "writer's novels", in the sense that other writers (especially other crime/detective writers) are thoroughly impressed by the many ways he manages to ignore or warp the conventions of the genre while still writing novels and characters that fit in the genre. A sort of professional admiration, that sometimes might not translate to the readers. YMMV, of course.
posted by soundguy99 at 5:48 AM on February 19, 2019 [1 favorite]

Willeford is among my favorite noir authors, although I agree that his detective stuff is less fun than the genuinely dark stuff.

If you can track down a copy of the 1999 film "The Woman Chaser," you can see Patrick Warburton in one of the few roles that really takes advantage of his talents.

Sadly last I checked it was unavailable to stream and VHS copies were going for more $$$ than I felt like spending.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:19 AM on February 19, 2019

This is an awesome article! It skates over Burnt Orange Heresy but I'd like to reiterate what was said above and also proclaim my love for that book. He's great in general though.

And to add to dobbs' list above: Charles Williams, Frederic Brown, Cornell Woolrich.
posted by wyndham at 6:58 PM on February 20, 2019 [1 favorite]