Wesley Willis

Sorry mate i have no idea who he is.

 

Wesley Willis was a great urban artist as well as a very unique song writer, he left an indelible mark on my generation that will never be forgotten. His version of Girls on Film rocked the house as well as Rock n' Roll McDonalds. He sang & created from the heart & will truly be missed.

 

dayam - when did he die?
Truly unique music - not necessarily good. Consider he had a song called "Birdman kicked my ass" and another called "I Whupped Batman's ass."

Holy **** I thought I'd never want to hear another Weslie Willis song again, but I think I might download a couple dozen right now.

 

If you can, pick up a copy the new Texas Monthly with the Daniel Johnston article, reminds me of Weasly's ordeal.

 

RIP

 

08/22/03: Jello Biafra On Wesley Willis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WESLEY WILLIS 1963-2003

A letter from one of his biggest fans, Jello Biafra:

We lost Wesley Willis some time before 9PM Chicago time August 21, 2003. Word is he died peacefully. The likely cause may be heart failure. Wes had been battling leukemia for less than a year. No services are planned as of yet. There will probably be a memorial concert, or at least a gathering in his honor in Chicago in the near future. We will let you know.

Wesley will go down as one of the most unique songwriters and entertainment personalities in history. His music, lyrics, drawings, insight and the way he put them together are like no one else. Ever. There will never be another.

As I got to know Wes, what really struck me was his sheer will power, his unrelenting drive to succeed and over come his horrifically poor background, child abuse, racism, chronic schizophrenia and obesity among other things. He was the most courageous person I have ever known. Yet through it all he had such a deep, all-encompassing love of life. Little things, big things. He loved bus rides. He loved watching trains. He loved writing songs about how much he loved his friends. He loved travelling to new towns so he could headbutt new friends. Is there any band he saw that escaped being in their own song about how much he loved their show? He was so warm, so sweet, so giving. He could be a handful when he came to visit; but as soon as he left, we'd miss him immediately.

As his long time friend Dennis Cooper said, "No More Demons." The voices in Wesley's head can't yell at him and put him down any more.

Wes was deeply religious. He was afraid that if he died he would no longer get to go see bands play. If there is a hereafter I hope he's right up front as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, his beloved Otis Redding and his dear friend Bradley from Sublime "storm the stage" as the crowd "roars like a sea monster." All opening for Wesley, of course.

It will be hard now that he's gone, but I'm not going to let myself stop enjoying the funny stuff, or the look on people's faces when they first hear "Rock n Roll McDonalds," or the memories of the good times and Wesley's many adventures. He wouldn't want it any other way. There are many down times when all I have to do is think of one of Wes's songs, something he said or simply marvel at his Wesley-isms, and the clouds part and a smile comes to my face. I think he does that for a lot of people. He always will.

Rock over London Rock on Chicago

Sail on, Wes. I love you.

Jello Biafra 8-22-03

For more info and MP3's:
http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php?band=wesleywillis

 

http://www.hihowareyou.com

 

I love Wesley Willis. Besides his fun songs, has anyone ever seen his drawings? They were actually really good...

 

He is dead now right? I always thought his songs were so funny.

 

Rockover london, rockon chicago. Blockbuster video. Wow what a difference.

Wesley rules. I have most of his songs. He was a genius. A true original, the likes of which we will never experience again. My favorite song was
The Chicken Cow.

This beast comes out when it is 25 degrees below zero
It can rip your head off
It can fly as high as a bird
It can bite your face

The chicken cow (4X)

This beast killed as many as 100,000 people
It's wings can flap like a bird
It can break a glass
It can also stab you in the ass

The chicken cow (X4)

This beast attacked my brother
It stabbed him in the ass while he was standing in the cold
His hands were frostbitten
His hands were also numb

The chicken cow (X4)

Rock over London!
Rock on Chicago!
Blockbuster Video...Wow, what a difference

 

Yeah his drawings were good. He had an amazing view point.

 

I've always held a bit of a grudge against Mr. Willis. I blew off studying for an exam to see him in concert, sat through the absolute worst opening band in the history of live music, and then Wesley never showed up. To top it off, the club wouldn't refund the entire ticket price so they could "cover the cost of the opening band, which you saw."

In other sad news, the McDonalds corporation has demolished the Rock 'n Roll McDonalds in Chicago to build a retro-modern McDonalds, to open this spring.

Rock over, London,
Rock home, Chicago.
Diet Pepsi, Uh-huh.

 

i would say genius. he supposedly had a photographic memory of sorts; his drawings of chicago city buses were full of detail, down to the bus numbers and whatnot. there has been a bit of medical speculation as to the connectiveness between mental illness and savants (rainman?..).

wesley, if not a genius, was certainly very creative. all of his music & lyrics were composed by him. i hope he wasnt "exploited" by his managers.

on my way to my finance finals at nyu a few years ago, i'd pop in some wesley willis (taste a panda's ass, suck a caribou's d*ck, etc. etc.) to get all riled up. i'd usually listen to one of the Bach goldberg variations in tandem. the chicken cow was also another one of my favorites. have you heard the DJ enuff (i think?) Wesley Willis remix?

one thing i'll regret was that I passed up the opportunity to see wesley in concert here in new york city about 3 years ago. i was busy with my studies at the time, and was living on a student's budget. i would have loved to exchange a headbutt greeting with Wesley. i've heard the wesley willis DVD (available on amazon.com) is really good. it chronicles a day in the life of "the willis." he visits a zoo to get ideas for lyrics.