Wesley Willis

Wesley Lawrence Willis (May 31, 1963 – August 21, 2003) was an American musician and visual artist. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1989, Willis began a career as an underground singer-songwriter in the outsider music tradition. Willis' songs are typically partially spoken in an MC style, and partially sung in a nasal and out-of-tune manner reminiscent of punk rock vocals. They feature bizarre, humorous and sometimes obscene or absurd lyrics sung over backing created by using the auto accompaniment feature on his Technics KN keyboard. His songs cover a wide variety of topics, with mental illness and consumerism being the most prominent themes.

Willis gained a large cult following in the 1990s, particularly after the release of his 1995 ''Greatest Hits'' album on the Alternative Tentacles label. Jello Biafra compiled the album's track list. In addition to a large body of solo musical work, Willis fronted his own punk rock band, the Wesley Willis Fiasco, during the 1990s. He was a visual artist long before he developed an interest in music, and produced hundreds of intricate, unusual, colored ink-pen drawings, most of them depicting Chicago streetscapes; he frequently sold these on the street for between $20 and $40.

Despite his mainly underground career, Willis has influenced a variety of media. For example, music software company Nullsoft took their slogan "It really whips the llama's ass!" for Winamp from Willis's song "Whip the Llama's Ass".DEMO.MP3 15,592 bytes, 32 kbit/s, 22 kHz, recorded in "1997" "Exclusively for Nullsoft" by JJ McKay. Voice only, no music stinger.

Life and career

Willis was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 31, 1963, to Walter and Annie Willis. He had a brother named Ricky, who is also a disabled artist. According to the ''Los Angeles Times'', "Willis grew up in Chicago's projects as one of 10 children of parents who had a violent relationship and separated when he was young; he spent time in several foster homes and was essentially raised by two older brothers, who went with him from home to home." Willis began hearing voices during a period of living at his mother's home in the 1980s, when her abusive boyfriend Roger Lee Carpenter held a gun to his head and robbed him of $600 Willis had saved. By the end of the 1980s, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and institutionalized for two months after his diagnosis.

During childhood, Willis developed an interest in art, and in 1988, he was featured in a Chicago public access documentary feature created by Carl W. Hart titled ''Wesley Willis: Artist of the Streets''. In ''Artist of the Streets'', he was shown walking through Chicago's Loop neighborhood, producing his ink pen drawings outside of the Marshall Field and Company Building, and interacting with people curious about his art. The drawings typically encompass detailed Chicago streetscapes, including buildings, vehicles, trees, and landmarks. Willis was known for his ability to draw from memory a completely different location than the one in which he was sitting. During his lifetime, he frequently gave his drawings away to friends or sold them for small amounts (typically $10 or $20) in Chicago parks. However, after his death, Willis began to receive recognition in the art community for his large body of visual art. In 2008 his artwork was exhibited at the Mohamed Khalil Museum of Egypt, and he was the subject of a special exhibit entitled ''Drawn By Wesley Willis'' at Dominican University.

In 1991, after befriending some musicians from Chicago's alternative rock scene and recording several solo albums, he formed the punk rock band The Wesley Willis Fiasco. The band developed a popular underground following as well as attention from musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins, Mike D., Jello Biafra, and the members of White Zombie; and soon caught the attention of Rick Rubin at American Recordings, an independent label distributed by Warner Bros. Records. In early 1994, Willis recorded with the Canadian industrial-metal band Monster Voodoo Machine and appeared on their Juno Award-winning debut album ''Suffersystem'' (RCA Records). In 1995, American Recordings signed Willis as a solo musician; the Wesley Willis Fiasco subsequently broke up in 1996. He went on to record numerous solo albums of novelty rock (two for American Recordings and the remainder for several independent labels or recorded, marketed and released independently by Willis himself), toured frequently, and was profiled on MTV. On September 26, 1996, he was a guest on ''The Howard Stern Show'' where he played nearly identical songs about Baba Booey and Howard Stern. During his many tours and live appearances, Willis became "famous for greeting fans with a headbutt"; this left him with a distinctive permanent bruise on his forehead.

Death

On August 21, 2003, Willis died due to complications from chronic myelogenous leukemia in Skokie, Illinois.

Legacy

In 2013, a supporting character named Milan was introduced for the ongoing ''Wonder Woman'' comic. A blind demigod with the power of far-sight and half-brother to Wonder Woman, his physical appearance and mannerisms are based on Wesley Willis.

Willis has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis", according to journalist Steve Marsh.

Willis is referenced on the song "Get Famous" by American indie rock band The Mountain Goats, released on September 14, 2020, with the line "Wesley Willis taught me how to write about you". The song references themes of fame and the exploitation and downfall of those who achieve it.

Song structure and themes

"Hellride" was the term used by Willis to describe his encounters with "demons" (delusions brought on by schizophrenia), which occurred mainly on the CTA bus lines in Chicago. According to Willis, his demons were trying to ruin his "Harmony Joy Music" or "Joy Rides".

The Wesley Willis Fiasco songs were punk rock songs with Willis howling his obscene, absurd rants as lyrics. The band recorded three cover songs, including of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak".

As a solo artist, Willis filled his albums with funny, bizarre, tense, and often obscene statements about crime, fast food, cultural trends, bus routes, violent confrontations with superheroes, and commands for his "demons" to engage in bestiality (in ''The Daddy of Rock 'n' Roll'', Willis explained that these songs would "gross out" the demons enough to make them leave him alone).

Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that despite Willis' prolific output his songs were essentially variations on the same simple structure, melody and lyrical themes. He also questioned record company motives for releasing albums by Willis: "It's certainly admirable that Willis has decided to not be tied down by his schizophrenia, but it often seems that his audience is laughing at him, not with him." Erlewine also wrote that listening to a Willis record felt "exploitive".

Partial discography

The only records from Willis that were professionally released for download or streaming are ''Greatest Hits'' (Vol. 1-3), ''Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die'', and ''Rock Power''.
* 1994 ''Radiohead''
* 1994 ''Double Door''
* 1994 ''Machine Gun Kelly''
* 1994 ''Mr. Magoo Goes to Jail''
* 1994 ''Prisonshake''
* 1994 ''Rev Norb #1''
* 1994 ''Reverent Norb No. 2''
* 1995 ''Atomic Records''
* 1995 ''Delilah's''
* 1995 ''Drag Disharmony Hellride''
* 1995 ''Fireman Rick''
* 1995 ''Greatest Hits''
* 1995 ''Jason Rau''
* 1995 ''Rock Power''
* 1995 ''Tammy Smith''
* 1995 ''Never Love A Fish''
* 1995 ''Dr. Wax''
* 1995 ''Wesley Willis'' (Fuse Records)
* 1995 ''Daren Hacker'' (Wesley Willis Records)
* 1995 ''Wesley Willis'' (Alternative Tentacles)
* 1996 '' Spookydisharmoniousconflicthellride'' (with the Wesley Willis Fiasco) (Urban Legends Records)
* 1996 ''Mr. Magoo Goes to Jail Vol. 1''
* 1996 ''Mr. Magoo Goes to Jail Vol. 2''
* 1996 ''Mr. Magoo Goes to Jail Vol. 3''
* 1996 ''New York New York''
* 1996 ''Fabian Road Warrior'' ( American Recordings)
* 1996 ''Feel the Power'' (American Recordings)
* 1996 '' Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die'' ( Oglio Records)
* 1996 ''Black Light Diner''
* 1997 ''Metal Clink Punishment Jail''
* 1998 ''Rock 'N' Roll Jackflash''
* 1998 ''SMD Promotions''
* 1999 ''Dead End Street''
* 1999 ''Greatest Hits Vol. 2'' (Alternative Tentacles)
* 1999 ''Silver Fish Sea World''
* 2000 ''Guitar Rock of Ages''
* 2000 ''Shake Your Piggy Bank'' (Coldfront Records)
* 2000 ''Joe Hunter'' (Wesley Willis Records)
* 2000 ''Joe Hunter #2''
* 2000 ''Never Kill an Ape'' (Wesley Willis Records)
* 2000 ''Rush Hour'' (Alternative Tentacles)
* 2001 ''ASCAP''
* 2001 ''Fool's Gold''
* 2001 ''Torture Demon Hellride''
* 2001 ''Full Heavy Metal Jacket''
* 2001 ''Live EP'' (with the Wesley Willis Fiasco) ( Cornerstone R.A.S.)
* 2001 ''North Carolina Highway Patrol'' (Wesley Willis Records)
* 2003 ''Greatest Hits Vol. 3'' (Alternative Tentacles)

References

External links

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Wesley Willis Art (archive)
drawings by Willis of scenes in Chicago

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Wesley
1963 births
2003 deaths
20th-century African-American male singers
21st-century African-American male singers
African-American Christians
African-American male singer-songwriters
African-American rock musicians
Alternative Tentacles artists
American alternative rock musicians
American electronic musicians
American punk rock singers
American rock keyboardists
American street performers
artists with disabilities
culture of Chicago
deaths from cancer in Illinois
deaths from leukemia
Outsider artists
Outsider musicians
people with schizophrenia
singer-songwriters from Illinois
singers from Chicago