Wesley Willis

Wesley Willis
Willis in October 2000
Willis in October 2000
Background information
Birth nameWesley Lawrence Willis
Born(1963-05-31)May 31, 1963
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedAugust 21, 2003(2003-08-21) (aged 40)
Skokie, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • guitar
Years active
  • 1976–2003 (as artist)
  • 1989–2003 (as musician)
Labels
Formerly of
WebsiteWesley Willis on Alternative Tentacles

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.[1][2][3] He is best known for songs such as "Rock N Roll McDonald's" as well as a series of songs where he would directly insult his demons.

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.[2][3] In addition to a large body of solo musical work, Willis fronted his own punk rock band, the Wesley Willis Fiasco, during the 1990s.[3] He was a visual artist long before he developed an interest in music, and produced hundreds of intricate, unusual, colored ink-pen drawings,[3] most of them depicting Chicago streetscapes; he frequently sold these on the street for between $20 and $40.[1]

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".[4][5]

  1. ^ a b "Wesley Willis's Joy Rides · Wesley Willis Bio". Wesleywillissjoyrides.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Bands". Alternative Tentacles. Archived from the original on April 19, 2006. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d "Say Rah! Discussing the Daddy of Rock n' Roll with the Directors of "Wesley Willis's Joy Rides"". Y Marks the Spot. July 31, 2010. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  4. ^ DEMO.MP3 15,592 bytes, 32 kbit/s, 22 kHz, recorded in "1997" "Exclusively for Nullsoft" by JJ McKay. Voice only, no music stinger.
  5. ^ Kushner, David (January 13, 2004). "The World's Most Dangerous Geek". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 21, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2010.