Review Summary: Rock over London, Rock on, Chicago!
Wesley Willis was a God among humans. Born in 1963 in Chicago, Illinois, a place in which he shouts out often at the end of his compositions, Willis was raised in an abusive family household. He moved between foster homes growing up as a result of this. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in the late 80’s, and was placed into mental institutions. He claimed that he heard “demon voices” in his head which caused him to break out into fits. At one point, Willis was on enough medications to tranquilize an adult horse. To get over these delusions and other side effects, he created songs which never differ in structure, only in musical keys.
The song lyrics themselves? They range from eccentric to bizarre, in which Willis commands his demons to “Suck A Cheetah’s Dick”, and “Eat a Caribou’s Ass”. Wesley was a huge fan of art illustration and music, particularly rock and metal.
My favourite songs from him evoke the images of 90’s bands such as Spin Doctors and Hootie & The Blowfish, in which he details the circumstances of their concerts and performances. The only lyrics consist of him saying the bands’ names in a nasal, off-key fashion, gaining the respect of artists like Jello Biafra and Bradley Nowell of Sublime.
There was even a famed picture of him standing next to Gavin Rossdale, the famed lead singer of British grunge band Bush. In it, Gavin looks pleased and yet confused.
Throughout the years of his life leading up to his death in 2003, Willis had people that cared about him and provided him housing and shelter, despite the fact that he didn’t even have a bank account.
God Bless You, Wesley Willis. May your tortured soul rest peacefully.
