Rock on Wesley Willis

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• 1 - Eric Olsen

  Aug 22, 2003 at 3:27 pm

  Very sorry to hear that - I met him once, interviewed him live on the radio in the studio, and he broke something big and hard over his head (can't remember what exactly) in the middle of playing a song - startled the hell out of me, but also whupped the llama's ass. RIP

• 2 - Tom Johnson

  Aug 22, 2003 at 3:57 pm

  This most definitely does not whup the camel's ass. Rock without Wesley is just not rock. Hell, Wesley Willis was more "rock" than anyone in the world. Damn, this sucks.
  
  Rock over London, Rock on Chicago.
  Pepsi, the choice of a new generation.

• 3 - Eric Olsen

  Aug 22, 2003 at 4:12 pm

  The big smelly guy had a way with a non sequitur

• 4 - James Russell

  Aug 23, 2003 at 2:02 am

  A damnable shame, all right. I was never a big fan of Wesley Willis, but I know the world would've been a poorer place without "Rock and Roll McDonalds".

• 5 - Ms. Tek

  Aug 26, 2003 at 6:15 am

  When I used to work at a major Chicago music venue doing security, he used to come in all the time, sit in the lobby and draw. I had met him several years before in Delilah's... he was going off his meds and was asking me if it was okay to ask a flight attendant to "suck a dog's cock". That is when I got my first of many head butts from him. The last time I saw him, I asked him to sign one of his CD's he was selling for $10 for me. I'm glad that I did now.

• 6 - rychie floyd

  Oct 27, 2005 at 4:25 pm

  You know, I can't ever see why people forget to take music for what it is. It's everything and nothing. It's someone having the brass cojones to give their little slice of their world view to you. That's the only formula. I don't even know if Wesley Willis knew it; that's why whether people loved him or hated him, they felt strongly about him in either regard.
  
  Contrary to popular belief, his music is 110% pure punk, rock and roll and maybe even hip hop. He took whatever means he had and made music anew out of something that already existed. The fact that he borrowed from some other source to me is irrelevant...everyone borrows influence from somewhere in ALL forms of art and music. But it's where you take the baton next...that's the only difference between what people consider "copying/biting" and what people consider "deep philisophical genius"
  
  As far as him playing the similar beats and sounds over and over again, and having 2-3 verses...hmm didn't people whom most consider musical GODS like Little Richard and Elvis and Jimi Hendrix do that a lot, too? But we don't call them biters, or one trick ponies...we call them geniuses. And to me, that's what Wesley is...in that long line of musical "outsiders" (like elvis and Little Richard)...pure art/music genius.
  
  I am a black musician/songwriter, and not only that, I am more into lo fi music, punk and rock and roll than I am into Hip-hop and R and B. When I hear wesley's music...EVERYTIME I hear his music, it reminds me that I'm not alone doing what I'm doing. It reminds me that it's all really simple still. You don't have to where goth kid clothes or bling. You can still be you and people will dig it. You make a product and you give it to the people to buy without uber-over production and advertising and radio airplay. Besides all that deep mushy stuff, his music brings me joy...even in it's repitition, and simplicity, (and however many people tell me that I am wrong about it), it brings me 2000 Gigawatts of joy for 2:50 seconds. He did his "job" well. Right on, Brotha. Rest in peace. Hope you are rocking heaven harder like a magickist.
  
  Thanks you Wes. You could really sing like a milkshake.
  
  Love and music,
  
  Rychie Floyd,