Rock over London... Rock on, Chicago...
Rest In Peace, Wesley Willis

August 22, 2003

This is a sad day. Wesley Willis, one of the most unique musicians of my time passed away yesterday at age 40 after a battle with Leukemia. It wasn't the only battle he fought during his too-short life. In case you never heard of him, Wesley made a name for himself with his ranting, raving songs set to pre-set Casio keyboard rhythms. He had a huge cult following, thanks to songs like "Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's", "The Chicken Cow", and a personal favorite, "I Whooped Batman's Ass." The songs came directly from Wesley's head onto paper, channeled through 80s syth Samba beats, and onto CDs he self-produced until he signed a deal with indie label Alternative Tentacle. While it's impossible to adequately describe any Wesley Willis song with mere words, you always know you're hearing one, especially those that end with his signature phrase: "Rock over London. Rock on, Chicago." This would be followed invariably by a commercial tagline for a variety of products, ie,: "Maxwell House. Good to the last drop." "Wheaties. The breakfast of champions." "Timex. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking." In the world of Wesley Willis, our hero, Wesley, hears voices in his head, gets kicked out of art stores for scaring other customers, whups Batman's AND Superman's asses, gets HIS ass kicked by Birdman, and mourns the death of his brother at the hands of the Chicken Cow. It may not have all happened in reality, but to Wesley, who suffered from chronic schizophrenia, it was all as real as anything else. Before being "discovered", he was just another homeless man in Chicago, the victim of a horribly abusive childhood. He battled obesity and racism his entire life, yet lived life with a joy some people with a lot more than Wesley had never get to feel. He was beloved by his fans, for whom a head-butt with Wesley was the ultimate show of acceptance and affection. Wesley returned the love, singing his songs as mini-tributes to the things he loved most in life. I didn't know Wesley personally, but his music has stuck with me through the years, and every once in a while, I'll find myself quoting him out loud. Just last night I finished my run at the NYC Fringe, and after the show was over, I said, to no one in particular, "Rock over London... Rock on Chicago... Maxwell House... Good to the last drop." I had no idea Wesley Willis had died hours before. Another guy in the show laughed, and I asked if he knew why that was funny, and if he'd heard of Wesley. Since he hadn't, I told him a little bit about what I remember from his career -- that he used to hang around Chicago and play songs on his Casio, a few bigger musicians got wind of him (Billy Corgan vaguely comes to mind) and he eventually got a record deal out of it. My friend from the show thought the story was cool, but he was a little frustrated that Wesley got a record deal, based on how I described his music. I said I understood, but offered that Wesley had more than paid his dues and played enough free shows, and had a genuine, unique voice enough so to deserve a shot, unlike, say, a totally manufactured group like N*SYNC. It got me to understand why I loved his stuff in the first place, back when I first heard him back in college. He really was completely honest as an artist, and while he didn't have the chops or the voice, you really got a sense that he was only interested in sharing his life with anyone who wanted to listen to his music. There will literally never be another artist like Wesley Willis. He was definitely a one-of-a-kind. Rock over London. Rock on, Chicago. Blockbuster. Wow, what a difference.

Back to Bison News Central