Have any of you Chicagotian heard of him? What’s his story? Is he a muscian or a comedian? Is he really schizophrenic? Did he really whooop Batman’s aaaassss? Was he successful in killing the demon whitey in his head?
Lord, my children drag in some weird stuff.
Your children?
Coolest kids ever.
Not from Chicago, but from everything I’ve read about him or heard, he really is schizophrenic. And he’s a real performing singer rather than a comedian.
I’m not a fan of his stuff, but I did like the little cartoon someone created to go with a Christmas “song” he did that I saw on memepool.
Was there any doubt? I can’t believe it took so long.
I’ve met him, he is really as nuts as he seems. He is definitely not a comedian, he considers himself a musician. He does realize people are laughing with/at him regarding his songs and lyrics though I think. He is a real nice guy too, he talked with me and my friends for over an hour before one of his shows.
Did some googling and found this review. Now I don’t know whether to feel guilty or afraid. But really, who can stop themselves from laughing when he warbles out the chorus:
I whupped Batman’s aaaaaaasss
I whupped
Batman’s
aaaaasssss
He’s also an artist (painting). And yes, he does have a mental conditionTHEFROGS!THEFROGS!THEFROGS!THEBARISCLOSED!
He’s a nice guy who uses the exact same music for almost all of his songs (hitting the “demo” button)
Great, just as I finally managed to get “Alanis Morisette” out of my head, you put it right back in there.
Rock over London, rock on, Chicago! Taco Bell: Make a run for the border.
Rock and roll McDonald’s! Rock and roll McDonald’s! My buddy made a music video to this song, actually…
Pi-i-i-ink Floyt… Pi-i-i-ink Floyt…!
He signed my five of diamonds. Top that.
I’ve seen him twice when he’s come out to DC for concerts. Yes, he’s schizophrenic (and about 350 pounds to boot) and instead of shaking hands he prefers to give head-butts – which last for about 20 seconds. Ouch! For that reason, he’s got a huge bump in the middle of his forehead. My tip: if you get to see him in concert, talk to him beforehand and ask him to write a song about you. I’ve seen him do this at the last show I saw him, where a fan sat down to talk with him for a while. Also, he always asks the audience if anyone has a place for him to sleep for the night, so maybe that’s another way to get in with the big guy.
Rock over London, rock on Chicago!
Batman was asking for it. He should know better than to get on Wesley Willis’ nerves.
It always makes me wince when I have my entire library on shuffle, and one of his tracks comes on. But it’s a good kind of wince.
I had one of his pictures. It was cars on a street drawn with magic markers. Very colorful and full of right angles. He gave it to a friend, who sold it to me (to help finance a junk habit) and I gave it to a big fan as a present.
So, for one point in time I could have topped that.
The college station in my area (WKNC) plays a bumper between sets and I think it’s him. It sounds like it’s a live performance. They reversed all the naughty words to make it suitable for airing, and it goes like:
Yeah, you better say my name and say it right, motherfucker.
This place is about to rage the house like Darryl Motherfucking Gates.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The college station in my area (WKNC) plays a bumper between sets and I think it’s him. It sounds like it’s a live performance and he’s introducing a band. They reversed all the naughty words to make it suitable for airing, and it goes like:
Yeah, you better say my name and say it right, motherfucker.
This place is about to rage the house like Darryl Motherfucking Gates.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
THIS BAND COULD WHOOP A WILD HORSE’S ASS!
THIS BAND COULD WHOOP A BIC CAMEL’S ASS WITH A BELT!
HERE THEY ARE…
Rock over London! Rock on Chicago!
Sure, people make fun of him, but he’s sorry that he got fat. And he took his car to oil express. I’ve met him a few times; he’s quite sweet once you get used to him.
One of the bios I’ve read says that Wesley was a homeless man with a Casio keyboard who composed his timeless tunes while on the street, gathered some money and cut an album.
This brings to mind a few questions. How’d he play a Casio in the street? Where’d he get the money for studio time? Who is The Fiasco? (I have a feeling this punk rock band has been bankrolling Mr. Willis)
Whatever. We need more social commentary such as:
Cut the mullet
Tell the barber you are tired of looking like an asshole!
The Fiasco band played with Wesley for a while, but IMHO that stuff was garbage. I saw him last spring in Rochester, NY, and at the end of each song, he said “Rock over London! Rock on Rochester!” which elicited much verbal approval. More importantly, the concert was 5 dollars, and Wes began the show in curse-laden a cappella fashion for about 20 minutes that seemed to rile the crowd into a frenzy. I got a picture with Wesley at the concert with a buddy, but unfortunately Wes was really involved with the drawing he was creating and so he wasn’t looking at the camera.
If you’re into piracy, download his appearance from Howard Stern a couple years back (you can find it by searching for Wesley Willis in your favorite P2P). The interview (sort-of) answers some of the questions raised so far, but more importantly he talks in the same manner in which he sings.
“Batman whooped my ass and knocked me to the floor,
Then I got up and knocked him to the floor,
He was bein’ such a jagoff.”
Wow. A name from the past. KROQ radio in LA was real into him a few years back (maybe 91-95 timeframe, I can’t recall specifically).
I believed he was truly schizophrenic, and I believed it was kind of a novelty act for the radio station to play him. Rather amusing.