I can recall the first time I had ever encountered the music of Wesley Willis, and that was the first time I heard "Rock N' Roll McDonald's" when I first viewed the appetizingly titled documentary Super Size Me. After random searches that came in my path, I found other tracks from Willis' vast catalog, and I do mean vast. During his life, he released more than 50 albums. Amazing. The one thing that I found truly unique about his work was this; it was simple, repetitive, and humorous at best.
So, it did give me a whole lot of chills when stumbling upon this link on Pitchfork's site that showed a documentary on Wesley's chaotic life, called Wesley Wills' Joy Rides. For one week, Pitchfork is giving the world the chance at viewing Willis up close. From his early days as child drawing portraits of skyscrapers that graced all around Chicago and selling them to various strangers on the streets, to his first days fronting his first band The Wesley Willis Fiasco, and his final years, with various interviewees that knew the man personally, one of them being Jello Biafra who signed Willis on his label Alternative Tentacles. The film is indeed a must see for fans of Willis and gives a better perspective on his amazing life.
It is without a doubt that Wesley Willis was one of the most ingenious artists that came straight out of Chicago and it is truly sad that he is not around with us anymore. The world will never have another Wesley Willis and his humorous antics that made him one of a kind.
Wesley indeed whipped Spiderman's ass.
http://pitchfork.com/tv/
http://wesleywillissjoyrides.com/site/
http://www.alternativetentacles.com/
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