Rock Over London, Rock On Chicago...

To me, part of what punk music is, is doing things differently...exhibit A: Wesley Willis... - Jello Biafra

   Wesley Willis was a schizophrenic street singer who loved to greet people with head butts. He wore headphones to keep the voices out of his head. His musical career began on the streets when he began performing his songs. Songs that he wrote to keep those voices out of his head. His voices were named  "Heartbreaker," "Nervewrecker," and "Meansucker". He called his psychotic episodes "hell rides", and alternatively, he declared rock and roll to be "the joy ride music

   I'm not his f*cking biographer so if you want more information go look it up. I'm here to talk about why his music was so important.

   Wesley Willis' music was the background accompany track on his Casio keyboard. The songs which span at least 20 albums rarely ever vary in form, and his lyrics, were humorous, child-like, bizzare and flat out vulgar.

  

   Yes Wesley Willis' music was childish and just not technically or artistically polished. But SO WHAT MAN? Whats more important than the fact that he wanted to play music for people and he did. Yeah people laughed when they saw him play live or when they heard his music, but it wasn't because they were making fun of him, his songs are just funny, that's a fact, and it was a positive expression of the fact that those of us who appreciated Wesley Willis were happy that he was able to go on stage and do what he wanted to do. How many of us can honestly say that they are doing what they have always wanted to do? Wesley Willis could. He wanted to play music and entertain people and he did just that. As my brother would say, "He didn't let reality get in the way of his dreams," and for that Wesley Willis was my hero. His life and music showed me that if you can figure out that one thing in life that you are passionate about, and go with your gut feeling and pursue that, that you'll do ok. I'm not saying rich and famous, I'm saying you'll be content, and you won't be fighting against life like so many of us do. Its Like Pink Floyd said, 


And go down in your own way, and everyday is the right day. 
 

   My brother and special guest contributor today, Reverend Steve Galindo [www.reverendsteve.blogspot.com]  saw Wesley Willis perform live. He's gonna take it from here and share in his own words his thoughts on Wesley Willis and what it was like to see him perform in person.

   OK, but first...It's time for a Old School 1980's Classic Pro Wrestling Break.

Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. The first time I ever went to see wrestling in person, Superfly Snuka was on the card. The main event that night was Hulk Hogan vs. Jesse "The Body Ventura."

"Ok, so, the Wesley Willis concert was on my absolute last day in Arizona before I moved to California. I got everyone I knew and was best friends with to go to this concert, so it was like a going away party of sorts. And since it was my last night in Az. I got exxxtrrrrrrrrrrremely drunk that night and the more I drank the more I went crazy and the more I felt the need to make it my mission to somehow become best friends with Wesley Willis.

I should also mention that there were three different opening acts before Wesley went on stage. They were all horrible. Boring. Unremarkable. Except for the last band, a two man, all white rap group from Pennsylvania called Grand Buffet. Horrible rap music but also great. They have an amazing song about history of lemonade. Gotta hear it.

It was during Grand Buffet's set that my bud Patricio, who would almost a decade later hook me up with sweet Wrestlemania tickets for free, rushed into the building from having a smoke outside and almost yelled 'WESLEY WILLIS IS SIGNING CDS OUTSIDE!' I ran outside, not to buy a cd but to try and score a new friend.

Wesley Willis was outside. He had a huge welt on his forehead. I had heard somewhere, or maybe I read it, that he would headbutt people as a sign of affection. Well, he must have had a LOT of friends because it was like a third eyeball. He was with a 'handler' who was both trying to calm down the fans as well as act as a sort of human 'animal handler' for Wesley. He was signing every cd that he sold and would occasionally blast out 'I AM SELLING ROCK AND ROLL CDS FOR TEN DOLLARS!' There was a huge congregation of thirty or so hipsters getting cds for sale and blasting the man with praise.

I decided that the only way to be friends with him was to be different. So I asked him what he was doing. He lifted his head, suprised by the question. It was as if he had to look around because even HE didn't know what he was doing. So eventually he said 'I AM EATING A SUBWAY SANDWICH!' Knowing his music and how each song ended, I said 'SUBWAY, EAT FRESH!' And it was THAT that did it.



He looked at me with these crazy eyes. Wild animal eyes. I didn't know what he was going to do. It was like a bear was looking at me. He could have either hugged me or mauled me. Then, after what seemed like a really long stare, he said 'YOU ARE MY FRIEND!' So I asked him to headbutt me. When he did, he grabbed the back of my neck to hold me there. For like thirty hard seconds. It was creepy and intimate. He repeated our friendship status a couple of times. Then that was it. I still have the cd.

Not my brother.

There were directions that his handler gave the audience before the show. No flash photography and no over-agitated yelling because that might agitate him. He played his greatest hits, sitting on a small stool in front of a hundred ASU students and hot Arizonans. When we would scream out requests he would say 'Cool yer jets, man. Cool yer jets.' I say that like crazy now. Cool yer jets.

I always loved his music. I have always honestly loved him. And I don't like his music because I think it's stupid and I'm laughing at him. No way. I mean, hell, I started my own religion based on the life and works of director Edward D. Wood, Jr. whom most people consider the worst director of alll time. And my favorite movie is probably Manos: The Hands Of Fate, what many consider to be the worst movie of ever made. I honestly love what most people consider bad. And, in the same way I look up to Ed Wood, I look up to Wesley Willis. The man dreamed of being a musician and didn't let the fact that he was batshit insaine get in the way of him acomplishing his dreams. He had chronic schizophrenia (!!!) but he still put out a ton of albums! How amazing is that?

And there's also a bit of his own personal, absolute, undilluted madness in his works. It's a peak into his own crazy mind with every song you listen to. I love that. There's something beautiful and honest about his music. See, most bands write songs for the sole purpose of making themselves seem cool and getting money and getting laid. But not Wesley Willis. He never wanted to get laid! He created music as a way to expell the demons inside him and when you listen to his music you get a peak at the demons that both befriended and were haunting him. 

It's all pretty amazing, really.  

I feel like I've written way too much. So I'm done now. Bye."