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| Interviews: Ash |
Whup the Hell Out
of That Snow Leopard's Ass! Wesley Willis: Spring 1996 By Hal Miller Is the world ready for Wesley Willis? It doesn't matter either way because Wesley doesn't care. All he wants to do is "rock Saddam Hussein's ass." "I'm having fun," explained Wesley, when asked about his current tour. "I'm doing well on the grounds control. And I'm doing well on the Proud Mary. And as I'm doin' well on the Kiske Mama and I'm going to keep busy on the really heavy hip. And as I rock the jam session, I want to do well like Saigon. And as rock well, I'm going to rock it anyway." The one and only Wesley Willis, a poet like no other. Wesley stands 6'5" tall and weighs about 320 pounds. But his friendliness betrays his immense frame. Upon meeting the singing sensation at the Black Cat last week, I was happy to encounter a friendly and enthusiastic giant. For years, Wesley spent his life homeless on the streets of Chicago, peddling his detailed ballpoint/felt-tip renderings of the city and riding around on the bus. "Back in Chicago," explained Wesley in front of the DC scenesters at the Black Cat last Tuesday, "in the year of 1990 up 'til 1996, I had 12, 852 hell bus rides on the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) bus." Several years ago, Wesley began hearing voices in his head, and was diagnosed as having chronic schizophrenia. Guitarist Dale Meiners took Wesley in. Meiners, who has recorded many bands in his personal studio and played with pre-Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan in the long-defunct The Marked, introduced Wesley to the world of rock and roll. After many line-up changes, Meiners and Wesley formed the Wesley Willis Fiasco, with Wesley as frontman. In addition, Wesley has recorded over 20 albums independently. Wesley will come right up to you at shows and hard-sell you his CDs. Most people are not too sure what to make of him - how to react to his music. Each song has the same basic structure. Wesley speaks (usually something like, "This is a rock and roll song that I'm gonna do for you"), then the song begins. As the song ends, Wesley recites his trademark line, "Rock over London, rock on, Chicago!" and then adds on one of the multitude of memorized commercial slogans, such as "Wheaties! Breakfast of champions!" or "Diet Pepsi! Uh-huh!" Most people's first reaction to Wesley's music is a combination of "what the hell is this?" and laughter due to his over-the-top singing. The sonic brilliance of Wesley Willis is not something you could expect to hear on any commercial radio station. People who have heard of him describe him as "that crazy guy who sings 'Rock n' Roll McDonald's.'" But you will be impressed by Wesley's raw honesty, friendliness and sense of humor upon meeting him. The big debate surrounding Wesley's new-found popularity is the question of exploiting the mentally unstable for entertainment purposes. Many have challenged the record labels, such as American Recordings, which have released Wesley's material with the question, "Is it fair to make money off a raving, schizophrenic, 32-year-old African American?" The fact is Wesley is a gentle human being who needs to vent his feelings like anyone else. And he is the only one who has made money from his music so far. His music ‹ both his solo project and the Wesley Willis Fiasco, his rock band ‹ is what he loves to do most. Music critics expect that most people at Wesley's shows are there for the spectacle of Wesley charging around the room, talking and head-butting with everyone. "Let me explain something about the exploitation thing," explained Dale Meiners. "People see what they're looking for. Nobody [at the shows says] 'Oh, look at the freak.' I've seen some people laughing and smirking, but by the end of the show, they're way into it, man." And who couldn't be when Wesley roars, "Let's rock now and ask questions later!" and then launches into the song. Wesley is a true inspiration. For his solo material, Wesley sits at his Technics KN-2000 keyboard, programming slight deviations in tempo and melody. He uses the same preset rhythm (country rock 8) for every song. The juxtaposition of Wesley's emotional, over-the-top vocals and the electronic melodies of the keyboard makes for an amusing and challenging listen. Songs like "I'm Sorry That I Got Fat" and "Jesus Is The Answer" feature the Wesley Willis Fiasco, which back up Wesley with rock, hardcore, metal and funk. Wesley's fans include Grand and Royal Beastie Boy Mike D, Jello Biafra and Foo Fighter Dave Grohl. Last spring, Biafra's label released a collection of some of Wesley's strongest solo material and a few songs by the Fiasco, ironicly entitled Wesley Willis - Greatest Hits. Hal: How does it feel to be a star now? Heavy Vegetable wrote a song about you ... Wesley: They did! H: Yeah! How does it feel to be recognized by Mike D from the Beastie Boys, Dave Grohl likes your stuff ... W: Everybody likes my stuff! Everybody knows that I can rock! Everybody knows that I can whip a horse's ass! Everybody in my general time knows that I can rock good. And as I rock well, I'm going to rev it up! H: Where'd you get the "Rock over London, rock on Chicago" slogan from? Why do you say it after every song? W: I love to do it. I got the "Rock over London" slogan off the radio in Chicago. I got the rock slogan off the radio when I listen to WXRT 93 FM. But anyway, I'm just doing good. H: How often do you write songs and how many do you have? W: So far, over the past three years, I wrote at least 2000 songs. But elsewhere I'm doing well anyway. H: Is it hard being in two different bands, playing two different sets each night? W: Let me tell you one thing, mistah. I like to do my solo, and I like to do my Fiasco. I do my solo because I want to be on the right side of the moon. Also, I'm doing well to be proud of myself. I just do well to keep my butt busy at high speed. I do my Fiasco band and I do my solo. I like to do both of them. At least I'm doing well. I'm not going to ward one of them off. But I'm going to keep busy. H: What are your favorite bands right now? What do you like to listen to now? W: I listen to Motorhead, I listen to Megadeth. I listen to Metallica. I listen to all the rock bands all across the town. Throughout the interview, Wesley continually boasted how proud he was of himself. This new-found pride does not stem from arrogance, but from a sense of accomplishment. Wesley has led a rough life. From the streets of Chicago, riding around the city on the CTA bus, getting into trouble, Wesley has had his share of problems, including his mental illness, which he sings about on Greatest Hits, and an assault that led to his facial scar, which he recounts in "He's Doing Time In Jail." "I was born in the bitching hole in 1963 ... ," explained Wesley to the Black Cat crowd. "I moved out of the bitching hole in 1992. I'm so ... glad that I moved away from the bitching hole. I'm going to improve my lifestyle. It's better to have joyride. It's not fun to go around getting your head kicked in. So let's enjoy the show. (Audience roars.) I'm going to rock the motherfucker and let the monkeys out!" Wesley's music and Samuel Jackson-esque semi-rapping rhetoric is nothing but therapeutic. In his songs, Wesley expresses his feelings ("I love ya like a milkshake" from "Tammy Smith") and releases his frustrations ("I can't drive"). And his stock of art is always sold out. This keeps his life stable. H: Do you still draw? W: I do it every day. I'm doing my job to keep my ass outta trouble. I'm doing well to have fun. At least I'm doing well to be proud of myself. It's better to go around having fun. It's also better not to go around getting your head kicked in. It's better to go around and enjoy myself. H: Can I ask you one more question? W: Here's what I'm going to say: I'm proud of myself. But I got these people who have something against my music and my art. But I'm proud of myself. I got this son of a bitch, a man that thinks I'm a bum, a jerk and a asshole. H: How do you deal with that? W: I try to get my music to pick me up but I hate for my music to get shot down. I hate to be called a jerk, a bum and a asshole. I'm just enjoying myself. Whether you see his brand of entertainment as a passing novelty or true art, we can all learn something from Wesley. Rock over London, rock on Washington D.C.! |