WESLEY WILLIS IS DEAD



Wesley Willis passed away on August 21st from complications related to internal bleeding problems.

A friend of mine once told me about "this crazy big black retarded guy that sings all these insane songs" named Wesley Willis that I just had to check out. When I did, I was amazed to hear songs ranting about how he kicked Batman's ass, whooped a horse's ass, and kicked a camel's ass! He blew my mind and he was one of the first things I wrote about on the internet back in the day.

Wesley Willis, for those of you unlucky enough to have never heard of him before, was a truly unique freak of nature that harnessed his schizophrenia to come up with some of the most bizarre, catchy, and creepy songs ever put to paper.

Well, perhaps calling his work "songs" is a bit of a stretch. Wesley's tunes, which mostly consisted of him wailing a repetitive mantra like "Rock and Roll McDonalds" 20 times in a row over a preprogrammed CASIO keyboard beat were unlike anything ever recorded.

Wesley, who had to have weighed at least 450 pounds in his final days, was an imposing site. He sported a cantaloupe sized knot on his head from frequent head butts he's greet fervent fans with, and hobbled to the stage with his "handlers" like they were ready to show off King Kong to the world.

I had the pleasure of seeing Wesley perform at Sacramento's Capitol City Garage last year and it was truly a sight to behold. It was a bit disturbing, as Wesley had genuine mental problems, so it felt a bit like you were just laughing at him instead of with him, but you could tell this is what made him feel alive, and you couldn't deny the sheer comedy of songs like "Cut The Mullet" or "Casper The Homosexual Friendly Ghost".

His body of work boasts over 50 albums, but many of his songs sound exactly the same, with just crazy variations on similar themes. Try to download a few songs off a file sharing program, then try to go buy one of his CDs once you're hooked. You'll be glad you did.

Anyway, he's gone. It shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone who's seen him, as he's one of the most unhealthy morbidly obese people I've ever encountered. But its still sad to see that he's passed.