Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis (born May 31, 1963 - August 21, 2003 in Chicago ) was an American artist and musician from Chicago. His music is characterized by simplicity and the sometimes bizarre lyrics, similar to a stream of consciousness . In the course of his music career (1989–2003) he composed over 1000 songs.
In his art career (1976-2003) he mainly drew architecture from Chicago; preferred motifs were buses, highways, fast food restaurants and skyscrapers.
In 1989 he was diagnosed with schizophrenia . The music, he says, helped fight the voices in his head. The Golden Lemons , with which Willis toured the USA (see filmography), took up this theme in the song Von den Demonen des Wesley Willis (album Lenin , 2006).
In the early days of peer-to-peer - filesharing he attained especially in Internet celebrity. But also in the branch music channel VIVA Zwei z. B. in the show Kamikaze (with the presenter Niels Ruf ) excerpts of some of his videos.
Willis died of complications from chronic myeloid leukemia .
Movies
- Golden Lemons (aka In the Center of the Frenzied Standstill ) - Documentary by Jörg Siepmann about a US tour by Wesley Willis with the Golden Lemons in the opening act. Germany, 2003.
- The Daddy of Rock 'N' Roll - Documentary by Daniel Bitton, 2003.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.goldenlemons.de/ The film Golden Lemons
Web links
- Wesley Willis in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Willis, Wesley |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 31, 1963 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 21, 2003 |
| Place of death | Chicago , Illinois |