Nature and Art: Wesley Willis

[Halfman]

Here is an article I just found:

Meeting Wesley Willis
I’ll never forget the night I met Wesley Willis. A touring musician who suffers from chronic schizophrenia, Willis played a gig in Portland at the Skinny last September. It was one of the most disturbing experiences of my life.

I’d heard one of Willis’ albums at the nightclub a few weeks before the show. It was a 22-song compilation on ex-Dead Kennedy Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label, comprising selections from some of Willis’ 30-plus albums. Titled “Greatest Hits,â€

[AGAP]

Great article, sounds like he’s doing what he enjoys which is always a good thing. I agree completely that people who have to deal with a severe mental illness should be respected and accepted for who they are…as a whole not just their illness.

Schizophrenia is a really horrifying disorder, symptoms like hallucinations/delusions etc sometimes never go away. People sometimes use headphones to try and distract themselves from the constant voices/hallucinations, also cool that he was aware enuf to take control and not listen to what the voices were saying.

I can see where people are coming from regarding the exploitation concern, hopefully this guy is competent enuf to deal with the business of it all or has someone he can trust working with him to ensure he gets what he’s due.
He’s working, doing what he loves, coping with a significant challenge…gotta love that!!!

Allison

<small>[ 08-31-2002, 07:15 PM: Message edited by: Valentine Frankenstein ]</small>

[Mattman]

He’s come to Tallahassee a few times, and I went to his last show, about a year ago…

He did that headbutt thing to me, making me repeat "rock", "roll" over and over after him… Smacked my head pretty good, but I can take it. <img> Felt sorry for my friend Amy though. He got her with a headbutt too (and it’s never just one headbutt, it’s a series of them) ’bout knocked poor Amy out… <img> (well, not quite, but she was a little woozy for a second or two.)

That bruise mentioned is actually a permenant calous, he’s headbutted that many people. <img>

He always sits out front and talks to people (instaed of hiding in the greenroom) and seems like a very nice guy when he’s not under attack…

I think that he did have an episode on stage about halfway through the show though. He started yelling a stream of incoherent obscenities. It was kinda weird… The crowd was cool though, and didn’t show any disrespect, so that was good.

From what I understand, singing and touring is one of the few things that give Wesley and peace, so as long as that’s the case I’m glad he does it. Even if there is the occasional jerk that treats him like a circus act (but I do think they’re pretty few.)

[rosa]

Wesley Willis has had an intense, broad impact on both hip hop & spoken word; I just read some articles about him earlier this year. The Beastie Boys are big fans, as are the Chili Peppers, Henry Rollins, etc.

I haven’t heard any of his work but from what I’ve read, he reminds me a lot of Daniel Johnston; mentality-wise, art-wise, etc.

I find that the so-called mentally ill are frequently tremendous artists. But unfortunately there are people who disregard their capabilities & treat them like sideshow freaks, and who go to shows expecting only the insanity and not the genius. You get what you give, I guess.

xo
Rosa

[Halfman]

I like ol’ Wes too. Haven’t seen him in person but have heard several of his discs in the last few years. Saw some other articles that mentioned the exploitation thing, but this dude has made his money on it too. One interviewer said he sat in a hotel lobby during a series of shows just with a cardboard box of his CDs selling them to passersby. So, who is doing the exploiting, then?

The nature/art thing came to mind from Malc’s thread the other day as well. Is a person or group wrong for following their instincts? Who can be the most fit judge of that other than the person themselves?

If they are "to thine own self, true", and provide evidence, such as bad, popular music, or great, not-so-widely known music, or even utterings that may prove no more ultimate a purpose than therapy or healing, is the person showing artistic ability as a result of interpreting and expressing nature?

To the defense of criticism, I think a person’s judgment of another’s attempt at expressing their nature deserves recognition as being valid within the scope of their intended views. Whether the origin of the critique is based on a certain amount of or type of experience may come secondary to the earnestness and courage expressed by the critic.

<small>[ 09-01-2002, 12:25 AM: Message edited by: Half-Man ]</small>

[buckingham rabbit]

My favorite song by him is ‘suck my doberman’s dick".

[rosa]

</font><blockquote><font>quote:</font><hr><font> If they are "to thine own self, true", and provide evidence, such as bad, popular music, or great, not-so-widely known music, or even utterings that may prove no more ultimate a purpose than therapy or healing, is the person showing artistic ability as a result of interpreting and expressing nature? </font><hr></blockquote><font>I agree with you, although people might challenge you on your definition of ‘ability’. Does ‘ability’ mean ‘skill’ or ‘accurate translation of brain to paper/voice/guitar’?

Someone once said that there is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art, only ‘true’ or ‘false’. I tend to agree.
</font><blockquote><font>quote:</font><hr><font> To the defense of criticism, I think a person’s judgment of another’s attempt at expressing their nature deserves recognition as being valid within the scope of their intended views. Whether the origin of the critique is based on a certain amount of or type of experience may come secondary to the earnestness and courage expressed by the critic. </font><hr></blockquote><font>I guess the thing that bothers me is that critics are always coming up with new and creative ways to insult things, rather than new and creative ways to herald them. I think that music critics in particular (especially young ones) are guilty of this. They seem to strive for chic misanthropy but it’s really just laziness. Not listening to the albums attentively, not considering all aspects, not doing the research.

I do my best to avoid reading reviews of albums because they are never written objectively. Critics tend to tell you what they THINK of the record, as opposed to telling you what it SOUNDS like and leaving you to draw your own conclusion as to whether it’s an album you’d be interested in buying.

I don’t agree that a critic’s earnestness is more important than the broadness of his experience. That’s just my opinion. I think that people should refrain from commenting on things they know little/nothing about (unless it’s to ask a question, of course), especially if the object is to slander or to simply fill a writing assignment from one’s editor. I can’t think of any other profession where a worker would be allowed to compensate for lack of experience simply by being earnest.

‘There is no such thing as a mixed review.’ – J Mascis

<small>[ 09-01-2002, 06:00 PM: Message edited by: rosa ]</small>

[Halfman]

Although I rankle over reviews that angle entirely along the lines of a critic’s likes and dislikes, I find useful someone, anyone taking the time to just say what they think. Experience is of itself indicative of wherever a person is at any given point in their life. If a review does not show the level of quality I am accustomed to based on my experiences, I do not think it lacks value if someone else can relate it to their own understandings and exposures.

Is there a lot of badmouthing going on to protect the fragile psyches and tastes of those, who in their search for the holiest of trendy grails, forget the alienation they felt that directed them to such "alternatives"? Some people also shy away because they figure "criticize" is a negative word. Webster’s shows it is "fault finding", but also as finding merits as well as demerits. I also saw the word "evaluate" used as a synonym.

From time to time, I can use criticism as a sort of defense technique as mentioned above. I also shy from it for the sake of my own sensitivity and unwillingness to think I could be mistaken. But, I have found and continue to strive for usefulness in all types of good and bad communications with others, be it the one-way style of reading reviews or something more mutual, like here on message boards or talking in person.

I do not advocate a person feigning knowledge they know they do not have, but if someone does think they are on the right track with something, how will they be corrected or learn if they are not allowed to make mistakes? Every so often, I will see someone blasted that truly believed they were on the right track and that pisses me off. Perhaps some of the words said or the way they were used might be insensitive. Maybe, again, the person might not know unless they obtain feedback by having the courage or, the earnestness to use their voices.

Far as occupations go, what about the clergy? Experience and schooling play a role, sure, but if you do not believe in what you do, in time, you probably will not stick with it. Teaching is similar, as probably any occupation where you begin with training, if you are fortunate, and then, if you are true to your efforts, in both the means and if possible, the ends, you get the chance to obtain multiple paychecks.

I have been in a bad spot workwise ever since I began school. Raises, bonuses and other special privileges I used to use as a reason to keep coming back are no longer offered to me. Made me kind of realize I had been doing things and setting my expectations on very flimsy precendents. Now, the only bonafide motivation I can look at is virtue for its own sake, doing the right things for no other reason than I can. I need to have that frame of mind as much as possible. Many lives are dependant on just what my way of thinking is on a given day.

[SG]

I first heard Wesley around 1994 or so,it might have been his first album,a woman who was a regular at the local college station who was now living in Chicago,was back here visiting and was on a guest spot and decided to play Wesley on the show.I think she got the cd from him personally,she talked a bit about him and played the whole cd.
He seems to be enjoying what he`s doing and like Daniel Johnston it`s his therapy to deal with his illness,from 60`s acid causualties like Roky Ericson and Syd Barrett to eccentic jazz musicians like Thelonious Monk,Bud Powell,and Charles Mingus,music seemed to be therapy for them,I don`t think Monk was schizo,just odd but Powell and Mingus spent time in mental hospitals.Tom Harrell is another jazz musician who is a diaognosed schizophrenic but still tours and records albums.

<small>[ 09-02-2002, 09:32 AM: Message edited by: Doctor Salami ]</small>

[AGAP]

Hey,

Loving the spiels in this thread!!! Music can be quite the release for anyone, so cool to see it accepted from people experiencing such wickedly challenging battles from within. It’s gotta be hard being on display while fighting that battle,but also VERY VERY cool <img>

Hoping it has the effect of getting people to investigate what exactly Schizophrenia and other mental health disorders are all about. All you here about in the news are the horrifying stories of people lost and out of control… <img> There are so many other examples like the ones talked about here!!!

Halfman on the exploitation thing, see what you’re saying about exploitation being a two way street. But I’d buy more than one disc if I ran into him in a lobby <img>

Went to a very cool workshop called Hearing Voices , free where I work…it really was an eye opener about just how hard it really is to deal with only that one symptom of Schizophrenia…YIKES!!!

So thanks for the cool thread Halfman <img>

Allison…yeah yeah I’m a geek <img>

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