Rock N' Roll McDonalds - Wesley Willis

Wesley Willis was a man possessed, or at the very least haunted, by three demons named Heartbreaker, Nervewrecker and Meansucker. He insisted the only way for him to escape these demons was to make music- and boy has he made a lot of music. 35,000 songs at his last count.

Willis was a Chicago based musician and artist suffering from chronic schizophrenia. In the early 1990s he began releasing large swathes of albums containing his idiosyncratic synth backed punk diatribes. During this period he gained a large cult following (he was known for affectionately head-butting his fans) and would travel in the care of whichever band was opening for him at the time.

The music is often the subject of some controversy. Much like the Kids of Widney High record releases there has been some public backlash as to whether Willis is being exploited by those who enjoy his music or if they genuinely believe in his work. This has lead to Willis fans coining the term 'Savant-Garde' to describe his music.

However you feel about Willis, you can't deny that his songs and his enthusiasm for them are incredibly infectious. Today's song, Rock N' Roll McDonalds, exemplifies his music perfectly. The fact is that Willis really only had two or three songs, but he recycled and tweaked the method to create new pieces at an alarming rate.

They all tend to begin with a basic keyboard back beat with simple synth instruments laid over the top, or 'Devo-lite' as Irwin Chusid described the sound. Willis will then begin to bark often obscene thoughts about whatever the title subject may be (in this instance McDonalds and your ability to rock there, other times it might be giving Batman a beat-down or an ode to his favorite band of the moment). He will often end his songs by shouting out any number of commerical and ad slogans, such as 'Wheaties, Breakfast of Champions.'

The songs are an acquired taste to say the least, and it can be hard to listen to large batches of them; but taken as single pieces they shine in their energy and originality. And now if you're anything like me: you must go to McDonalds- and you must Rock.