The Daddy of Rock 'N' Roll
Encyclopedia
Wesley Willis: The Daddy of Rock 'n' Roll is a 2003 documentary film
directed by Daniel Bitton about rock
musician and artist Wesley Willis
, who died in 2003 at age 40. Willis, challenged by a weight disorder as well as paranoid schizophrenia, is followed in his daily tasks, trials and tribulations in autumn 2000, showing him writing his unique yet virtually identical songs, playing a show, and attending to daily chores.
area, the documentary simply shows footage of Willis' daily life with his songs serving as the soundtrack. Willis appears unkempt, morbidly obese and mentally unstable.
His songwriting technique is shown as he visits a local Kinko's dressed sloppily and barefoot, and types expletives and repetitive bestiality references on a computer as lyrics
and prints the document. His songs deal with subjects such as praise for celebrities that he had met or admired, reports on bands that he had seen, stories about violent confrontations with superhero
es, and expletive-packed rants at his mental "demons". Willis says music helps him silence the discouraging mental voices, but his fan following comes from people who find his songs humorous. Many of his compositions are very similar, a fact that is highlighted by scenes of him recording songs such as "I Whipped Superman
's Ass", "I Whipped Spider-Man
's Ass" and "I Whupped Batman
's Ass", which are overlaid to highlight their similarities.
Willis also visits a zoo, bemusingly overdubbed with one of his many songs about bestiality.
Towards the end Willis is shown playing with his band, the Wesley Willis Fiasco
.
Several of Willis' friends are interviewed, among them recording engineer Steve Albini
. They reminisce over how they met Wesley and how they feel about him. Generally they are all sympathetic of his plight and it is stated he would likely be deceased if he had not cultivated such a network.
One friend describes Willis' poor upbringing (involving forced viewing of his own mother having intercourse in exchange for drugs
), and touchingly, Willis' own despair at his condition:
"I'm already doomed. I can't find a girlfriend
, I can't do a goddamned thing."
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Daniel Bitton about rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician and artist Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis was a musician and artist from Chicago. A diagnosed chronic schizophrenic, he gained an enormous cult following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of simple but unique music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and frequently obscene lyrics...
, who died in 2003 at age 40. Willis, challenged by a weight disorder as well as paranoid schizophrenia, is followed in his daily tasks, trials and tribulations in autumn 2000, showing him writing his unique yet virtually identical songs, playing a show, and attending to daily chores.
Plot
Shot in and around Willis' native ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area, the documentary simply shows footage of Willis' daily life with his songs serving as the soundtrack. Willis appears unkempt, morbidly obese and mentally unstable.
His songwriting technique is shown as he visits a local Kinko's dressed sloppily and barefoot, and types expletives and repetitive bestiality references on a computer as lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and prints the document. His songs deal with subjects such as praise for celebrities that he had met or admired, reports on bands that he had seen, stories about violent confrontations with superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es, and expletive-packed rants at his mental "demons". Willis says music helps him silence the discouraging mental voices, but his fan following comes from people who find his songs humorous. Many of his compositions are very similar, a fact that is highlighted by scenes of him recording songs such as "I Whipped Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
's Ass", "I Whipped Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
's Ass" and "I Whupped Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
's Ass", which are overlaid to highlight their similarities.
Willis also visits a zoo, bemusingly overdubbed with one of his many songs about bestiality.
Towards the end Willis is shown playing with his band, the Wesley Willis Fiasco
Wesley Willis Fiasco
The Wesley Willis Fiasco was an American punk rock band based in Wicker Park, Chicago, Illinois.-History:The band was formed by Wesley Willis on vocals, Pat Barnard on lead guitar, and his friend Dale Meiners on guitar and bass. Dale Meiners previously played guitar in Billy Corgan's pre-Smashing...
.
Several of Willis' friends are interviewed, among them recording engineer Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
. They reminisce over how they met Wesley and how they feel about him. Generally they are all sympathetic of his plight and it is stated he would likely be deceased if he had not cultivated such a network.
One friend describes Willis' poor upbringing (involving forced viewing of his own mother having intercourse in exchange for drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
), and touchingly, Willis' own despair at his condition:
"I'm already doomed. I can't find a girlfriend
Girlfriend
Girlfriend is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-romantic friend that is closer than other friends....
, I can't do a goddamned thing."