Band: Wesley Willis
Year: Various
Label: Alternative Tentacles

Comments: Wesley Willis was (death, 2003) a joke. The man himself was not a joke…in fact, he was a paranoid schizophrenic who consistently had to deal with the “Warhellride,” or demonic encounters. He was a great story teller, as evidenced in many of the songs in this collection. Wesley was a master at combining vivid descriptions with catchy (but, very monotonous)  outsider pop riffs and phrases. Go to his Wikipedia page and there you find how his songs are structured. This is precisely what makes Wesley’s music a joke. He built a career out of ranting over music. You don’t get a lot of that from musicians today and that’s why people will always react to his music in a wtf kind of manner. Whereas critics say fellow outsider Daniel Johnston’s music ranges from “spotty to brilliant,” Willis doesn’t fit on a paradigm that’s worth evaluating. How do you judge a man who can’t be judged? The demons got to him and got to him damn well at that. If I absolutely absolutely absolutely had to slap a grade range on his Greatest Hits, I’d probably dish out between a C+ and a B. It’s music for a good laugh now and then…not the kind that’s constantly on repeat. Rest in peace, Wes.