Remember the 90s: Compact discs and Wesley Willis

You might say Compact Discs were bad.  An inferior disc.  Ooh vinyl, hewn from superior polymers.  Discus large and nebulous, it radiated warmth.  The Compact Disc was cold and sterile.  Vinyl was warm, it spat and hummed beneath the needle.  It was intimate.  The Compact Disc was distant and foreboding.  Too big to fit in your pocket.  Too small to sit on your lap and engage your afternoon.  Delight.  Poor Compact Disc.

But I loved the CD.  100 Compact Discs were smaller and cheaper than 100 vinyl records.  100 CDs fit in a wallet and went with you on vacation.  Your compact disc could play in your car stereo and would play 10,000 times and sound the same.  Scratches could be repaired.  Their apotheosis was in those glistening heady days of the 90s.  Back when Master P represented the new school of rap.  Back when pop music new how to charm with a little T & A.



Who will teach the children the old ways?  Will all our moments be lost in time, like tears in the rain?

The CD was the early democratization of music.  An intrepid musician could self release a box of CDs and sell them to the local hole in the wall used CD store.



I know.  I am a bum.  I am stupid for liking Wesley Willis.  I hear the voices.  All the time.

Yet I think this documentary should be submitted to the Library of Congress.  It gives you a window to the past like no other.  It gives you a look at a great artist of the streets working.  Will we ever see someone like Wesley Willis again?  No.  The hipsters won't have it.  They will love him and hate him and make us pay.  They always do.  There is no room for rock and roll next to hipster DJs.



Sometimes I wonder if we are suffering for our sins?

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.



Wesley Willis had several excellent documentaries made.  Take the time to watch them all.  Call it nostalgia if you want, but those were truly better times than these.

Friday delight

Wesley Willis live, I wupped Batman's ass.



I always thought Batman was an asshole.

Just what your brain needs: a vacation

Things seem a little too "real" lately. I think I know what my brain needs. My brain needs a vacation. My brain needs some Wesley Willis. I first discovered Wesley Willis in high school. I don't remember when, but my buddy Russ had some of his CDs. Days like today I could really use some of Wesley's harmony joyride music.



Watch out for a vampire bird also known as a vampire bat. They killed Wesley Willis you know.

During the doldrums of winter, you need to be vigilant against Chicken Cows



Artist's rendition of a chicken cow



Thinking about Chickencows always puts my life in perspective. Hey, at least I didn't get stabbed in the ass by that thing. I guess it is a good day after all.

Do you ever hear voices in your head? You are not alone, my friend.



I know exactly what he's talking about. Why can't my brain just shut up?

The best review of Wesley Willis' music from Amazon:

wesley willis is a true american poet whose writings are a painful summation of the harshness and banality of modern American Life. In undeniable kafka-esque fashion, wesley strips away the artifice through writings which reflect the bureaucratic nature of our destroyed emotions. His songs are brilliant parodies, not only of life, but also of the pop song structure itself. "Rush Hour" is a shining moment for Wes, featuring some his best songs ever, in my opinion. "King of Fire" "Creep Show" "Electric Eel" and "Electra 225" are some of the highlights here. I've had an admiration for this artist for quite awhile. Wes' combination of banality, harsh observation, and completely open honesty is refreshing in the extreme. Escape from over-produced pop fluff, buy Willis, and discover that some artists can rattle off nonsense with sheer brillance, thus making them genius. This also seems to be Willis' most spiritual album..

+1 for using the term Kafka-esque!

I once saw the late Wesley Willis in concert. I will tell you about that another time. But for anyone reading this who is discovering Wesley Willis for the first time his music comes in 4 categories:
1. Profanity. This is either what the demons in his head are saying, or what he says back.
2. Music. This is about music that he likes or concerts he attended.
3. Flights of fancy. This is pure imaginative genius. Imagining chicken cows, beating up superheros, or watching Santa steal a car.
4. Autobiography. These are songs about his life. Dealing with schizophrenia, flying in planes, etc.

My favorite are the last 2 categories.