Wesley Willis: The Daddy of Rock 'n' Roll (2003)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Not a documentary so much as a day in the life, the lack of traditional narration seen here is both liberating and rough around the edges. The director's hands-off approach, which consists of simply following Wesley around to his various haunts in and around the city of Chicago, gives us a revealing, enlightening look at the chance encounters and everyday stimulus that led to his subject's work. It also gives us a rare opportunity to see Willis precisely as he was, unguarded and genuine. Clearly, the man has struggled with more than his share of problems. Obese, loud and medicated, he attracts wary glances and uneasy smiles at every stop, but appears to have long since left behind any apprehensions and fully embraced his own notoriety. And while the completely open direction of the film does give us a rare chance to know Wesley as the warm, brash, adventurous spirit he really was, it also leaves a lot of questions about his ways disappointingly unanswered. Though the music that ultimately led to his stardom may seem shallow and childish at first glance, a deeper look at its contents and inspirations shed light on what it truly was: a perfect exp​ression of his carefree, prolific character and a fleeting chance to escape the personal demons that chased him throughout his life. Willis makes for a great subject, but I remain undecided on the film itself.

I'm a fan. I find Wesley Willis to be entertaining. I greatly looked forward to this documentary on him but unfortunately I found it quite unwatchable. First of all, if you are unfamiliar with Welsey Willis you don't get a lot of explanation early on about who he is and why he is famous. I suppose this film was geared more towards people who are already fans of his. One problem with the film is that there is no clear, understandable narration to explain things. Instead we hear Welsey's voice a lot, often times not very easy to understand, often times not saying very much worth listening to. Also, the film quality is not very good. It reminded me of the show jackass, kind of looks like there were hidden cameras to follow Wesley around which is not very desirable to watch. You get to see things like Welsey going to a Kinkos to print stuff out which isn't quite as interesting as it might sound. There is a scene where a woman who lived with Wesley offers her stories about him. Unfortunately Wesley is sitting next to her in the interview to interrupt and it's kind of distracting. I remember Wesley was on an episode of Howard Stern's radio show and it was great because Howard and the group provided clear insight about Welsey that I think got lost in this confused film.

The most triumphant aspect of "The Daddy of Rock 'N' Roll" is how it handles its subject, Wesley Willis. This makers of this documentary could have very easily followed Wesley around for a few weeks and edited together 90 minutes of footage that makes him look like a really fat, schizophrenic clown. In some ways, his music almost begs him to be seen as such - especially when Wesley Willis himself continually calls himself a "Rock and Roll Star" who plays "Rock Music," yet most of his music is his atonal ranting over pre-programmed casio synthesizer accompaniments.But instead of taking the easy way out, this documentary has an incredible amount of warmth. It's not condescending, and it's not pitiful. Still, the filmmakers show a great deal of genuine concern for their subject.In fact, everyone in this film has that in common. While Wesley's friends clearly take on somewhat of a caretaker role, they truly respect Wesley, and love him as a friend.So, in the end you get hilarious moments (it's one thing to see Wesley Willis on a city street, but seeing him in the crisp and cheery Kinko's is hysterical, especially when he tells a frightened employee "I'm about to have a hellride" just because of a minor printing error). You get caring moments (friends encouraging and helping Wesley Willis). And you get telling moments (They visit the school Wesley was in as a child).And it all adds up to a fulfilling, exploratory documentary about a true artist who was truly plagued by his demons. Sometimes the demons are cruel; sometimes they are funny.

Wesley Willis was a very unique person from Chicago, who grew up poor in the notorious housing projects, was a victim of violent abuse, and developed a mental illness (he was diagnosed with schizophrenia). He was homeless for a while, supporting himself by selling drawings of various places in Chicago, until he discovered his musical side and began performing spoken word poetry to the accompanyment of an inexpensive canned-music keyboard. Eventually, he made some very good friends who began to look out for him and make sure he took his medication and had a decent place to sleep. Perhaps the high point of his musical career was the forming of his noise-punk band "Wesley Willis Fiasco", which recorded on Jello Biafra's "Alternative Tentacles" label. Sadly, Willis passed away in 2003 after a battle with lukemia.The DVD is great if you are a Wesley Willis fan. It's well made in a film school kind of way, including interviews with many of Willis' friends, as well as a huge amount of discussions with Willis himself. Viewers get to experience first hand the kind of meanness Willis would have to endure from time to time, as well as see how kind people can be with someone who just needs a little extra bit of patience and understanding. A full Los Angeles "Wesley Willis Fiasco" concert is included as well.