Wesley Willis: Artist of the Streets

[dondoe33]

Great video..we are lucky to have a drawing from 1989 of Michigan Avenue.

[hivehead1]

Classic!!

[ClemProductions]

Somebody must have pressed 'dislike' by mistake?

[Nintendocolourfiend]

Absolutely amazing.

[sunovbich]

This is VERY COOL!!!!

You are a lucky person to have been his friend and to capture him creating his art.

A friend turned me on Wesley on a lunch break at work in 2001 and I've been a fan ever since.

[alldane1]

".....just like Johnny 'Guitar' Watson...." :)

[w4r7]

man i'd love to own one of his pieces. rock over heaven wesley willis...rock on.

[DanZero77]

A very rare and intimate portrait of one of the greatest voices of our time. Although he was very well known for his music, his drawing was another way of him being an "artist" to himself and to the world, chasing away his demons and overcoming adversity in a way only he knew how to do it, and we are left with a brutally raw and honest legacy of a man not many know, but when is discovered, left a mark on America.

[JulianFRosales]

This guy has some real talent that is not seen everyday..... Great work Wesley Willis, and a big thanks to the person who shared this video with us.

[bobbyperrault2]

the only real motherfucker to ever make music

[JoelisRich]

i remember being blown away seeing his art after i had heard his music. i have to agree that art really is his true talent, but as long as he was doing what he loved i don't think it was a shame. its great to hear his enthusiasm for drawing and the joy he got from sharing it with other people. his invented cars are incredible. i wish we still had him around.

[wu10314]

Just rediscovered wesley willis after listening to his howard stern interview. Great doc.

[hivehead1]

Simply one of the best documenatires ever!

[MrBenjaminross]

Amazing. Touching. Real.

Never been to art school.

[CamDBrown]

... just like Johnny Guitar Watson... I gonna keep on doing that great old art!

awesome ; )

[skunkyguts]

man its sad cus his illness doesnt seem so bad here . i bet all the fucked up meds he was on made him even worse off

[jacobocaj777]

Say what you will about Wesley's music (I personally enjoy his music), he was an amazing visual artist. I am happy that he was able to express himself in such a constructive way even though he had a lot of problems. Wesley Willis is an inspiration.

[frostytheaussie]

if a man like wesley willis, who endured so much hardship, adversity and personal demons, can create his art and music and sell so many records and perform so many live shows during his lifetime then there's no reason anyone else should be complaining that they can't

[bachterman]

git r dun, whippin da lama's ass

[kissmusiclover]

Great video. I am looking for another rare Wesley Willis gem when he played the Metropool with the Wesley Willis Fisaco on April 20th, 1996. I heard it exist for yeats as video and audio. Would love to see that historic video cause it was the last time the W.W.F. played Chicago.

[Gill13013]

Thank you so much for the PROOF that this kind, loving, humerous, interesting person that we already loved truly WAS a GENIUS, man!

[subliminallabs]

Thank you so much for sharing with everyone. This is fantastic. I had no idea he drew at all! I don't think many people do. A true hero, this man.

[FriedAbortions]

We'll miss you Wesley

[Koolkitties]

Those are some nice looking buses

[1MHCS]

This is really amazing, thank you so much for posting this. You can tell he is using the art to fight something on the inside. Amazing footage and insight.

[cmeza1985]

Holy crap, this has been unseen for this long? He wasn't even fat in this short doc. Did you witness the beginnings of his music live in the streets before he got 'famous'?

[ccwhart]

He wasn't as fat then as he got later, but he was already a really big guy. There wasn't even a hint of any involvement in music then. It think it's a shame that his "music" has taken the focus away from his real talent--drawing.

[lesterclaypool1]

@ccwhart

I used to collect Wesley's self produced albums for his artwork.

I noticed that you had commented that Wesley was hearing voices well before the 1989 timeline given in another documentary. It's my understanding that Wesley, himself, gave 1989 as the timeline in many interviews.

Do you think that that date stuck out for Wesley as that may have been the year that the voices went from present to intrusive and abusive?

Organic mental conditions do progress.

Thank you for being his friend.

[ccwhart]

@lesterclaypool1

I'm not a psychiatrist nor can I account for what Wesley said, but when I met him in the early 80s, it was quite evident that whatever it was that was affecting him was already affecting him at that time. Perhaps it changed over time, though in videos of him interacting with other people made later in his life, I don't really see any difference. And thanks for thanking me. At the time I made this video, he was completely unknown.

[lesterclaypool1]

@ccwhart

Thanks for your response. What never ceased to amaze me about Mr. Willis was that he figured out, largely on his own, two of the biggest tools used in residential therapy for people with organic mental concerns: occupational therapy and art therapy. By way of his Chicago friends he was also able to employ the cognative therapy that many people afflicted with his illness struggle to understand and apply. Wesley was able to set his own goals with his art and meet them, that's impressive.

[DinosaurJr8]

Wow. That was super inspiring. I'd do anything to have one of his drawings.

[bfivel]

aMaZinG......uR a GoD SenT tO sAVe tHiS & tO sHARe tHiS wiTh aLL oF uS

[MasterSamurai]

I'm running my ink pen

I'm running my mouth.

Rock over London, Rock out in Heaven.  Sail on Mr. Willis, we miss you.

[therealmecharedneck]

Are any of Wesleys drawings on exhibit? These are really wonderful. I like how deliberate the strokes of color are. I've always liked Wesley Willis, but I never knew he was such a talented artist. I wanna head butt his gravestone.

[ccwhart]

I'm not aware of any exhibits, though there may one somewhere. The only exhibit that I know of took place in Egypt (of all the unlikely places) a couple of years ago.

[lthomsen1964]

thank you :)

[EmilyJoyW]

Amazing video, thanks for sharing it!

[MyTeelee]

I'm surprised there is a stronger movement for his art.

[TheSupersurgical]

. ....killer,, like burger king's whopper.

[graphicgeek714]

THANK YOU FOR MAKING & POSTING THIS!!! I have heard his music but never knew he drew. I really like his lines. As a kid I would always draw cityscapes like his. He is a great artist!

[xbrothercausey]

i had the pleasure of knowing wesley in the 2000's..

thanks

[shonenjump01]

Thanks for uploading this video man, it's really great, it's a shame it wasn't accepted.

How did you begin this proccess, did you meet him on the street and just decide he's an interesting guy and decided to make this?

Or were you a friend of him?

[ccwhart]

That's how I met him in the first place. I was working, at the time, in downtown Chicago and would see him all the time. I would stop and talk and maybe buy a picture or two. We got to be friends, and then later when I was studying television production at Columbia College in Chicago, I knew that he would be a great subject for a short documentary.

[concretemitten]

Favorite..... RIGHT NOW! for arts sake!

[15heartz]

gdgd art i need 2 draw too

[closetome]

thanku

[illuminatijews]

God, i wish i could have some of his art.

[bobbyperrault2]

@illuminatijews wesley willis art dot com

[ShenXia]

This is really heartbreaking to watch. Poor Wesley. He seems like such a good man.

And, man, he has a real eye for perspective!

[vanitycult]

this is a gem- thanks for posting! i am a fan of wesley's music but have always been interested in his drawings as well- it's great to see something focused on his art work!

[colwoodboy]

hey.. i'm from western canada and I've never heard of this guy before. but wow, what a great film and portrayal of a talented and interesting man. Thanks a lot. RIP weseley

[NyeTunes]

Damn. This is a whole different side of Wesley that I never knew existed!  (I knew he was an artist, but he's so MELLOW here compared to his usual self.)

[stalegum]

I think this was before he started hearing the demons.

[Antipolicestate]

This was (and im not to good with big describing words) an find of historic proportion. I never heard of Wesley Willis as an artist before. I dont think anyone has. This is really an amazing one of a kind bit of fottage

[ccwhart]

I'm glad you liked my video, but do you mean you never heard of Wesley Willis or didn't know that he was an artist? Many people know he was an artist with a very unique genius and a talent far beyond any musical talent of which I don't think he really had any beyond coming up with absolutely hysterical song titles.

[Antipolicestate]

hehe yeh i kinda made a fool of myself their... i only found out after i posted that wesly willis was a known artist before his time as a musician.

[barqs1898]

FASCINATING! I'm a longtime fan of Wesley Willis. Thanks for uploading this!

[ccwhart]

You are welcome. This video remained unseen for 20 years. I made it for Chicago Cable Access, but they rejected it saying that the sound was bad. I told them that was just the way Wesley talked.

[Jaydecay67]

Man... Ten or twenty bucks. I would pay hundreds for his art.

RIP Wesley Willis

Rock over London. Rock on Chicago.

[drewtoothpaste]

RIP daddy of rock'n'roll

taco bell run for the border

[eyeosaur]

Great video Carl!

Thanks for posting it!

[TheMusicInMyBrain]

he speaks like a prophet

[TheMusicInMyBrain]

do you know anywhere that might sell wesley willis prints? i think he had a rare soul that we don't see anymore and would love to pay homage to him by hanging one of his drawings in my room

[ccwhart]

No, I've never heard of any prints for sale.

[ccwhart]

But his actual drawings are sold by some dealers, though I don't know much about them. You can find out more on the interenet.

[snapcult]

Ebay. They range from 500$ and up depending on complexity and condition. Condition being the biggest issue, because keep in mind he did carry them around with him in a garbage bag on the bus while holding a metal folding chair and a bag of art supplies and homemade CDR's.

[damnbacon88]

Wow! He was thin!

[ihatethisvideo]

@damnbacon88

And it's before his face was slashed. I think the medication contributed to his weight gain, although his diet wasn't great. Too much McD's and Burger King.

[fabiandiestoday]

R.I.P Wesley. i love your rock and roll music.

[siskiyoufire]

i really like his art. It great. I wish i could buy a print...

[WeizHerGigBuddy]

that was a really great short film on a really great and beautiful person. 5 stars

[budmelvin]

Thank you so much for posting this. Wesley was a beautiful and tragic human being. Another piece of the Chicago I used to know and love gone too soon.

[mentalrevenge]

Amazing to have been there capturing Wesley like this (Great short film by the way, v.interesting & sensitive, good camera work too) lucky you! looks like most people not too interested in this side of Wes...oh well... as far as Wes dying broke, I think maybe it was a case of easy come easy go with the money (which was quite small amounts here and there, in comparison to his/hisworks $worth today) Thanks for putting this out for us obsessives- this is incredible

[thedigitalcollective]

he was a great man.people make him out to be crazy.the fiacso band or whatever.he was an urban artist,if yall got any soul youll see he's an mc.he kicks it when he draws.the ladies stopped to talk to him and he was in line then as he let then here his verse he stopped and asked them thier names.spoken word art was just the way he talked.you get him or you dont understand life.he was a sick man,why are poeple scared of people who are sick.

[Grungeanddeath]

This is probably some of the earliest footage of Wesley I've ever seen. Maybe the earliest in existence. Correct me if I'm wrong people, but Wesley started doing music around 91-93 right? So being that this is from 88 this is very nice.

[ccwhart]

You're right about the music. When I knew him in the 80s, there was no hint of that. It's too bad that his art has been overshadowed by his music. He had a rare and genuine talent for drawing, but none for music other that thinking of hysterical song titles. He was exploited and abandoned by his musical handlers. He died in a hospice without a penny. Where did all the money go?

[ihatethisvideo]

@Grungeanddeath

I met Wes in the summer of '92 and he invited me to his CD release party, I think it was his first, but there may have been some before that.

[Grungeanddeath]

Hist first CD came out in 1992. It is very possible that you attended his first. Do you have any photos or anything of that matter?

[ihatethisvideo]

@Grungeanddeath

All I have is a great drawing and a couple CDs.

[JayBar40]

Carl, thank you very much for posting this. Only his words can express what kind of person Wesley really was. This was truly special footage.

[ripper820]

wow look at how thin wesley was ! i tell ya i love how he says things like "doing well like grease lightning"...lol, he was so original and truly is a legend

[ccwhart]

I love how he says, "like a flock of geese heading south,' and talks about "draping" his drawings in color. I still smile at the scene where he is setting up his chair and waving enthusiastically to the camera. Before we shot it, I told him to ignore me, but as you can see, he didn't.

[legacyofarcon2]

if you have more, we'd love to see it!

[ccwhart]

Other than the unused raw footage I shot for this, I don't have any more. It's all on 3/4 inch tape, so I can't even play it now since I don't have access to the equipment.

[ccwhart]

I do, however, own the drawing he's seen working on in the video, along with several others.

[Grungeanddeath]

Did you buy it from him or did he give it to you for filming him? He seemed to be a very talented artist.

[ccwhart]

I bought it and bought several others over the years I knew him. He only asked $15 or $20 for them.

[legacyofarcon2]

thank you thank you thank you. this is absolutely priceless.

[legacyofarcon2]

fantastic. you have no idea how much people like myself appreciate you bringing this important piece of history to us. important because it helps the public understand that people that have had inconceivable hardships and mental illness can live happy lives. they can have as much control in their lives, if not more, as in wesley's case, than most "normal" people. i'm just fascinated by wesley, and as soon as i think i've seen the last of some rare footage of him, something like this shows up

[StevenAhola]

Very cool!