Live EP

Yes, the cult rock icon known as Wesley Willis is back in retail stores near you, this time with a back-up Chicago band of speed metal rockers who add a few tumblers of insanity to his already twisted schizoid punk cocktail. For those who don’t know, Willis is famous for being a 6’4”, 300+-pound, black street musician from Chicago who suffers from chronic schizophrenia (a disease he has channeled into an artistic source of limitlessly identical songs about street life and his favorite rockers). Some feel his non-stop touring and album production are disturbing, considering he is mentally ill, but if the man is enjoying himself and making a living, who’s to argue? This live, nine-song E.P. differs from his standard Casio fare with far more driven metal rock à la drunken Bad Brains. Songs like "I Want To Kill You," "The Frogs" (about the famous cult duo from Minnesota) and the classic "Jesus Is the Answer" are unpolished and raw, full of profanity and random commercial slogans. While he may ramble through songs (reading his lyric book onstage), Willis has his own legendary niche, which is more than most punk rockers can say. This brief set captures the power of his full-band live show. Rock over London, rock on Chicago.