Who is the Daddy of Rock n Roll? Quiz

Answer: Chicago, Illinois

Wesley Willis was born on May 31, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois to Walter and Annie Willis. According to an article in The Los Angeles Times, Willis had a turbulent and violent upbringing, moved around to many foster homes and was essentially raised by two older brothers. During a period of time when he was living with his mother, he started hearing voices and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Answer: Visual art

Willis was a visual artist before he developed an interest in music and created ink-pen drawings, mostly of city landscapes and city streets. While he was alive, Willis would sell the paintings to friends and family and at area parks for small amounts of money.

After his death, Willis gained some fame for his large body of artwork and in 2008 his work was shown at the Mohamed Khalil Museum in Egypt.

Answer: Keyboard

Willis used a pretty repetitive formula for his songs with similar structure, melody and themes but he was absolutely prolific, writing many, many songs. He usually spoke during the verses and then sang an off-key chorus for the majority of his songs.

He wrote about pop culture, large corporations, super heroes, bus routes and fast food. He played guitar and keyboards and his instrument of choice for recording was a Technics KN Keyboard.

Answer: Jello Biafra

Willis released his 1995 album called "Greatest Hits" on the Alternative Tentacles label, the track list was put together by Jello Biafra. What was interesting about that album was that it wasn't technically a compilation of greatest hits because Willis didn't have any hits. It included songs with titles like "The Chicken Cow", "I'm Sorry That I Got Fat" and "Chronic Schizophrenia".

Answer: The Wesley Willis Fiasco

The band was formed with three people - Wesley Willis on vocals, Pat Bernard on lead guitar and Dale Meiners on guitar and bass. Meiners had played guitar in a band called the Marked, which was a pre-Smashing Pumpkins band with Billy Corgan. The Wesley Willis Fiasco released their first album called "Spookydisharmoniousconflicthellride" in 1996 which was their only studio album.

Their are some bootleg live albums available. They released some interesting covers including one of "Girls on Film" originally by Duran Duran which appeared on a Duran Duran Tribute Album in 1997.

They broke up while on tour in 1996 due to conflicts between the band's schedule and Willis' solo schedule.

Answer: Super Size Me

The documentary "Super Size Me" follows Morgan Spurlock, a vegetarian who decided to eat only McDonald's meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month. The documentary showcases the impacts this choice of food had on his overall health and well-being.

It's very fitting then that the song "Rock N Roll McDonald's" from the 1995 "Greatest Hits" Willis album, would be included in the soundtrack for the fast food documentary.

Answer: Radiohead

The first solo album by Willis was called "Radiohead" and was self-released in 1994. One of the songs on the album was also called "Radio Head" and the lyrics are actually about Willis going to a show to see the band live at The Metro, a small concert venue. Other songs on this album include "The Police" and the lyrics are about seeing the band live and how great the show was.

Answer: Howard Stern

On September 26, 1996 Willis was a guest on "The Howard Stern Show" and he performed two songs, one about Howard Stern and the other about Baba Booey. On the show Willis talks about his schizophrenia and the 'demons' that are talking to him. He was there to promote his album "Fabian Road Warrior" and the song "Alanis Morrissette". Stern is known for being outrageous and obnoxious and although condescending at times with Willis he keeps his behavior fairly decent.

Answer: Leukemia

Willis died from complications due to leukemia on August 21, 2003 at the young age of forty. A month after his death a documentary called "The Daddy of Rock N Roll" was released. Directed by Daniel Bitton, it simply shows the daily life of Willis and is a very bleak look into his struggles with mental illness.

It shows him wandering around the city, at shows and working on other projects. There are also interviews with friends who speak about how they met and how they feel about him.

Answer: First Avenue

In addition to Willis being given a star at the iconic club First Avenue, he was also the inspiration for a character named Milan in the "Wonder Woman" comics, whose characteristics and appearance were inspired by Willis. Indie band The Mountain Goats released a song called "Get Famous" about fame and exploitation that included a line about Willis.

The line is "Wesley Willis taught me how to write about you."