Ranting Rocker Warms His Audience

When Wesley Willis stood on stage at the Dragonfly on Tuesday and wondered whether to smash his portable CD player, the scene mirrored countless past acts of aggression in the name of rock ‘n’ roll, from Iggy Pop and Pete Townshend to Axl Rose and Courtney Love.

The difference here was how the crowd reacted. Rather than egg the performer on, the listeners shouted to him not to destroy the unit, showing a sincere sense of protective affection for him. That’s the good side of the Wesley Willis phenomenon--one of the most curious developments in recent rock.

Willis is a Chicago street artist, a mountain of a man whose songs deal obsessively with his love for rock ‘n’ roll and his battles with his very real--and clinically diagnosed--demons. He’s become a cause celebre among many alternative-rockers and fans, a freak-show curiosity for others.

When he performed solo at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas shows in December, a good portion of the audience laughed derisively and booed. But at the Dragonfly, in the context of the band the Wesley Willis Fiasco, there was a warmth surrounding him, even as he drew laughter and/or gawks with his often profane rants.

His four musicians’ thrash-punk-metal provided a surprisingly solid setting for Willis’ spewings, and their words of encouragement and good-natured jibes helped keep him focused on what is obviously a positive outlet for his energies. Unpolished and unquestionably real, it’s rock at its most honest level.