$2 Music Monday: Wesley Willis's Joyrides

In 1996, Chicago-born artist, poet and musician Wesley Willis had a brush with MTV-style celebrity when his song Alanis Morissette (and its accompanying video) became a minor radio and TV phenomenon. But before his brief time in the national spotlight, Willis (a diagnosed schizophrenic) had already built a sizable cult following as a bizarre, hilarious, lovable crusader for rock n' roll--one who had a penchant for headbutting fans as a gesture of friendship, and for including advertising slogans at the end of nearly every song.

Releasing more than 50 records over the course of a decade (some with his band The Wesley Willis Fiasco, some as a solo artist), Willis built a solid reputation around his no-frills arrangements, brutally honest lyrics and unbridled enthusiasm. But despite his relative success, Wesley's life was dogged by health problems, both mental and physical, and he often found himself bouncing from home to home, label to label, and institution to institution.

Through candid interviews with Wesley's friends, family, ex-roommates and patrons, Wesley Willis's Joyrides follows the larger-than-life musician's path from Chicago street artist to underground rock hero, all the way until his death in 2003 from leukemia. Poignant, funny and heartrendingly sad, Joyrides is a must-see for fans, and a riveting crash course for the uninitiated. Definitely go see it tonight.