The schizophrenic Chicago artist who became an outsider rock legend

Wesley Willis was "an American musician and visual artist" from Chicago who, after being "diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1989," became a cult figure in the outsider-music tradition. According to Wikipedia, his songs were "partially spoken in an MC style, and partially sung in a nasal and out-of-tune manner reminiscent of punk rock vocals," recorded over "the auto accompaniment feature on his Technics KN keyboard." Dubbed "The Daddy of Rock 'n' Roll," he is best known for "Rock N Roll McDonald's."

Every song ended with the phrase "rock over London, rock on Chicago," followed by a real ad slogan such as "Wheaties: Breakfast of Champions." Willis was also "famous for greeting fans with a headbutt," which left "a distinctive permanent bruise on his forehead."

Before the music, he drew "hundreds of intricate, unusual, colored ink-pen drawings, most of them depicting Chicago streetscapes," and sold them on the street for between $20 and $40. His reach ran wider than his fame: the software company Nullsoft took the Winamp slogan "It really whips the llama's ass!" from his song "Whip the Llama's Ass." Willis died in 2003.

Previously:

• The music scene from Garden State but it's Wesley Willis
• Song of the day: Rock N Roll McDonald's