Would you mind explaining his "brilliance" then? I enjoy Wesley Willis as much as the next guy, but I'll tell you what, it's not because I think he's brilliant. I have a hard time seeing his "unusual mental keenness and alertness."

The guy wanted to be a rockstar and cut hundreds of albums, each one made under a few hours. He wrote ridiculous, sometimes catchy music. I'm sure he saw the humor in his music-- I don't think he cared it followed the same repetitive formula. It was like he was living in his own crazy reality-- and yes, it was probably a consequence of mental illness. But it's not hard to admire his life, and that despite his problems, he lived his dreams to some extent. Maybe brilliance isn't the right word, but you can't deny he was creative, even clever, in his music and art.