Wesley Willis joined Peter Mars in his Fulton Market studio for a few days. Willis hand-wrote his lyrics on Rat Patrol/Spock silkscreen prints made by Mars with a ballpoint pen. All prints were numbered 1/10. Mars added hand-worked portraits to this print from the edition.

This collaboration was inspired by a Chicago bicycle gang called The Rat Patrol, and Wesley Willis' encounter with the Rolling Stones at Chicago's Double Door nightclub. The Rat Patrol bicycles were hand-welded, double-decker anomalies that were twice as tall as cars! Willis and Mars knew each other through the music business because they both played in Chicago punk and grunge rock bands, and frequented the famed Double Door club in Wicker Park. Their collaborations took place over a number of years during the late '90s. If you want more information on Wesley Willis, google his interview on the Howard Stern Show via YouTube.

15 × 32.5 inches

Ballpoint Pen on silk-screened archival paper.

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Wesley Willis (1963-2003) was a popular, much loved Chicago musician and street artist. His personality and sensitive heart earned him a huge and dedicated cult following. Willis sometimes worked on large pieces of poster board on the sidewalks and CTA bus-line platforms where he also sold his artwork. By the 1990s, he turned more attention toward music, and his repetitive, diaristic Casio-keyboard ditties brought him unparalleled levels of fame.