By now you may have seen “history of japan” or “history of the entire world, i guess” from Internet madman bill wurtz (the artist’s name is always written without capitalization). Those are by far his most popular videos, but bill wurtz actually spends most of his time writing short jingles or longer bizarre music videos in his signature eclectic, glittery style.
These videos are art. bill wurtz won’t be winning a Grammy this year or any year, but he’s a better musician and artist than 90 percent of the people who will be winning them.
The thing is, bill wurtz understands pop music. bill wurtz understands pop music as well as any big-label producer. His songs are radio-ready formula grade pop anthems, and he makes them in a basement, playing all the instruments himself. Even the nonsense lyrics, brimming with slightly off-kilter songwriting cliché (“I’m gonna change my name / Oh, it’s a brand new day”) contribute to the pop perfection. bill wurtz even made the alphabet into a catchy jam.
And yet, without saying anything substantial, bill wurtz is weirdly relatable. This is another part of the pop formula that bill wurtz has down. Even without any context, there’s something universal about lyrics like “I just want some time to express the things I feel / To express the things I feel / and believe them too," which for bonus points is delivered in the classic one-tone syncopated rhythm that you’ve heard in every pop song ever.
And as for his musicianship: it speaks for itself. Check out the synth solo in “la de da de da de day oh."
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bill wurtz plays at least four instruments that well: keys, drums, bass and guitar, plus he can sing. Now remember the Grammys, where some of the people taking home awards can’t even play one instrument at that level.
Basically, bill wurtz is the frustrated millenial’s musician; talented yet underappreciated. His music speaks to something quintessential about 2018, the feeling of unplaceable malaise, the wry self-deprecation, the blurring of the lines between irony, parody and honesty. The last point is particularly salient: bill wurtz is Poe’s Law incarnate. Is he serious? Is he satire? We may never know.
And finally, I can’t talk about bill wurtz without mentioning my two favorite videos from him, “thinkin bout doin some content” and “content," which are basically the experience of being an Odyssey creator in 17 seconds.
Pure poetry.
