Part of Music City Mondays
The Butthole Surfers exploded onto the underground music scene in the 1980s, amassing a growing audience as they built one of the most mind-boggling surrealist rock and roll spectacles ever devised. Their very name was a f*ck-you to the straight, conformist, homophobic ethos of the time. They were radically inclusive and pushed the limits of artistic expression and lifestyle. They lived on the edge — nomadic art-punk pioneers on an endless tour, blowing minds and spreading their art to a cult following.
Insiders always knew how important they were — one of Kurt Cobain’s favorite bands, Perry Farrell asked them to perform at the first Lollapalooza, Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones produced their first major label record, and their fans are a who’s who of some of the world’s most influential artists. And they brought queer representation to the punk community before it was truly accepted. Featuring puppets and animated reenactments and some truly dangerous archival footage, this new doc is — as the title claims — the Hole Truth and Nothing Butt.
“Amongst the great music docs of all time! Captures the anarchic spirit of this legendary band — hilarious, moving, and some of the most fun I’ve had in a theater in years. This should be seen far and wide.” —Richard Linklater “Tom Stern’s bio-doc chronicling the chaotic yet culturally significant career of San Antonio, Texas’ Butthole Surfers, was much-lauded at South By Southwest earlier this year for its revelatory examination of the band—which lives up to its title with a humorous, heartfelt, and unflinchingly honest approach. It’s also a rollicking look at one of the most brilliant, experimental, and misunderstood collectives in music history.” —Lina Lecaro, SPIN
