AMATEUR ON PLASTIC
Amateur on Plastic
Mark Robinson, 2020
Catalog No.: FTF-088
Length: 73 minutes
Butch Willis is a Washington, D.C. rock legend. Born and raised in 1960s suburban Maryland, Byron Henry "Butch" Willis came of age in the late '70s post-hippie subculture. After sharing an apartment with infamous local music icon Root Boy Slim, Butch was inspired to become a rock'n'roll star himself. The unique and unusual brand of "outsider music" that Butch Willis & The Rocks created captivated the local music scene beginning with their appearance at the seminal Primitive Night in 1984. Amatuer on Plastic chronicles Butch's life and career from the beginning all the way through to present day. It features a host of Butch-appointed band managers Joe Lee (Joe’s Record Paradise), Jeff Mentges (No Trend), Jeff Krulik (Heavy Metal Parking Lot), and director Mark Robinson (Unrest/Teen-Beat). Also co-starring is Al Breon, the Rocks' innovative "throat guitarist." The film combines archival footage, interviews with Butch, and performances of his hit songs "Drugs," “The Garden’s Outside,” "TV's From Outer Space," and “The Girl's on My Mind." Amateur on Plastic also parallels the 1990’s era of seminal indie record label Teen-Beat. Behind-the-scenes glimpses of the label’s concerts and private parties provide much of the background and feature members of the bands Unrest, Versus, Tuscadero and more.
Produced and Directed by Mark Robinson
Appearances: Butch Willis, Jeff Krulik, Mark Robinson, Gibby Haynes, Ian MacKaye, Guy Picciotto, Karl Hendricks, Brendan Canty, Phil Krauth, Logan Perkins, Joe Lee, Nancy Marion, Amanda Riecken, Al Breon, Ron "Blelvis" Wooten, Ray Wallace, Dean Evangelista, Jonathan "Cap'n Jon" Curlin, Jeff Mentges, Steve Lorber, Dick Bangham, Pat Carroll, John Heyn, Florence Willis, Phil Milstein, Ken Rudd, Keith Waldron, Curtis Lafley, Foster MacKenzie III, Adele Abrams, Karl Straub, Chris Callahan, Miguel Gomez, John Lindaman, Johanna Bauman, Pat Ramos, James Baluyut, Stuart Chandler, Alice Despard, Natalie Mencinsky, Tom Krauth, Charlotte Moore, Mat Lewis, Rob Christiansen, Jonny Cohen, Lauren Feldsher, Michelle Tiger, Jenny Toomey, Andrew Beaujon, Dave Park, Melanie Park, Karen Carmody, Alec Bourgeois, Margaret McCartney, Ben Currier, Gabriel Stout, Dan Morrissey, Evelyn Hurley, Ken Arneson, Bridget Cross, Matt Datesman, Ginger Brooks, Kathi Wilcox, Phil Satlof, Jeffrey Rotter, Missy Farris, Monique Lavie, Ed Baluyut, Dina Passman, John Masters, Juliet Swango, Brian Welcker, Christina Billotte, Delia Gonzalez, Richard Dudley, Jeff Gramm, Fred Kovey, Ginger Crockett, Rose Li, Paige Smith, Greg Allen, Ann Ramos, Christian Goodwillie, Marc Masters, Jack Hornady, Sam Janotta, Erin Smith, Robin Hurley, Todd Massey, Don Smith, James Gordon Meek, Trevor Kampmann, Lawrence McDonald, Fontaine Toups, Kim Arnold, Concetta "Princess Superstar" Kirschner, Michael Anzalone, William Berger, James Kavousi, Richard Baluyut, James Noble, Doug Bailey, Allison Rigo, Phil Sweeney, Tony Zanella, Hershal Shevade, Jonah Rainey, Pete Biby, Gene Romanovsky, Scott DeSimon, Evan Shurak, Steve Kiviat, Oakley Munson, Cory Shane, Darian Zahedi, Jonathan Marx, Yalan Papillons, Duane Straub, Margaret McGowen, Ian Jones, Jeannine Durfee, Greg Pavlovcak, John Cook, James Tritten and Tracy Shedd
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PRESS
“I’m asking myself, ‘Am I really a rock star, or am I just pretending?’ I’d like to have a Top 40 hit, but my career seems to be going in a different direction.”
— Butch Willis 1984, Washington Post
“Butch Willis’ quavering bleat evokes a herd of mistreated sheep.”
—Joe Sasfy, Washington City Paper
"DC legend Butch Willis is a bit difficult to explain. The long-lost child of Daniel Johnston and Bob Seger, raised in a basement by John Waters."
—Oscar Goff, Boston Hassle
“Willis has quickly moved into the most select of rock ’n’ roll territories, that of the inspirational primitive. Guided by neither the commercial concerns of mainstream pop, the calculated artsiness of the new wave, nor the hip rage of punk, Willis stands quite alone, unanchored except by the need to speak from as deep as within as possible. Undaunted, he dreams the rock ’n’ roll dream.”
—Joe Sasfy, Washington Post
“Butch Willis projects a disturbing tension.”
—Eddie Bronx 1984, Unicorn Times
“Butch Willis has a certain psychotic appeal.”
—CMJ
“Unbelievably inspired rockin’ dementia.”
—Forced Exposure
“Butch Willis is a psychopath.”
—Root Boy Slim