Through archival footage, surreal animation, puppetry reenactments, and interviews with people like Richard Linklater, Dean Ween, Henry Rollins, Flea, Dave Grohl, Eric André, Ian MacKaye, and Steve Albini, BUTTHOLE SURFERS: THE HOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUTT unfolds in the anarchic spirit of the legendary band.

The film traces how two accounting students from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, found solidarity in their shared strangeness, gathered a tribe of like-minded outsiders — queers, weirdos, and nonconformists, including the unforgettable naked performance artist/dancer Kathleen Lynch — and launched one of the most radical and unpredictable paths in rock history. Against all odds, and with a proudly unmarketable name, they became unlikely icons, inspiring acts like Nirvana and even landing a number one hit. Their live shows were one-of-a-kind events; communal rites of passage for band and audience; the perfect antithesis of the digital isolation of our modern age.

The movie also goes deep on the personal lives behind the chaos; an intimate portrait of lead singer Gibby Haynes, guitar wizard Paul Leary, drummers Teresa Nervosa and King Coffey, and bassist Jeff Pinkus: five uncompromising originals whose lives took extraordinary turns.

“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

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