AMATEUR ON PLASTIC
dir. Mark Robinson, 2019
77 mins. United States.
In English.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 – 5 PM
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3 – 10 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 – 7:30 PM
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24 – 10 PM

Making its NYC debut to two packed houses last year as part of Rockuary 2k19, Spectacle is thrilled to revive AMATEUR ON PLASTIC, Mark Robinson’s (of Teenbeat Records, Unrest) idiosyncratic portrait of Butch Willis, titan of D.C. rock.

Born and raised in Beltsville, Maryland, Byron Henry “Butch” Willis came of age in the late ’70s post-hippie subculture of Takoma Park. 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 D.C. music scene beginning with their appearance at the seminal Primitive Night at the Psychedelly in Bethesda in 1984.

AMATEUR ON PLASTIC chronicles Butch’s life and career from the ’80s 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.”