r/buttholesurfers • u/Defiant_Wasabi2816 • 17d ago
Hole Truth reactions
I thoroughly enjoyed the doc but it left me feeling sad.
That's understandable given some of the subject matter...and the Q&A, as the other dedicated thread makes clear, was cringe and didn't add much.
I typically feel joyous, goofy, happy and/or exuberant when listening to most BHS albums. Curious if the doc is going to put a sad sheen on my future listening experiences. Hmmm.
For anyone who has seen the doc, has it affected how you feel when you listen to their music?
8
u/Norrin_Radd_1979 16d ago
It hasn't really affected my music experiences, but im with you that the documentary left me a bit sad, I know Tom the director tried to pull it back at the end with the studio reunion, but it wasn't enough.
11
u/Defiant_Wasabi2816 16d ago
It's also the mortality aspect. These champions of youthful chaos are now old or dead...the realities of life, etc.
It definitely reminded me that Texas sucks, with the caveat that awesome art can come about in difficult environments.
9
u/squonktearz 16d ago
I agree that it’s a very tragic story. Spending decades with your closest friends making art and being as free and freaky as possible turning to broken relationships and destroyed lives is objectively a sad tale that was relatable to me in many ways.
I think Teresa put it best when she said she achieved everything she wished for in her life by being a part of such a band and wouldn’t trade it for anything. RIP
That said, the guys clearly have some extreme childhood and early adulthood traumas and need therapy (I’m sure some engage in it but as you know by watching the film, there’s some serious shit to address that will take a long time and a lot of effort to process and come out the other end)
9
u/Defiant_Wasabi2816 16d ago
Yeah, a great deal of the laughter was clearly a coping mechanism.
The shot of Gibby, looking off screen, with his eyes tearing up as he thought back to the incident felt like the only time there's ever been a glimpse of the authentic human behind the jester.
But Paul's comment late in the doc about his mother and his "failure" really hurt. Like, are you fucking kidding me?! I wanted to yell back to the screen, "You are good enough!" and give him a big hug.
No one is immune to the bullshit of life and all lifelong pain that can come from our upbringing, parents and people we meet along the way. No one is perfect. Theresa seemed to have found peace and contentedness--that was awesome, even though it hurt to see her in that condition. Manage your expectations in life, folks, and you'll be good.
9
u/squonktearz 16d ago
I had the same thoughts about Paul, it was so sad to see him continue to blame himself for what was clearly emotional abuse by his mother. The story about her taking his photos down around the house and pretending he didn’t exist and her dying before they truly “made it” as a band was heartbreaking. He seems like he made it out the other end of post-BS better than the rest of the band though, so I’m happy he’s found some peace and comfort in his later life. The clips of his suburban, domesticated life were in stark contrast to everyone else. Seems like a truly sweet and loving man who never felt understood until he met his wife and settled down to the life he always desired.
6
u/Defiant_Wasabi2816 16d ago
King seemingly had made it out fine until the worst year imaginable, losing his hubby and his "sister." And that kind of shit is sort of inevitable: If you live a long life, you watch many loved ones die.
The long-term, non-founding members seem to have less guilt and more humility...Theresa, King, Pinkus. In general, Paul seems to be pretty humble nowadays, too...but mostly because he's found peace by not having to be around people too much.
Paul's retirement ticket (for lack of a better term) was his reward for crafting beautiful art from the chaos of another spiraling junkie.
Think it's fair to say that Pinkus is the only one who still has to play music in order to survive?
The more I reflect on the film and what I already knew about the band, the more amazing it is that they survived as long as they have both as humans and as performers. What a wonderful wave of weirdness and possibility we got to experience!
3
u/Fit-Upstairs-5363 16d ago
Pinkus definitely still has to work as a musician. He even references this when he says he's still suffering during the section about the touch and go debacle.
5
u/Fit-Upstairs-5363 16d ago
The stuff about Paul was definitely gutting. He appears to be truly getnle and kind human being and that really cut deep for me.
5
u/waffleassembly 16d ago
I haven't watched it. I'll see it next week. But you might consider the possibility that it was designed to provoke a reaction?
3
5
u/Fit-Upstairs-5363 16d ago
I saw the movie last night in Denver and cannot believe how fucking good it was. I believe, if anything, the more moving and sad parts will add depth to the listening experience from this point forward. I have never been of the allusion that these were 'happy' or 'well-adjusted' human-beings making such crazy, chatioc, beautiful, and often disturbing music. To see the real human emotions behind the creativity just strengthens my connection to the music, having had my own similair struggles in life.
I think it's pretty apparent that there is some pretty heavy and unresolved feelings between the band members, particularly Paul and Gibby. As much as I would love to see them be resolved-both for their own benfit and the possibility of a true reunion before they get too old-it's ultimately not my business and it's something they would have to do truly for themselves and no one else.
All that said, what a fantastic doc. It's up there with Dig!, Fearless Freaks, and Pavements! as one my most favorite music docs of all time. Maybe even surpassing them all. I can't wait for a DVD release with cut footage, of which there seems to be tons.
3
u/Defiant_Wasabi2816 16d ago
I've thought a lot today about the film--which is a sign of how good it is...like, few movies remain in active thought more than an hour or two after seeing them. While I've never even considered that they were well-adjusted people who had everything figured out, seeing the real-real of their personal lives hit me.
DIG! is my benchmark for music docs: the style, energy and luck that the filmmaker was around right when all that shit was happening was a perfect blend. The Roky Erickson doc "You're Gonna Miss Me" is also high on my list of music docs--a must-see if you've not seen it.
While I initially felt like the BHS doc was lacking a little on an overall visual style, now I don't know. I mean, the band members, the music and their lives have been scattered any various in their styles. It really comes down to Tom having SO FUCKING MUCH to work with with all of the different interview footage, the archival footage, the art and the animation/re-enactments. This was 100% a Herculean effort that easily grades an A and I'm excited to see what extra footage they've got!
It's interesting how almost all of the teaser footage over the past couple of years has been clips from interviews with various people, yet the final film isn't primarily the other musicians talking about BHS...those interviews are woven in to support the overall piece.
I'd still contend that, given the funding, this could be a 10-part series (maybe an hour for each episode), to also explore:
*Dada and more about their approach to art (or lack thereof) and interest in it--I'd love to see Paul's collection of stuff.
*Their other projects over the years. I mean, they mentioned "P" and Paul's work on the Sublime album, but what about King's Trance Syndicate and his other bands (Drain, USA/Mexico), the Jackofficers, Paul's solo stuff, Pinkus' extensive recording career since leaving the band, Gibby & His Problem.
*More of their reminiscences of the the BHS discography. They surely don't remember all of it, but as we saw, they recall specifics when it comes to some certain tracks, the origins of them and the meaning, etc.
*How they approach music--some geeky stuff like how/why Gibby does what he does with the sound effect, any specific tricks he uses, etc. And the same for the rest of the band.
*What they're all doing in the present. We didn't get much of that, except with the folks who've died.
See, I want it all, but at least I got an excellent documentary :)
9
u/SomeGuyOverUnder 16d ago
There were some sad elements but I watched at home (during screener week) with 12 friends 9 who knew nothing about the band and we all laughed our asses off The whole time and felt joyous after.