Betty Blowtorch (and Her Amazing True Life Adventures)
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| Betty Blowtorch And Her Amazing True Life Adventures | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Anthony Scarpa |
| Written by | Anthony Scarpa |
| Starring | Bianca Butthole Blare N' Bitch Sharon Needles Judy Molish |
| Distributed by | Food for Twelve LLC |
| Release date(s) | 2003 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
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Betty Blowtorch And Her Amazing True Life Adventures is a 2003 documentary film directed by Anthony Scarpa. A director's cut edition was released on DVD in 2006 by Cinema Libre Studios. The award-winning documentary chronicles the rise of the hard rocking, foul-mouthed female foursome Betty Blowtorch from its roots in the P.M.R.C. targeted band Butt Trumpet, through its tragic ending with the death of leader Bianca Halstead. Along the way the film unfolds as a hilarious, head-banging, compelling look at a truly remarkable human being.
[edit] Plot
Bianca Butthole, Blare N. Bitch and Sharon Needles met in 1993 while playing in Butt Trumpet, the first punk rock outfit since the Sex Pistols to sign a worldwide record deal with EMI. When Tipper Gore and her followers sank their teeth into one Butt Trumpet song, it gave the band more exposure than misfortune but also caused turmoil within the band. After Butt Trumpet's lead singer abruptly quit in the middle of a show, Bianca took over lead vocals (that night!) and was an immediate crowd pleaser.
Forming the all girl band Betty Blowtorch in 1998 with new drummer Judy Molish, the band's no-bullshit approach and boisterous live shows were not only wildly entertaining, but their punk-meets-metal anthems were also catchy as hell and often shamelessly hilarious. Bianca was known for being sexually aggressive, raw and confident on stage. She often started shows with her famous tag: "We're Betty Blowtorch and we're from Hollywood and we don't give a fuck!"
Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan produced the bands controversial debut EP "Get Off", whose title song is a loud and angry "fuck you" to Bianca's former stepfather for his molestation. The EP gained them a rabid following around the country. However, the song received limited airplay, being deemed too hardcore for mainstream radio outlets.
In 2001 the band was finally garnering mainstream attention with their now classic release "Are You Man Enough?". However, the documentary takes an abrupt turn. Following a show in New Orleans, Bianca was killed in a high speed automobile accident, as passenger in a car driven by a Chicago-area fan.
The documentary features Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, Dez Cadena of Black Flag, Jennifer Finch of L7 and Vanilla Ice.
The DVD is distributed by the influential Cinema Libre Studios who have also distributed Robert Greenwald's Outfoxed and Tim Robbins' Embedded Live and Uncovered: The War On Iraq.
[edit] External reviews
"Funny, touching and jubilant." LA Weekly
"Meet the girls your parents warned you about dating... or turning into." Alternative Press
"We dare you not to be moved by the tragic story presented here" FOUR STARS Film Threat
"Honest, vulnerable, gritty and unafraid. The film refuses to be become melodramatic even when faced with death. A film every music-lover owes it to themselves to see." The American Film Institute
