Actor Woody Harrelson is helping documentarians tell the story of one of Texas' most famous music venues. Harrelson has joined an as yet unnamed feature-length documentary about the Armadillo World Headquarters as a producer.
Harrelson was born in Midland and went to grade school in Houston; he moved to Austin in 2023. He also has a close friendship with Austin icon Matthew McConaughey, with whom he appears in the new Apple TV series Brothers, which was filmed at least partially in Austin. Being from Texas and involved in entertainment for four decades, it makes sense that Harrelson would have a "longstanding connection to Austin’s creative community," as a press release puts it.
The actor joins executive producers Jeremy Plager and Ilya Bronchtein. Plager also has a lasting relationship with Harrelson, who was one of his first clients when he started his own production and management company in 2020.
“The Armadillo wasn’t just a music venue,” said Harrelson in the release. “It was where all kinds of worlds came together, artists, outlaws, hippies, students, dreamers, everyone under one roof. Careers got started there, genres mixed, and what really sticks with me is how it made people feel like they belonged. People came for the music, but what they found was each other. The Armadillo represented something we don’t see much anymore, and that’s a big part of why I wanted to be involved with this film.”
Armadillo World Headquarters (AWHQ) was only open for a decade, from 1970-1980. In that time, it became a bastion of rock and country music; decades later, most eulogies like Harrelson's recall the strange peace between patrons who may otherwise want nothing to do with each other. The music — and the venue itself — brought them together, in some ways defining the type of weirdness Austin would become famous for.
The documentary will use archival footage and audio from more than 100 live performances, the release says. That includes performances by Linda Ronstadt performing with Little Feat, and unforgettable sets by Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt with Little Feat, Maria Muldaur, Fats Domino, Waylon Jennings, and Charlie Daniels. Strung together, these performance clips and some looks behind the scenes will follow the broad arc of the venue and its impact on the city around it.
Now more Texans who weren't there to see it for themselves are learning about AWHQ through a revival of the intellectual property in partnership with original venue owner Eddie Wilson. There is no permanent home for AWHQ as a venue anymore, but it does live on as a symbol, and now a wellspring for new historical preservation and analysis.
Alongside Harrelson and the executive producers, the documentary boasts David Brodie as a director and editor, and production by MakeMake affiliates Angus Wall, Eve Kornblum, Kent Kubena, and Terry Leonard. Marcus Peterzell of Passion Point Collective is also a producer. More production partners will be announced as the work progresses.
