Willis Earl Beal Serenades the Crowd at Sundance

Willis Earl Beal, Chris Douridas, Anne Litt, Tim Sutton by Mark Leibowitz

Willis Earl Beal is an intriguing figure and we were thrilled to have him stop by our remote studio to chat about the film he stars in that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival called “Memphis“. He plays an eccentric bluesman.

Asked about his role, which is semi-autobiographical, Willis said he “feels like a bad actor in real life” and “perpetually misplaced,” which might explain the mask he wears non stop.

After the interview, he serenaded the crowd outside for a bit and settled in at the bar for a whiskey.

(video by Mark Leibowitz)

I asked him to show me the books he’s carrying around with him: “Enemies of Society” and Carlos Castaneda’s “Journey to Ixtlan” and the woman who sat down next to him couldn’t help but ask about the mask (see below)

Last but not least, he was handing out copies of his brand new EP!