SLC Punk! - Definition

SLC Punk! (1999) is a movie directed by James Merendino. "SLC Punk" stands for Salt Lake City Punk. The movie is about a young punk, Stevo, an anarchist (though his views on anarchism would be considered, by most anarchists, to be that of a "poser"—one that advocates a violent society).

The story is based on real characters, though embellished to some extent. Many events in the movie, including party scenes, drug-crazed characters, and others are based on real events, or at least events everyone swears happened in Salt Lake City at the time.

Plot

The movie outlines the daily lives of the seemingly only two punks in Salt Lake City Stevo and Heroin Bob, Stevo's best friend who doesn't do heroin or any drugs for that matter. The film has a documentary style feel to it, and Stevo often speaks directly to the camera. Stevo is commonly thought to be based on Steve Egerton, who played for the Salt Lake punk band The Urban Posers, and eventually joined the L.A. band The Descendents. In the end, Stevo's life changes when Heroin Bob dies from an accidental drug overdose on what he thought were vitamin pills. Stevo decides to take finally take his father's persistent advice to attend law school. (The real Steve never became a lawyer.)

Salt Lake City

Although a cult film nationally, the film is especially entertaining for Salt Lake City residents familiar with the locally-shot scenes. For example:

• Stevo's High School, which he calls "North High" (which is fictitious), is clearly West High School near downtown.
• When Heroin bob chastises Stevo for being wasted, they're at the top of University Circle at the University of Utah.
• Stevo and a girlfriend drop acid at Memory Grove Park, a World War I memorial park.
• Many of the street scenes ironically occur just north of the Frank E. Moss Federal Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.