Like many metalheads out there, my second musical love has always been for punk and hardcore. And like many people who love punk and hardcore, SLC Punk was nothing short of an inspiration to me. So for those of you who wanted to see where the story went after that horrible day at Heroin Bob's funeral, there's a sequel currently in production. And the best part is, you can support it!
That's right, the creators of SLC Punk 2: Punk's Dead have an IndieGogo campaign set up to fund their film, specifically the big concert scene they have planned for it. The IndieGogo page provides a detailed description of the project, but here's a brief synopsis of the plot:
18 years later, in PUNK'S DEAD, Bob is still dead, but Trish from the Bong Shop, Stevo, Sean the Beggar, John the Mod, crazy Mark and tree hugger Mike are arrogantly saving the world for another generation…or they are at least trying. Get ready to find out what happened to your favorite characters, as we take you to the pivotal events in their lives since SLC PUNK. Holding it all together will be the misadventures and observations of one of their offspring, an eccentric kid named Ross, who has a lot to live up to…
Sure, there are reasons to be skeptical about the movie, but there are reasons to be hopeful as well. If the creators manage to focus appropriately on the larger themes: like growing into an adult after the years of being a punk are over, and how to cope with working within the system you once hated and well…what it's like to try to "buy in" rather than "sell out"- then the movie will be a success. But if the film is overly sentimental toward the individual characters, this would only feed off the legacy of the first film. It needs to be about the experience, just as much if not more than the personalities within the movie itself. Just something to keep in mind.
Also, one of the few flaws of the first film was its rather light treatment of the music itself. I realize this was important to not alienate the non-music-nerds in the audience, but even a slight pivot towards the music could lend some color to the story. For example, it's pretty clear that punk (and especially hardcore) did not just suddenly vanish after 1985, so it would be nice if the film mentioned some of the bands that kept it going and kept it relevant later on. After all, their would be no subculture to speak of if the music wasn't there.*
But anyway, head on over to the indiegogo page and see what you think. Some of the perks are pretty cool, especially the opportunity to be an extra or the "last supper" option to have dinner with Michael Goorjian…in character as Herion Bob! I have to tell you, I still get all choked-up when I see that awesome scene at the end of the movie where they flash back to where Bob introduces Stevo to punk music. If you loved the movie, you know what scene I'm talking about…because you probably had your own version of that amazing moment, when you realized there was more to life than popular music (though I feel bad for Rush here, I know what the creators where going for):
Update – The creators of the movie reached out to us on Twitter to let us know black metal will have a presence in the movie:
@metalinjection & One of the returning characters has become a hard core fan of Norwegian Black Metal!
— Punk's Dead (@SLCPUNK2) December 2, 2013
*Speaking of which, it would also be pretty sweet if the creators of Metal Evolution did another "lost episode" about punk and hardcore!
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When he's not infuriating people with his album reviews, Drew Zalucky is busy writing for his political website, For the Sake of Argument
