Filmmaker Richard Linklater also directed a movie about disaffected youth titled Suburbia in 1996, and the two movies are often mistaken as the same film.

Suburbia was Penelope Spheeris's debut narrative film.

Penelope Spheeris was born December 2nd, 1945 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the oldest of four children.

Her father was killed when she was seven and she was raised by her mother, whom she jokingly claims was, "a domestic violence pioneer".

When Spheeris grew up, she apparently traveled with a sideshow called the Magic Empire Carnival.

Spheeris herself had one child, whose father also died of a heroin overdose in 1974.

Spheeris was nominated "Most Likely to Succeed" by her high school classmates.

Spheeris worked as a waitress at The International House of Pancakes while attending film school at UCLA (she also studied psychobiology).

After leaving film school, Spheeris formed the first company in Los Angeles that produced music videos called "Rock and Reel". The company worked with various record labels including CBS and Warner Brothers.

Spheeris made two sequels to The Decline of Western Civilization, the second one, all about heavy metal, was entitled The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988).

Spheeris also directed a documentary on the Ozzfest tour called We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll (2001).

Spheeris reportedly turned down the chance to direct This Is Spinal Tap in 1984 because she claimed it was impossible to "make fun of heavy metal".

Spheeris spent her early days working with Lorne Michaels and Saturday Night Live. Spheeris remembers, "Lorne Michaels was sitting in my living room, reading the morning paper, and he said 'We should do a show in the late hour, based in New York, and have it produced live on camera'".

Spheeris produced short and feature length films directed by comic Albert Brooks, some of which were shown during the first season of SNL. She also helped produce Albert Brooks's first feature Real Life (1979).

Spheeris said that she turned down the opportunity to produce Private Benjamin (1980, with Goldie Hawn) to make The Decline of Western Civilization.

The Decline of Western Civilization was funded by a group of insurance salesmen (who owned a payroll service) that "wanted to make a porno movie". Spheeris suggested they "finance a punk rock movie, because it's the next best thing".

Spheeris told the salesmen that the documentary would cost $12,000 to shoot on Super 8. She then took the group of men, all still wearing their business suits, to a Germs concert.

In the end, Spheeris spent $120,000 filming The Decline of Western Civilization.

Penelope Spheeris claims to have a "cinematic double-life": on one hand making blockbusters like Wayne's World (1992) and The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), and on the other, movies like Suburbia and her documentaries.

Spheeris mentions that Wayne's World allowed her to pay off her debts for her previous movies and documentaries.

Spheeris never did a movie about the grunge scene in Seattle because she claims "grunge was too self-pitying. I have this theory that you can either be pissed off or depressed but you can't be both at the same time....that music scene was filled with depression."

Spheeris says she "loves punk rock, but [she] also loves metal". She also says, "It's really hard to imagine there ever being the kind of impact there was when punk rock happened in the late 1970's."

Spheeris feels that she was typecast as a comedy director after shooting Wayne's World, despite the fact that she denies being one. Spheeris claims that "big studio comedies are such a headache".

Spheeris claims that she picks up bootlegs of her own work from flea markets or film traders and walks out with them without paying.

Spheeris also says she and Sex Pistols front man Johnny Rotten have talked about making a movie out of his book No Irish, No Dogs, No Blacks.

"I was a good filmmaker...before I sold out." – Penelope Spheeris

Spheeris was reportedly moved to tears at the end of her director's commentary on Suburbia. She had not seen the ending in years and was apparently still moved by it.

UK synth-pop group The Pet Shop Boys released a song called "Suburbia" in 1986, which they later stated was inspired by the film.

Compiled by Millie de Chirico

SOURCES:
www.fast-rewind.com
www.avclub.com
www.thespinningimage.co.uk
www.dvdtalk.com
www.dvdverdict.com
www.filmcritic.com
www.moviehabit.com
www.filmreferernce.com
www.brainyquote.com
www.nytimes.com
Commentary on Suburbia DVD by Penelope Spheeris
www.imdb.com