Penelope Spheeris Quotes

“Big studio comedies are such a headache.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“The first Decline I did was out of sheer love and appreciation for the music. In 1977, it was more about bands, because punk was a new form of music. It was groundbreaking and political.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“Different parents have different standards for their children.”

— Penelope Spheeris

This generation has given up on growth. They're just hoping for survival.

— Penelope Spheeris

“When men have money and power they get turned on, sexually. They get horny as hell. Can't imagine why, though.”

— Penelope Spheeris

I love punk rock, but I also love metal.

— Penelope Spheeris

“I got IRS records to finance what I wanted to do.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“If you are looking for a producer, try to contact established producers. Don't let the fear of theft paralyze you, or you will never get anywhere with it.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“Decline III, I funded myself, from the studio money. That, and I sold a lot of drugs. Kidding. Don't print that.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“I really feel kind of guilty spending 80 million dollars. People are starving in the world.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“Rabid fans were literally jumping into the camera.”

— Penelope Spheeris

Those movies, Decline I and II and Suburbia, are dearly loved, but they never made any money. I didn't even have the rights for some of them.

— Penelope Spheeris

Your best protection is to have an established agent make the contact.

— Penelope Spheeris

“I actually picked up copies of Decline I and II at a flea market once. I walked out without paying.”

— Penelope Spheeris

I can't believe I actually was in my own movie.

— Penelope Spheeris

“I live on this nice three acres in Hollywood.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“I was always into music. I think everyone is when they're a teenager, as a way to drown out the world.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“It is fun to try figure out the things that really are real and the things that aren't.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“It is the idea that it's a movie in a movie. So I did it.”

— Penelope Spheeris

Nobody wanted to touch Decline III when they found out what it was about.

— Penelope Spheeris

“Now, it's almost impossible to go out and do a film about a new form of music.”

— Penelope Spheeris

There are thousands of directors in Hollywood.

— Penelope Spheeris

“Arnold and Jamie Lee must have worked over the years with directors that did 50 takes, because I'd get like three takes or so and say, Ok, that's it, we're done.”

— Penelope Spheeris

Before you approach a production entity or even a potential producer, you should write up a treatment and register your show with the Writers Guild of America.

— Penelope Spheeris

“For the most part, studio movies have huge budgets. They don't do anything under 30 to 40 million. When you have that much money at stake, you have so many people breathing down your neck.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“In other countries, it's a common thing to have outcast children running around the streets in packs, and I don't think we're so far away from it here.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“It's really hard to imagine there ever being the kind of impact there was when punk rock happened in the late 70's. I wish there would be one big change like that again, but I don't know if that'll ever happen.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“Me and Johnny Rotten have been talking about doing a movie of his book, No Irish, No Dogs, No Blacks. We have a script, so hopefully that's going to happen at some point in our careers.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“When we did Wayne's World, it was 14 million dollars and they didn't bug us too much because they just thought it was some little movie that nobody was ever going to see. We showed them.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“I like to think about society as being a flock of birds: There seems to be a common consciousness in different time periods, and the new common consciousness reacts to the old standards.”

— Penelope Spheeris

“My mother was a barmaid and I was raised in a trailer park. I'm used to that language. I put it on the screen so that people could interpret it as they wish.”

— Penelope Spheeris

What I found interesting is that it's human nature to have a family.

— Penelope Spheeris

“Many people have been able to get pitch meetings by just cold calling, especially the smaller networks and especially with the reality shows.”

— Penelope Spheeris