Often referred to as a "Rock ”˜n Roll anthropologist", Penelope Spheeris is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Her first "auteur" feature project was The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), a punk-rock documentary that she wrote, produced, and directed. The film is the opening act of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at various points. The second film, The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years covers the Los Angeles heavy metal scene of 1986-1988. The third film, The Decline of Western Civilization III chronicles the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers in the late 1990s.

Spheeris' feature films include Suburbia (1984), Dudes (1987), Black Sheep (1996) and Wayne's World (1992).