We have a good number of celebrity parents roaming the neighborhood. The kids go to school and to camp with kids whose families have security plans. Some of the parents are film actors, some are TV, some are easily recognized and others just look familiar because they’re in everything. It’s fun to see my friends pop up on screens large and small but I’ve never felt intimated or star struck by any of their appearances.
Until this week.
Jane has a very good friend at school whose family we trust. When Alexander had his eye surgery I asked if Jane could stay there. It’s just a solid home with two involved parents and a Grandmother that lives nearby and lends a hand every now and then. I’d met the Grandma and I knew that she had directed Wayne’s World and some other stuff and I knew that she drove a modest car and smiled brightly when talking about her granddaughter. That’s all I knew.
I was watching TV the other night when a promo came on for Suburgatory which made me think of the Pet Shop Boys song Suburbia which then made me think of my all time favorite movie when I was a teen, Suburbia. I watched that movie dozens of times, wearing out the tape when the kid woke up with a snail on his face.
For a kid who grew up surrounded by south bay skate punks Suburbia was a film that celebrated my heroes. It spoke to me. Flea was in it, you can’t get more important than Flea in 1984 (or 1885, 86, 87 and parts of 92).
So I did what every middle aged, middle class, suburban housewife does on a Tuesday night. I flipped open my iPad2 while sitting up in bed and googled Suburbia to see if I could find a copy of it for sale.
Of course Suburbia has it’s own Wikipedia page so I started to scroll through that and I saw that the Suburbia was written and directed by Penelope Spheeris. Interesting.
Then I followed the hyperlink and saw that Penelope Spheeris had directed some other things and I looked at her picture and went Penelope Fucking Spheeris! That’s the Grandma. She’s my Steven Spielberg, she’s my Joe DiMaggio… she’s the only woman in Hollywood that I’m DYING to sit down with and ask her a million questions and she’s been to my home a half dozen times but I’ve been busy talking to her about kids. As if kids matter…
SUBURBIA!!! Oh, that is SUCH a great movie. And, if memory serves, a little full-frontal male nudity? Heh.
Just have to say we are all “star struck” at times…they are just people and appreciate being treated that way I’m sure…some are so talented and enjoy recognition as well…very normal.
Penelope Spheeris is a Grandmother. My God. I was a film student wanna-be director way back when – and we all idolized her. Then I lived in Laurel Canyon in the 90’s and she lived pretty close by – it was thrilling to see her on the road sometimes. Her mom used to be a bartender in Venice, a factoid that might mean something…
I remember going to see Suburbia at the Westminster Mall in Orange County. That and the fact that Penelope Spheers is a grandma makes me feel rather old.
Hello there Star Struck–I nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award. Details here–http://wp.me/pbgSK-mr.
Happy Holidays!
Deborah