Penelope Houston's family moved around the country quite a bit when she was a kid, eventually settling up in Washington state long enough for her to go to high school. She came to San Francisco to go to the Art Institute for visual arts, but quickly started going to shows and became friends with other kids who wanted to be up on stage.

In this podcast, Penelope talks about the nascent San Francisco punk scene of 1977. The episode ends with her and her friends forming their own band—the now legendary Avengers. Go check out Penelope's solo show, Aug. 30 at the Ivy Room in Albany.

Check back Thursday, when Penelope will share the story of the Avengers and the show they played at Winterland with the Sex Pistols.

We recorded this podcast in June 2019 at the Rare Books Room at the San Francisco Public Library.

Film photography by Michelle Kilfeather