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Downloaded @ subs4free.club

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♪ Fanfare

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♪ The opening film fanfare

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♪ Documentary film fanfare

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♪ Edgar Wright film fanfare.

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-And look right in the camera?
-Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

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-Okay. Okay, great.
-Just talk to me through the camera.

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-Speeding.
-Beck. Take one. Mark.

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Throughout all the years
that I've been making music,

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if you get on a tour bus

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and you sit on a long drive
with a bunch of musicians,

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eventually, the conversation
will go to Sparks.

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My good friends, Sparks.

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-Sparks. -Sparks.
-Sparks. -Sparks.

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I remember just
seeing them all the time

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and like, "Who are those guys?"

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They are an anomaly.

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I don't feel
like they purposely

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have been

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trying to be mysterious, right?

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They don't really
look like a band.

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They do just look like people
who've been sort of

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let out for a day.

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♪ And it ain't me
who's gonna leave... ♪

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Look into camera.

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-You want to look in the lens.
-Yeah.

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Damn you
and your three-quarterness.

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It's a damn mole!

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Two members of like mind,

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and they're conspirators.

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It's a very clever thing
they've got going on.

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They really
tiptoe through the tulips

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between beauty

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and revulsion.

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What's going on? Oh, my God.

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It's insane,
but it's fantastic.

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They would make
really good Muppets.

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♪ Daily, except for Sunday...

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You have
this snaky lead singer--

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you know,
something for the ladies.

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And then you got Adolf Hitler
on-on the keyboards.

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It is a little strange.

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Why has that bloke got
a Hitler mustache?

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That's a good look.

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Dean Martin was hanging out,

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and he would always, like,

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look at Ron like,
"What the...?"

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When I first discovered Sparks,

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I never thought of them
as being American at all.

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I thought of them

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just being this, like... Sparks.

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They're otherworldly.

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I always thought
Sparks were a... a British band.

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They're the best,
uh, British group

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ever to come out of America.

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Je suis américain.

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♪ Everywhere, heartbeat,
increasing heartbeat... ♪

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They are a total enigma to me.

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They are a band who
you can look up on Wikipedia

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and know nothing.

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Who the fuck are these guys?

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Ron has a huge
snow globe collection.

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Like... Really?

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It's quite special and, um...

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odd.

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If you try
to describe them to people,

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it's like, what do they
sound like? Sparks.

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The work speaks for itself,
so I don't have to know them.

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All pop music
is rearranged Vince Clarke

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and rearranged Sparks.

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That's the truth.

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So we have influenced everyone.

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Honestly,
I don't want to see this movie.

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I don't want to learn
too much about 'em.

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Um, I'll watch it
because I'm in it.

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What do you think about me

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calling the documentary
The Sparks Brothers?

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-Um, in lieu of anything better...
-Yeah, yeah.

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We hate that name.

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We are Sparks.

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Sparks are a band.

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Next question.

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-We are not an English band.
-Dude.

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I'm the singer.

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I'm not the singer.

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We are not identical twins.

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We are brothers.

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We are brothers.

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We do not live together.

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We are from
a middle-class background.

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My sexual persuasion is
slightly horny.

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There are 25 Sparks albums.

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With advances
in medical technology,

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hopefully there will be
200 to 300 more Sparks albums.

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Sparks-- how did
this glam rock anomaly

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become a band with a career
spanning five decades?

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How can Ron and Russell Mael
be successful, underrated,

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hugely influential
and overlooked

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all at the same time?

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How do two brothers survive
in a rock and roll world

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without killing each other?

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And where does one even start

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with 25 studio albums
and nearly 500 songs?

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Join us as we
pull back the curtain

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to shine a light
on the brothers Mael

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and crucially offer
a window into the psyche

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of these
extraordinary musicians

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and, through their music,
paint a long overdue portrait

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of them as real artists.

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Our story begins
not in gloomy old England

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but in sunny California.

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♪ Gonna tell Aunt Mary
'bout Uncle John ♪

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♪ He claim he has the misery,
but he has a lot of fun ♪

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♪ Oh, baby, yeah, baby

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♪ Whoo, baby...

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To a kid seeing them on TV,

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they just came
from another world.

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♪ Well, long tall Sally...

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They weren't supposed
to come from anywhere.

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I think, originally, I did
think they were a British band.

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I'm still not convinced
that they're American.

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I always
sort of thought of them as like

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Cheap Trick in a way, like,
oh, they're probably

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from the Midwest somewhere.

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We're kind of the rare breed

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of native-born Californians.

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I was born in
Santa Monica, California.

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He was born in
Culver City, California.

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Our father was an artist,
a painter

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and was also
a commercial artist

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for the Hollywood Citizen-News.

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♪ Well, I saw Uncle John...

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Some of the images
that he painted were

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places that we would go to
quite a bit.

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One of them was
the Santa Monica Pier.

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We would spend days
fishing for perch.

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And kind of-- the pier, to me,

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looks like that painting,
not like the real thing is.

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♪ Have some fun tonight...

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He always had
these records from Elvis

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and Jerry Lee Lewis
and Little Richard.

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Him introducing us
to cool music

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was something that
we kind of retained.

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♪ One, two, three o'clock,
four o'clock rock... ♪

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It really was an amazing time

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because we were exposed to the
first seismic shift in music.

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I remember the first time
I went to see

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Blackboard Jungle.

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One instance of hearing
the title music

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changed my whole DNA.

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This kind of music
was really overturning

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that staid
Eisenhower-era lifestyle.

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This was wrong but in
all the kind of right ways.

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If you want to understand

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Ron and Russell,
you need to see them

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through one prism,
and that-that prism is

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cinema
but specifically Hollywood.

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I remember spending
a lot of time at the movies

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with Russell and our father.

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We would go see a lot
of Westerns and war films.

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I really cherished those

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Saturday matinees.

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It was a rich experience.

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It was more than just a movie.

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It was a... a total afternoon

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with popcorn and cartoons
and newsreels.

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Why don't you try
a juicy, good hot dog?

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Our parents didn't care
if a movie had started,

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so we would just come
in the middle of the movie

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and try to imagine
what the beginning of it was.

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And I think part of our, uh,

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jagged sense of narrative
in the songs

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might have been, uh,
initiated in some way by that.

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Um, when our father died, uh,

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00:09:06,471 --> 00:09:10,825
obviously, it was
a really traumatic experience.

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You don't even understand,
really, how that's possible

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or that he's not gonna
ever be there again.

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And-and, uh, it's something
that's so abstract,

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just the concept of death.

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And, uh... and it's when...
when it's your father,

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and then especially
at that age, too,

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that you're so young
that you never

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got to ask the questions

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that you would now like
to have asked to him

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and to have known
more about him.

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And I think that's kind of
part of the sad thing, too,

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is that, uh, so much
you'll never find out

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about, uh, your own father.

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We were both very, very young.

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I was... I was 11,
and Russell was eight, and...

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00:10:03,268 --> 00:10:07,143
kind of everything changed
at that moment for us,

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and I think it did
bring us closer together.

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'Cause it was all
very unexpected,

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the three of us
were then kind of

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forced to be stronger
as a unit.

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Um, Ron and I would,

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you know,
do everything that we could

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to help out our mom.

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Our mother decided that
I should have piano lessons.

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I didn't want to admit
that I enjoyed

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00:10:32,777 --> 00:10:34,475
taking the piano lessons

201
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because, you know, there...

202
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always a rebellious streak
in me,

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00:10:37,869 --> 00:10:41,046
but piano lessons were actually
something I really enjoyed.

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And they would have talent
shows at elementary school,

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00:10:44,397 --> 00:10:47,095
and I would get up there
in a pink sport jacket

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00:10:47,138 --> 00:10:49,968
and a... a tie, and my hair

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00:10:50,012 --> 00:10:52,579
really kind of greased
and everything,

208
00:10:52,623 --> 00:10:55,582
and performing those talent
shows was an addictive thing.

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00:10:55,626 --> 00:10:58,368
You really saw
the audience reaction,

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00:10:58,411 --> 00:10:59,803
and you thought,
"This is kind of cool."

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00:10:59,847 --> 00:11:01,327
And it-it also

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00:11:01,371 --> 00:11:03,242
blended in
with our interest in sports.

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00:11:03,286 --> 00:11:07,377
Both music and sports were
things that garnered attention.

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00:11:07,420 --> 00:11:10,206
♪ Going out when the rest
are coming home ♪

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00:11:10,249 --> 00:11:13,426
♪ Coming home when the rest
are going out ♪

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00:11:13,470 --> 00:11:16,561
♪ And when I'm broke
and really down, I'm down... ♪

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00:11:16,604 --> 00:11:18,998
It's an odd thing
that our huge passion

218
00:11:19,042 --> 00:11:23,001
when we were growing up
in school was-was athletics.

219
00:11:24,568 --> 00:11:28,006
Hard to believe that, uh,
this scrawny body

220
00:11:28,050 --> 00:11:33,186
once played against, uh,
250-pound guys.

221
00:11:33,230 --> 00:11:36,058
I sometimes equate
the experience

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00:11:36,101 --> 00:11:38,799
of going out onto the field
on Friday night

223
00:11:38,843 --> 00:11:42,238
as the same sensation
as when you go onstage.

224
00:11:42,281 --> 00:11:44,589
There's the same
adrenaline rush.

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00:11:47,070 --> 00:11:50,769
♪ I want to be, I want to be

226
00:11:50,812 --> 00:11:54,207
♪ I want to be,
I want to be ♪

227
00:11:54,251 --> 00:11:57,819
♪ I want to be like
everybody else. ♪

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00:12:03,521 --> 00:12:06,741
-♪ Ooh, ooh
-♪ Over the summer

229
00:12:06,785 --> 00:12:09,134
-♪ Over the summer
-♪ Ooh

230
00:12:09,178 --> 00:12:10,483
♪ Over the summer

231
00:12:10,527 --> 00:12:11,964
♪ Ooh...

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00:12:12,008 --> 00:12:13,879
We lived always near

233
00:12:13,923 --> 00:12:16,490
the ocean, so both in Venice
and then Pacific Palisades.

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00:12:16,534 --> 00:12:20,233
♪ You've got to trust
in summer ♪

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00:12:20,277 --> 00:12:23,279
♪ Miracles can happen
if you do... ♪

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00:12:23,322 --> 00:12:25,022
In the summer,
we would walk down.

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00:12:25,065 --> 00:12:26,937
There's a little bluff
that you have to walk

238
00:12:26,980 --> 00:12:28,416
from our house
in the Palisades,

239
00:12:28,460 --> 00:12:30,244
and it led down to the ocean.

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00:12:30,288 --> 00:12:32,724
It took maybe a half an hour.

241
00:12:32,767 --> 00:12:34,465
We'd do that routine every day.

242
00:12:34,508 --> 00:12:36,989
We'd stay from
like 9:00 in the morning

243
00:12:37,033 --> 00:12:38,818
to maybe, you know,
7:00 at night.

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00:12:38,861 --> 00:12:41,603
So that was our life
for three months every year.

245
00:12:41,647 --> 00:12:44,997
♪ July, you were
the plainest of Janes... ♪

246
00:12:45,041 --> 00:12:48,305
People say that
they don't see any Los Angeles

247
00:12:48,348 --> 00:12:52,004
in what we're doing,
and I think that, actually,

248
00:12:52,048 --> 00:12:55,052
they're missing a lot of
what the influence was on us.

249
00:12:57,792 --> 00:12:59,881
We had our transistor radio,

250
00:12:59,925 --> 00:13:02,450
and, uh, AM music
at that time in Los Angeles

251
00:13:02,494 --> 00:13:03,974
was really incredible.

252
00:13:04,017 --> 00:13:07,369
It was just one big mass
of pop music.

253
00:13:08,761 --> 00:13:10,502
Ladies and
gentlemen, the beat goes on.

254
00:13:10,545 --> 00:13:12,634
♪ More music.

255
00:13:12,678 --> 00:13:15,333
The Real Don Steele.

256
00:13:15,376 --> 00:13:16,943
♪ 93 KHJ.

257
00:13:16,987 --> 00:13:19,989
♪ Please, please, please...

258
00:13:20,032 --> 00:13:22,731
There was
no distinction between

259
00:13:22,775 --> 00:13:26,257
British bands or soul groups,
Black groups, white groups.

260
00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:28,085
It-it didn't really matter.

261
00:13:28,128 --> 00:13:32,871
Like, no one cared or
questioned the genres of music.

262
00:13:32,914 --> 00:13:36,615
You would always want
to go see any British band

263
00:13:36,658 --> 00:13:38,573
that would come to Los Angeles.

264
00:13:38,617 --> 00:13:41,403
The high point of our lives--
uh, we can actually say

265
00:13:41,447 --> 00:13:45,363
we've seen The Beatles twice
because we had a cool mom.

266
00:13:45,406 --> 00:13:46,886
The Beatles,

267
00:13:46,929 --> 00:13:48,932
on their way
to the Hollywood Bowl.

268
00:13:48,976 --> 00:13:51,283
Some of the youngsters
don't give up easily.

269
00:13:51,326 --> 00:13:53,067
For whatever reason,

270
00:13:53,111 --> 00:13:55,851
she agreed to drive us
to Las Vegas,

271
00:13:55,895 --> 00:13:58,245
where they were playing
a concert.

272
00:13:58,289 --> 00:14:02,250
So there we were in our little
Fiat Multipla that our mom had

273
00:14:02,294 --> 00:14:06,558
and had this sort of bad
futuristic shape to it.

274
00:14:06,601 --> 00:14:09,256
And, uh, we're putting along
the highway to Las Vegas

275
00:14:09,300 --> 00:14:11,389
just to see The Beatles.

276
00:14:11,432 --> 00:14:13,173
That's a mom.

277
00:14:20,877 --> 00:14:24,577
While we were at UCLA,
everything coalesced for us

278
00:14:24,620 --> 00:14:28,711
as far as soaking in all of
these things from the outside.

279
00:14:28,755 --> 00:14:32,106
We played in bands
early on with ridiculous names.

280
00:14:32,150 --> 00:14:35,066
I don't know,
we were in Moonbaker Abbey,

281
00:14:35,109 --> 00:14:37,677
and we were in
The Urban Renewal Project.

282
00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,723
I mean, how successful
could a band ever get

283
00:14:40,767 --> 00:14:43,421
calling themselves
Urban Renewal Project?

284
00:14:44,771 --> 00:14:46,860
The first two songs
that we ever recorded

285
00:14:46,903 --> 00:14:50,385
were "Computer Girl" and, uh,
the other one-- what was this?

286
00:14:50,429 --> 00:14:51,995
- What was the second one?
- "Windmill."

287
00:14:52,039 --> 00:14:54,214
I'm ashamed that I forgot that,
but "W-Windmill."

288
00:14:54,258 --> 00:14:56,609
-So classic that he forgot it.
-Yeah.

289
00:14:56,652 --> 00:15:00,483
It's really strange
to have a song in 1966

290
00:15:00,527 --> 00:15:02,877
called "Computer Girl,"
because we didn't even

291
00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:05,618
really know what
a computer was at that time.

292
00:15:05,661 --> 00:15:10,057
♪ Computer girl

293
00:15:10,101 --> 00:15:13,975
♪ My computer girl

294
00:15:14,018 --> 00:15:15,759
♪ This is a recording

295
00:15:15,803 --> 00:15:19,240
♪ She's got no arms

296
00:15:19,284 --> 00:15:25,726
♪ She's got no legs

297
00:15:25,769 --> 00:15:30,947
♪ For computers

298
00:15:30,991 --> 00:15:34,343
♪ Have no limbs...

299
00:15:34,387 --> 00:15:36,432
- Pre-Kraftwerk?
- Pre-Kraftwerk. Yes.

300
00:15:36,476 --> 00:15:37,912
Yeah, we predate Kraftwerk

301
00:15:37,955 --> 00:15:41,045
when it comes
to computer songs.

302
00:15:41,089 --> 00:15:42,873
The first time
that we really got

303
00:15:42,917 --> 00:15:46,442
serious about music
was when we met Earle Mankey

304
00:15:46,486 --> 00:15:48,488
and the three of us
got together

305
00:15:48,531 --> 00:15:51,447
and had similar musical taste.

306
00:15:51,491 --> 00:15:53,275
They seemed pretty much

307
00:15:53,319 --> 00:15:55,843
just like normal
college students.

308
00:15:55,886 --> 00:15:57,845
But once we got into
the recording process,

309
00:15:57,888 --> 00:16:00,630
they-they turned out
to be different.

310
00:16:00,674 --> 00:16:03,719
You have three people in a room
and a two-track tape recorder,

311
00:16:03,763 --> 00:16:06,854
and you want to emulate,
let's say The Beatles.

312
00:16:06,897 --> 00:16:09,422
Well, uh, first,
you might think you need drums.

313
00:16:09,465 --> 00:16:11,163
Well, we didn't have any drums.

314
00:16:11,206 --> 00:16:12,252
So, uh,

315
00:16:12,295 --> 00:16:13,905
bang on some boxes

316
00:16:13,949 --> 00:16:16,864
and find a table
that had a nice tone,

317
00:16:16,907 --> 00:16:18,866
and if you needed a cymbal,
that was harder.

318
00:16:18,909 --> 00:16:19,910
But as I recall,

319
00:16:19,954 --> 00:16:22,175
there was a brass lampshade

320
00:16:22,218 --> 00:16:24,655
that, uh, didn't really ring
like a cymbal,

321
00:16:24,699 --> 00:16:26,614
but it would give us
a nice clank.

322
00:16:28,049 --> 00:16:29,877
When I joined the band,

323
00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:31,661
it was called Halfnelson.

324
00:16:31,705 --> 00:16:34,490
I was contacted by Russell,
and he explained to me,

325
00:16:34,534 --> 00:16:36,754
"Well, we're not just
getting together

326
00:16:36,798 --> 00:16:39,669
"to drink beer,
meet girls and play music.

327
00:16:39,713 --> 00:16:42,759
We're actually gonna
become big."

328
00:16:42,803 --> 00:16:45,197
That sounds like the scene
from our biopic

329
00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:47,024
that's, uh, upcoming soon.

330
00:16:48,679 --> 00:16:50,246
♪ Whoo!

331
00:16:50,290 --> 00:16:53,249
♪ Fa-fa-fa, fa-fa,
fa-fa-fa... ♪

332
00:16:53,293 --> 00:16:56,078
I think, at the
beginning, I was trying to be

333
00:16:56,121 --> 00:17:00,517
as much like Mick Jagger
or Roger Daltrey

334
00:17:00,561 --> 00:17:02,476
as I could possibly be.

335
00:17:02,519 --> 00:17:06,262
I kind of missed the mark
by a few thousand miles,

336
00:17:06,306 --> 00:17:08,786
but something else emerged.

337
00:17:08,830 --> 00:17:10,527
♪ From champagne

338
00:17:10,571 --> 00:17:13,921
♪ And I have never
met the queen ♪

339
00:17:13,964 --> 00:17:16,751
♪ And I wish I could have
all he has got ♪

340
00:17:16,794 --> 00:17:19,928
♪ And I wish I could be
like David Watts... ♪

341
00:17:19,971 --> 00:17:21,277
I think there was

342
00:17:21,321 --> 00:17:22,626
sometimes a conscious

343
00:17:22,670 --> 00:17:25,063
and sometimes
an unconscious attempt

344
00:17:25,107 --> 00:17:28,066
at trying to emulate
the early Who songs

345
00:17:28,110 --> 00:17:30,766
and the early Kinks songs
that really felt

346
00:17:30,809 --> 00:17:32,942
in tune with what
we really wanted to be doing.

347
00:17:32,985 --> 00:17:35,249
♪ I'd lead the school team
to victory... ♪

348
00:17:35,292 --> 00:17:37,772
I remember I liked
bands that they didn't like.

349
00:17:37,815 --> 00:17:39,861
And I remember one time
I made the comment that,

350
00:17:39,904 --> 00:17:42,429
"Hey, Blood Sweat and Tears,
they're great, huh?"

351
00:17:42,472 --> 00:17:45,650
All the eyes rolled back
simultaneously.

352
00:17:45,694 --> 00:17:47,086
It could've been worse.
He could have mentioned

353
00:17:47,130 --> 00:17:49,697
Chicago or somebody
like that, and...

354
00:17:49,740 --> 00:17:53,614
then he would have been
out of the band immediately.

355
00:17:58,054 --> 00:18:01,926
♪ When you're
a French director... ♪

356
00:18:01,970 --> 00:18:03,754
There was a sense at the time

357
00:18:03,798 --> 00:18:06,454
that if you were
kind of a hip person

358
00:18:06,497 --> 00:18:09,457
that you would also
automatically be interested

359
00:18:09,500 --> 00:18:12,199
in French New Wave films
and Bergman.

360
00:18:12,243 --> 00:18:16,115
It kind of went hand in hand
with liking the British bands.

361
00:18:16,159 --> 00:18:18,379
It was just
kind of a badge of honor,

362
00:18:18,422 --> 00:18:22,470
liking nonmainstream things.

363
00:18:24,471 --> 00:18:27,475
When I first met Ron,

364
00:18:27,518 --> 00:18:32,349
we were all deeply,
deeply rooted in film.

365
00:18:32,393 --> 00:18:35,396
As far as Russ
was concerned, uh,

366
00:18:35,439 --> 00:18:37,788
he wanted to be a filmmaker.

367
00:18:37,832 --> 00:18:39,050
Early on, I was dabbling

368
00:18:39,094 --> 00:18:41,619
in French New Wave cinema

369
00:18:41,663 --> 00:18:45,798
and, uh, made a film
when I was at UCLA.

370
00:18:45,842 --> 00:18:47,538
Um, and I don't know if it's...

371
00:18:47,582 --> 00:18:49,845
I-I wouldn't call it
a great film,

372
00:18:49,888 --> 00:18:52,587
-but it wasn't...
-Oh, don't be so modest.

373
00:18:52,630 --> 00:18:56,331
I starred
in Russell's student film,

374
00:18:56,374 --> 00:18:58,637
Très Sérieux,
which means, I guess,

375
00:18:58,681 --> 00:19:01,117
Very Serious
or something like that.

376
00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:04,947
My name in the movie was
Jean-Paul Mankey.

377
00:19:04,990 --> 00:19:09,344
You know, it was poking fun
at, uh, French art films.

378
00:19:10,562 --> 00:19:12,258
That's the cool thing
about them.

379
00:19:12,302 --> 00:19:13,825
You know, they take something
that seems to be

380
00:19:13,869 --> 00:19:15,914
really great and arty,

381
00:19:15,958 --> 00:19:17,916
and then they shoot it
in the pants.

382
00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,964
Other times, people think
they're making fun of something

383
00:19:21,007 --> 00:19:22,705
when they're deadly serious.

384
00:19:22,748 --> 00:19:24,489
They're kind of
inscrutable, those guys.

385
00:19:27,449 --> 00:19:29,842
Well, I had
a chance to meet Ron and Russell

386
00:19:29,886 --> 00:19:32,018
when I worked at, uh,
Universal Records.

387
00:19:32,062 --> 00:19:34,020
They brought
their demo tape in,

388
00:19:34,064 --> 00:19:38,503
and I was taken
by the creativity,

389
00:19:38,547 --> 00:19:41,506
the artistry,
uh, the individuality.

390
00:19:41,550 --> 00:19:43,378
And it was something

391
00:19:43,421 --> 00:19:45,510
that you just knew
was something.

392
00:19:45,554 --> 00:19:50,341
And I lobbied my brains out
to have them get signed.

393
00:19:52,169 --> 00:19:55,128
Every office
we'd go into was all excited.

394
00:19:56,391 --> 00:19:58,435
They'd call their friends in
and say, "Listen to this stuff.

395
00:19:58,479 --> 00:20:00,220
Isn't this weird?
Isn't this great?"

396
00:20:00,264 --> 00:20:02,309
Uh, and then
they wouldn't sign us.

397
00:20:03,747 --> 00:20:05,662
The thing that marked them

398
00:20:05,705 --> 00:20:09,013
was their unwillingness
to give up on rejection.

399
00:20:09,056 --> 00:20:11,449
They just wouldn't give up.

400
00:20:11,493 --> 00:20:13,233
There's always just been

401
00:20:13,277 --> 00:20:16,367
one person
throughout our whole career

402
00:20:16,411 --> 00:20:19,284
that would kind of get
what it was

403
00:20:19,327 --> 00:20:21,546
that we were doing
at any one particular time--

404
00:20:21,590 --> 00:20:24,201
and the first one
was Todd Rundgren--

405
00:20:24,244 --> 00:20:28,074
when everybody else at every
record label rejected us.

406
00:20:30,033 --> 00:20:31,470
If it hadn't been for him,

407
00:20:31,514 --> 00:20:34,341
there wouldn't have been
a Sparks now.

408
00:20:34,385 --> 00:20:37,345
Well, without me,
there would be no Halfnelson.

409
00:20:37,389 --> 00:20:40,653
Sparks was something
that happened a little later.

410
00:20:40,697 --> 00:20:43,090
Todd Rundgren
first discovered Sparks

411
00:20:43,134 --> 00:20:45,049
and produced their debut album.

412
00:20:46,093 --> 00:20:47,747
We sent the demo album

413
00:20:47,791 --> 00:20:49,793
to Todd Rundgren.
I had some notoriety

414
00:20:49,836 --> 00:20:51,795
in the business,
so he took my call.

415
00:20:51,838 --> 00:20:57,452
My memory was that, uh,
Russell's, uh, girlfriend,

416
00:20:57,495 --> 00:21:00,673
part-time girlfriend,
girlfriend on and off, uh,

417
00:21:00,717 --> 00:21:03,633
was Miss Christine
from the GTO's.

418
00:21:03,676 --> 00:21:06,418
Miss Christine was like
my girlfriend for a while,

419
00:21:06,462 --> 00:21:09,159
and then she became Russell's
girlfriend for a while.

420
00:21:09,202 --> 00:21:10,639
We became friends

421
00:21:10,682 --> 00:21:13,817
with-with, uh,
Miss Christine as well.

422
00:21:13,860 --> 00:21:17,996
And so, um,
at that time, I, uh...

423
00:21:18,039 --> 00:21:20,040
- We did?
- We did. We did.

424
00:21:22,173 --> 00:21:24,044
Let me... let me, uh...
yeah, we were...

425
00:21:24,088 --> 00:21:26,961
So I became... I became friends
with Miss Christine.

426
00:21:28,746 --> 00:21:31,400
I think Russell thought
it was weird,

427
00:21:31,444 --> 00:21:33,358
but I didn't consider it
any sort of affront,

428
00:21:33,401 --> 00:21:35,142
but I think I knew
Miss Christine

429
00:21:35,186 --> 00:21:37,188
better than he did.

430
00:21:37,231 --> 00:21:38,755
Yeah, I'm sure Miss Christine

431
00:21:38,798 --> 00:21:40,540
played Todd the demo.

432
00:21:40,584 --> 00:21:43,064
She was... she and Todd
were together quite a while,

433
00:21:43,108 --> 00:21:45,631
um, and she loved Sparks.

434
00:21:45,675 --> 00:21:47,154
Christine said, "Oh, Todd,

435
00:21:47,198 --> 00:21:48,678
"you've got to hear these guys.

436
00:21:48,721 --> 00:21:51,811
It's so great.
You're gonna want to sign 'em."

437
00:21:53,379 --> 00:21:55,555
I was struck by
the fact that it wasn't like

438
00:21:55,599 --> 00:21:58,950
anything else
that I was normally getting.

439
00:21:58,993 --> 00:22:02,214
It is sometimes like
butterfly hunting.

440
00:22:02,257 --> 00:22:04,346
You're looking for some species

441
00:22:04,390 --> 00:22:07,566
that nobody has ever
discovered before.

442
00:22:10,483 --> 00:22:12,833
So they set up a demo

443
00:22:12,877 --> 00:22:14,879
as if it was like a whole venue.

444
00:22:14,922 --> 00:22:18,664
They had this rehearsal space
out in the Valley.

445
00:22:18,708 --> 00:22:20,666
They called it
the Doggy Factory,

446
00:22:20,710 --> 00:22:22,800
which implied that doggies
were made there,

447
00:22:22,843 --> 00:22:25,454
but it was actually doggy beds.

448
00:22:25,498 --> 00:22:27,544
Yeah, that's...
it was all left-handed.

449
00:22:27,587 --> 00:22:29,807
It was... I mean, this band,
you're gonna go see 'em

450
00:22:29,850 --> 00:22:31,591
at a doggy bed factory.

451
00:22:31,635 --> 00:22:34,507
I thought they were joking.
I thought it was a club.

452
00:22:34,551 --> 00:22:36,510
We all sat down
in some folding chairs,

453
00:22:36,554 --> 00:22:38,643
and they put on a whole show.

454
00:22:38,686 --> 00:22:41,123
The biggest number, uh,

455
00:22:41,167 --> 00:22:42,733
I guess it would have to be
the song

456
00:22:42,776 --> 00:22:44,648
"Slowboat."

457
00:22:44,691 --> 00:22:47,346
There was a papier-mâché boat.

458
00:22:47,389 --> 00:22:49,609
Russell would sit in this boat

459
00:22:49,653 --> 00:22:52,308
and be towed across the floor
by the roadie.

460
00:22:52,352 --> 00:22:55,354
I got in it as if it
was like a Rose Parade float,

461
00:22:55,397 --> 00:22:57,443
and I was waving
to the audience

462
00:22:57,486 --> 00:22:59,576
as the captain
of this slow boat.

463
00:22:59,619 --> 00:23:01,926
And about three feet
later, he'd have to stop

464
00:23:01,969 --> 00:23:04,756
because it would be
the end of the stage.

465
00:23:04,799 --> 00:23:05,843
My wife thought

466
00:23:05,886 --> 00:23:07,932
Russ was, uh, very cute,

467
00:23:07,975 --> 00:23:10,196
and I kept asking her
about the music,

468
00:23:10,239 --> 00:23:12,198
but she kept telling me
how cute Russ was.

469
00:23:12,241 --> 00:23:15,157
Russ was really cute.

470
00:23:17,856 --> 00:23:19,597
I was

471
00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:21,903
well proud of the effort
that they put out

472
00:23:21,947 --> 00:23:24,689
and said,
"We'll make a record."

473
00:23:24,732 --> 00:23:29,736
♪ Slow boat, bring me back
another day... ♪

474
00:23:29,780 --> 00:23:33,001
Of course, everything
that happened after that was...

475
00:23:33,045 --> 00:23:34,829
was evolutionary.

476
00:23:55,850 --> 00:23:57,983
Sorry, Sam, can we
take that back a little ways?

477
00:23:58,026 --> 00:23:59,899
We'll pick it up.

478
00:23:59,942 --> 00:24:02,641
We really were
elated that now things

479
00:24:02,684 --> 00:24:04,424
seemed real for once.

480
00:24:04,467 --> 00:24:06,469
It was really amazing.

481
00:24:06,513 --> 00:24:07,906
It was really surreal.

482
00:24:07,949 --> 00:24:09,385
It was like,
"My God, this is...

483
00:24:09,429 --> 00:24:10,604
How did I get here?
This is incredible."

484
00:24:10,648 --> 00:24:13,390
It just, uh, seemed like

485
00:24:13,434 --> 00:24:17,350
we were soon gonna be at
the Hollywood Bowl ourselves.

486
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:22,703
The making of
the album was so much fun.

487
00:24:22,747 --> 00:24:25,446
It was great.
Uh, we had what seemed like

488
00:24:25,489 --> 00:24:27,709
an unlimited amount of time
in a good studio.

489
00:24:27,753 --> 00:24:28,971
♪ All will join in

490
00:24:29,015 --> 00:24:30,886
♪ In the
big scene... ♪

491
00:24:30,930 --> 00:24:33,541
To Todd's credit,
he really made us feel at home

492
00:24:33,584 --> 00:24:37,153
and more importantly
made us feel at home musically

493
00:24:37,197 --> 00:24:40,155
because he really wanted us
to keep to the essence

494
00:24:40,199 --> 00:24:42,332
of what the demos were.

495
00:24:42,376 --> 00:24:44,987
♪ Take a tall one,
take a small one... ♪

496
00:24:45,031 --> 00:24:46,946
I didn't want to mess with

497
00:24:46,989 --> 00:24:49,818
this latent outsider genius.

498
00:24:49,862 --> 00:24:51,863
I'm just gonna figure out

499
00:24:51,906 --> 00:24:53,865
how to make it
a little bit more high-fidelity,

500
00:24:53,908 --> 00:24:56,085
and that...
and that will be fine,

501
00:24:56,129 --> 00:24:58,784
I think.

502
00:24:58,827 --> 00:25:00,568
This album was gonna be

503
00:25:00,611 --> 00:25:03,136
just phenomenal,

504
00:25:03,179 --> 00:25:04,441
just really good.

505
00:25:06,792 --> 00:25:09,404
We released
the Halfnelson album,

506
00:25:09,447 --> 00:25:12,712
and it didn't really get
the commercial success

507
00:25:12,755 --> 00:25:16,671
that I think Todd
was hoping for.

508
00:25:17,803 --> 00:25:19,761
With Sparks, you have this

509
00:25:19,805 --> 00:25:22,068
strange combination of...

510
00:25:22,111 --> 00:25:24,071
almost creative recklessness

511
00:25:24,114 --> 00:25:26,246
because they don't follow
the conventional path,

512
00:25:26,289 --> 00:25:28,248
which is what makes them
great as a fan.

513
00:25:30,380 --> 00:25:32,382
There's this force
of creativity

514
00:25:32,426 --> 00:25:34,558
that goes into
that experimentation,

515
00:25:34,602 --> 00:25:36,779
but the culture
isn't there yet.

516
00:25:36,823 --> 00:25:38,998
And then you find yourself
in the real world

517
00:25:39,041 --> 00:25:40,957
where you have to sell records.

518
00:25:41,001 --> 00:25:42,872
Well, you did it again.

519
00:25:42,916 --> 00:25:44,395
You look at Sparks,

520
00:25:44,439 --> 00:25:46,310
they're-they're just
blazing this trail, um,

521
00:25:46,354 --> 00:25:47,877
because there's just no...

522
00:25:47,921 --> 00:25:49,531
It-It's the ultimate experience

523
00:25:49,574 --> 00:25:51,315
of what you want
from your artists.

524
00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:55,189
There's just no connection
to what is actually going on

525
00:25:55,232 --> 00:25:57,495
in the world.

526
00:25:57,539 --> 00:26:00,150
The album
didn't sell very well,

527
00:26:00,194 --> 00:26:04,415
so the, uh, marketing geniuses
at the record company said,

528
00:26:04,459 --> 00:26:06,330
"Well, maybe a different name

529
00:26:06,374 --> 00:26:08,680
and a different album cover
would make the difference."

530
00:26:08,724 --> 00:26:10,465
And he goes,

531
00:26:10,508 --> 00:26:12,467
"You guys like comedy.
You like the Marx Brothers.

532
00:26:12,510 --> 00:26:15,251
You're brothers.
So the Sparks Brothers."

533
00:26:15,295 --> 00:26:18,953
And that met with one of those
pregnant pauses from us

534
00:26:18,996 --> 00:26:22,478
where we both stare at-at him,
uh, kind of aghast.

535
00:26:22,521 --> 00:26:24,480
I think we negotiated out

536
00:26:24,523 --> 00:26:27,787
the word "brothers"
and ended up with just Sparks.

537
00:26:31,355 --> 00:26:32,923
♪ She was
a wonder girl ♪

538
00:26:32,967 --> 00:26:35,056
♪ Some girl, that girl

539
00:26:35,099 --> 00:26:37,100
♪ She was a wonder girl

540
00:26:37,144 --> 00:26:40,060
♪ Some girl, that girl

541
00:26:40,103 --> 00:26:45,239
♪ It was a grand old time
we had ♪

542
00:26:45,282 --> 00:26:47,111
♪ She was there

543
00:26:47,155 --> 00:26:49,939
♪ And I was pretty glad...

544
00:26:49,983 --> 00:26:52,072
We're driving around,

545
00:26:52,115 --> 00:26:54,204
and the radio is kind of on,

546
00:26:54,248 --> 00:26:56,729
and I hear this voice,
and I yell,

547
00:26:56,773 --> 00:26:59,036
"Yo, turn that up!

548
00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,170
"What is that? Turn that up.

549
00:27:02,213 --> 00:27:04,389
"Who is that?

550
00:27:04,433 --> 00:27:06,696
"Turn it up louder.

551
00:27:06,739 --> 00:27:08,785
That's amazing."

552
00:27:08,829 --> 00:27:10,395
♪ To her friends

553
00:27:10,439 --> 00:27:12,875
♪ It's a wonder that

554
00:27:12,919 --> 00:27:15,618
♪ She always
started trends... ♪

555
00:27:15,661 --> 00:27:19,230
All the bells and
whistles went off in my head.

556
00:27:19,274 --> 00:27:20,971
The radio announcer

557
00:27:21,015 --> 00:27:23,799
never got back on
and said who that was,

558
00:27:23,843 --> 00:27:25,540
and it haunted me for years.

559
00:27:27,194 --> 00:27:31,503
♪ Ooh, wonder girl...

560
00:27:31,547 --> 00:27:33,637
We had made
our first appearance

561
00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:35,812
on American Band stand,
which was pretty much

562
00:27:35,856 --> 00:27:38,989
the equivalent of being, like,
onTop of the Pops in the UK,

563
00:27:39,033 --> 00:27:41,557
but we still had no... no money

564
00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:44,735
and we were on food
assistance plans, food stamps.

565
00:27:44,778 --> 00:27:48,085
And so we went into
a supermarket the next week,

566
00:27:48,129 --> 00:27:50,348
and the checker said,

567
00:27:50,392 --> 00:27:52,916
"Hey, I saw you
on television last week.

568
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:54,700
You guys were great."

569
00:27:54,744 --> 00:27:57,617
And then we have
to pull out our food stamps

570
00:27:57,661 --> 00:27:59,749
to the nice lady,
and then she's going,

571
00:27:59,792 --> 00:28:01,969
"Can we get approval
for these poor guys

572
00:28:02,012 --> 00:28:04,101
"on aisle six, please?

573
00:28:04,145 --> 00:28:07,235
Poor people over here
who are on a television show."

574
00:28:07,278 --> 00:28:09,237
♪ Ooh, wonder girl...

575
00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:11,282
- Being humiliated in public.
- Yeah. Yeah.

576
00:28:11,327 --> 00:28:13,546
-Good training.
-Yeah.

577
00:28:13,590 --> 00:28:17,550
I'm immune to humiliation
after that.

578
00:28:17,594 --> 00:28:19,422
♪ Hey, Lisa,
they're having a big party ♪

579
00:28:19,465 --> 00:28:21,641
♪ Down at
the Allele Pool tonight ♪

580
00:28:21,685 --> 00:28:24,383
♪ Ooh, let's do it

581
00:28:26,646 --> 00:28:28,866
It was a struggle
finding gigs for the band.

582
00:28:28,910 --> 00:28:29,911
So the thing that happened is

583
00:28:29,954 --> 00:28:31,782
the band went far afield.

584
00:28:31,825 --> 00:28:33,262
It's just ridiculous.

585
00:28:33,305 --> 00:28:35,567
We played some
just terrible places

586
00:28:35,611 --> 00:28:38,006
where they all hated us.

587
00:28:38,049 --> 00:28:39,659
They went
to Redding, California.

588
00:28:39,703 --> 00:28:41,661
It's like,
why the hell Redding?

589
00:28:41,705 --> 00:28:46,317
But Houston got off to
a bad start and went downhill.

590
00:28:47,275 --> 00:28:49,278
So, there we are

591
00:28:49,321 --> 00:28:51,585
playing for
this redneck audience

592
00:28:51,629 --> 00:28:55,459
that had been there to come see
a band called Cold Blood.

593
00:28:55,502 --> 00:28:58,809
Needless to say, uh,
they did not like us very much.

594
00:29:00,158 --> 00:29:02,334
I used to,
as part of the stage act,

595
00:29:02,378 --> 00:29:04,597
have this giant wooden
sledgehammer,

596
00:29:04,641 --> 00:29:07,819
with this, like,
really heavy mallet on it.

597
00:29:07,862 --> 00:29:10,081
He'd throw
the sledgehammer up in the air

598
00:29:10,125 --> 00:29:12,214
and catch it, but this time,
he didn't catch it.

599
00:29:14,825 --> 00:29:17,480
Came down-- slam!--
on his head.

600
00:29:17,523 --> 00:29:19,222
And I won't say
it knocked him out,

601
00:29:19,265 --> 00:29:21,049
but he was extremely bloody.

602
00:29:21,092 --> 00:29:23,790
And I had
this giant gash on my head,

603
00:29:23,834 --> 00:29:26,141
and I'm bleeding
and blood's flowing down.

604
00:29:26,184 --> 00:29:28,013
But the audience seemed
to think it was

605
00:29:28,057 --> 00:29:29,667
part of our show,
like it was... you know,

606
00:29:29,710 --> 00:29:31,016
it was Alice Cooper
with a blood capsule,

607
00:29:31,060 --> 00:29:32,975
but this was no blood capsule.

608
00:29:33,018 --> 00:29:37,675
This was my kind of brain, uh,
oozing out onto the stage.

609
00:29:37,718 --> 00:29:41,200
We're all laughing
up until we see Ron's reaction.

610
00:29:41,244 --> 00:29:44,116
And Ron's reaction is
a combination of,

611
00:29:44,159 --> 00:29:47,250
"How dare you laugh?"

612
00:29:47,293 --> 00:29:50,253
and, "Oh, my God,
Russ is gonna die."

613
00:29:50,296 --> 00:29:51,950
I didn't even know

614
00:29:51,994 --> 00:29:53,647
he hit himself in the head
until after it was over.

615
00:29:53,691 --> 00:29:55,345
Then we went backstage,

616
00:29:55,388 --> 00:29:58,477
and I saw he was bleeding,
and big brother Ron,

617
00:29:58,521 --> 00:30:00,088
of course, was very concerned.

618
00:30:00,131 --> 00:30:01,960
- Was I?
- Yeah.

619
00:30:02,004 --> 00:30:04,658
Oh, times change.

620
00:30:09,098 --> 00:30:10,534
The next album

621
00:30:10,577 --> 00:30:12,101
that we would come up with,

622
00:30:12,144 --> 00:30:13,928
which was called
Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing,

623
00:30:13,972 --> 00:30:15,888
was produced by Jim Lowe.

624
00:30:15,931 --> 00:30:17,324
They were what I thought

625
00:30:17,368 --> 00:30:19,586
rock and roll was
supposed to be.

626
00:30:19,630 --> 00:30:21,066
And I thought,
"If this doesn't happen,

627
00:30:21,110 --> 00:30:22,720
what am I gonna go do next?"

628
00:30:22,763 --> 00:30:25,201
What would you produce
after you did Sparks?

629
00:30:26,376 --> 00:30:28,247
The fact that the second album

630
00:30:28,291 --> 00:30:30,511
was more experimental
than the first album,

631
00:30:30,555 --> 00:30:32,382
I think, was just
a natural progression.

632
00:30:32,425 --> 00:30:34,079
It might have been better.

633
00:30:34,123 --> 00:30:37,082
It was certainly
more complex, more artistic.

634
00:30:37,126 --> 00:30:40,564
I thought that made for
a more interesting album.

635
00:30:40,607 --> 00:30:43,872
In a way, that album is
even more eccentric,

636
00:30:43,916 --> 00:30:46,092
I think, than...
than the first album.

637
00:30:46,136 --> 00:30:49,356
And so, you know, it was
really inspiring to us to know

638
00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:50,923
that they were giving us
this permission

639
00:30:50,966 --> 00:30:54,231
to kind of commit
self-destruction.

640
00:31:00,150 --> 00:31:02,195
♪ Whippings and apologies...

641
00:31:03,892 --> 00:31:07,025
Those two records are
my two favorite records

642
00:31:07,069 --> 00:31:09,027
that I've been involved with.

643
00:31:09,071 --> 00:31:10,116
And I told my wife

644
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:12,162
after the Wooferalbum,

645
00:31:12,205 --> 00:31:14,294
I said,
"If this album doesn't...

646
00:31:14,338 --> 00:31:15,991
"doesn't make some noise
or do something,

647
00:31:16,035 --> 00:31:17,906
I'm gonna go into
another business."

648
00:31:17,949 --> 00:31:20,256
It was just, "I-I don't know
anything about music.

649
00:31:20,299 --> 00:31:22,172
If people don't like
this stuff, it's crazy."

650
00:31:22,215 --> 00:31:24,871
And so I started, uh,

651
00:31:24,914 --> 00:31:26,960
directing
television commercials.

652
00:31:28,788 --> 00:31:29,744
It didn't create the spark

653
00:31:29,788 --> 00:31:31,050
that they...

654
00:31:31,094 --> 00:31:33,008
that they had hoped for.

655
00:31:34,619 --> 00:31:36,447
They said,
"Well, it's not really

656
00:31:36,490 --> 00:31:38,493
"clicking here in the States,
but the sensibility

657
00:31:38,537 --> 00:31:40,713
"seems to be something
that we think

658
00:31:40,756 --> 00:31:42,801
would go over better
in the UK."

659
00:31:42,844 --> 00:31:44,977
And all of a sudden, one day,

660
00:31:45,020 --> 00:31:47,414
we're on a frigging airplane
to London.

661
00:31:55,901 --> 00:31:59,210
♪ How I wished my folks
were gracious hosts... ♪

662
00:31:59,253 --> 00:32:01,995
Getting to see,
you know, Buckingham Palace

663
00:32:02,038 --> 00:32:04,389
and riding on the tube,
and we were

664
00:32:04,432 --> 00:32:07,392
living the good life
in our small little way.

665
00:32:09,785 --> 00:32:12,092
Back in the Doggy
Factory, we had a picture

666
00:32:12,136 --> 00:32:14,138
on the wall of John's Children,

667
00:32:14,181 --> 00:32:16,357
and they were really
cool-looking guys.

668
00:32:16,401 --> 00:32:19,446
When we got over there,
John was our manager.

669
00:32:19,490 --> 00:32:21,275
The idea was,
would I look after them

670
00:32:21,319 --> 00:32:24,235
and try and secure TV,
et cetera, and, uh,

671
00:32:24,278 --> 00:32:27,063
some shows in London and press,
which we did.

672
00:32:27,107 --> 00:32:29,326
♪ What a war, some war

673
00:32:29,369 --> 00:32:31,850
♪ Lord knows
she's from Germany ♪

674
00:32:31,893 --> 00:32:33,461
♪ Well, it's
the same old country ♪

675
00:32:33,505 --> 00:32:34,984
♪ But the people
have changed... ♪

676
00:32:35,028 --> 00:32:36,290
The only TV we did, I think,

677
00:32:36,334 --> 00:32:37,858
was theGrey Whistle Test,

678
00:32:37,901 --> 00:32:40,207
which Bob Harris said
was, like, the worst band

679
00:32:40,251 --> 00:32:41,382
he'd ever seen.

680
00:32:43,602 --> 00:32:45,647
Old Grey Whistle Test
was dark and underground,

681
00:32:45,691 --> 00:32:47,433
and it was a bit worthy.

682
00:32:47,476 --> 00:32:51,263
And the-the presenter
Bob Harris didn't like Sparks.

683
00:32:51,306 --> 00:32:53,046
That was actually
a-a real turn-on

684
00:32:53,089 --> 00:32:55,396
because whatever Bob
didn't like, you kind of liked.

685
00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:57,006
Great stuff.

686
00:32:57,050 --> 00:32:58,878
Everybody saw us
on Old Grey Whistle Test,

687
00:32:58,921 --> 00:33:00,488
and being on the telly
was a big deal.

688
00:33:00,532 --> 00:33:03,709
So, when we then got
the follow-up gig

689
00:33:03,752 --> 00:33:07,669
at the Marquee Club,
the place was packed.

690
00:33:07,713 --> 00:33:09,497
Almost in that first moment,

691
00:33:09,541 --> 00:33:11,412
when you see something
like Sparks,

692
00:33:11,456 --> 00:33:12,848
which is just so distinctive

693
00:33:12,892 --> 00:33:14,895
and sounds so distinctive,

694
00:33:14,938 --> 00:33:16,549
everything that you ever
feel about them

695
00:33:16,592 --> 00:33:18,768
for the rest of time
is in there.

696
00:33:18,812 --> 00:33:21,684
♪ Oh, my word,
she's from Germany ♪

697
00:33:21,728 --> 00:33:23,643
♪ Well, it's
the same old country ♪

698
00:33:23,686 --> 00:33:25,993
♪ But the people
have changed... ♪

699
00:33:26,036 --> 00:33:28,342
"Girl from Germany"
was kind of a harbinger

700
00:33:28,386 --> 00:33:32,434
of things to come for us
in a lyrical way, I think.

701
00:33:32,478 --> 00:33:36,482
It's about a guy
who's defending his girlfriend,

702
00:33:36,525 --> 00:33:38,571
who happens to be from Germany,

703
00:33:38,614 --> 00:33:40,963
to his parents who are Jewish.

704
00:33:41,007 --> 00:33:43,489
♪ Well, the car I drive
is parked outside... ♪

705
00:33:43,532 --> 00:33:45,055
They come out with this song,

706
00:33:45,099 --> 00:33:46,056
and it's like,
are you kidding me?

707
00:33:46,100 --> 00:33:47,884
They're, like, talking about

708
00:33:47,928 --> 00:33:50,322
how people still hate
Germans and stuff,

709
00:33:50,365 --> 00:33:52,366
and it's so sick and so funny.

710
00:33:53,673 --> 00:33:56,719
My favorite lyric
from a Sparks song is

711
00:33:56,763 --> 00:33:59,593
from "Girl from Germany,"
which is, uh...

712
00:33:59,636 --> 00:34:01,856
"My word, she's from Germany.

713
00:34:01,899 --> 00:34:04,423
It's the same old country,
but the people have changed."

714
00:34:04,466 --> 00:34:07,948
Which is, like,
well played, well played.

715
00:34:07,991 --> 00:34:12,301
♪ With its splendid castles
and its fine cuisine ♪

716
00:34:12,345 --> 00:34:13,997
♪ Its lovely German women

717
00:34:14,041 --> 00:34:16,652
♪ And you and me.

718
00:34:17,958 --> 00:34:19,612
There's a better
than even chance

719
00:34:19,655 --> 00:34:22,354
that it would've continued
moving onward and upward

720
00:34:22,397 --> 00:34:24,879
had the record company
at that point not decided

721
00:34:24,922 --> 00:34:26,053
that, "Well, we've
invested enough.

722
00:34:26,096 --> 00:34:27,707
"We're gonna pull the plug,

723
00:34:27,750 --> 00:34:29,970
and we're gonna bring 'em
back to America."

724
00:34:30,013 --> 00:34:31,886
They literally were
thrown out of England.

725
00:34:31,929 --> 00:34:33,453
It was like one day's notice,

726
00:34:33,496 --> 00:34:35,498
you're on an airplane,
you're out of here.

727
00:34:35,542 --> 00:34:37,152
"Pack your gear
and get out of here."

728
00:34:38,501 --> 00:34:40,329
We had built up
way more momentum

729
00:34:40,373 --> 00:34:41,983
in London than we had in L.A.,

730
00:34:42,026 --> 00:34:44,333
but whatever momentum
we had built up in L.A.

731
00:34:44,377 --> 00:34:46,596
had completely died out.

732
00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:48,946
My memory of what the mood
was like

733
00:34:48,990 --> 00:34:51,034
at that time was,

734
00:34:51,078 --> 00:34:53,821
"Well, you know, this thing
may have run its course."

735
00:35:01,349 --> 00:35:03,525
We were kind of stuck in a way,

736
00:35:03,569 --> 00:35:05,353
knowing that there was

737
00:35:05,397 --> 00:35:08,358
this promised land that was...
that was there for us

738
00:35:08,402 --> 00:35:11,318
if we could only figure out
how to get there.

739
00:35:11,361 --> 00:35:13,884
They called and said
they'd like to come over

740
00:35:13,928 --> 00:35:15,973
and, um, yeah, could I help?

741
00:35:16,017 --> 00:35:17,714
Which I could and did.

742
00:35:17,758 --> 00:35:20,805
I talked to David Betteridge
at Island Records,

743
00:35:20,849 --> 00:35:23,068
and David said,
"Yeah, go for it."

744
00:35:24,460 --> 00:35:25,896
As soon as I saw the pictures

745
00:35:25,940 --> 00:35:27,115
of Ron and Russell--

746
00:35:27,158 --> 00:35:28,769
this was before I'd met them--

747
00:35:28,812 --> 00:35:30,379
just looking at the pictures

748
00:35:30,423 --> 00:35:33,208
and listening
to those first two albums,

749
00:35:33,251 --> 00:35:35,472
straightaway,
it all made sense.

750
00:35:35,516 --> 00:35:38,039
It seemed to me
that the only way

751
00:35:38,082 --> 00:35:39,736
that we could
get this happening

752
00:35:39,780 --> 00:35:42,957
is if we made it
a little bit more rock and roll

753
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,265
and get an English
backing group with them.

754
00:35:46,309 --> 00:35:47,657
A friend of mine said,

755
00:35:47,701 --> 00:35:49,486
"I saw your old band buddies.

756
00:35:49,530 --> 00:35:51,401
"They're having a garage sale.

757
00:35:51,445 --> 00:35:53,403
And they told me that
they were moving to England."

758
00:35:53,447 --> 00:35:55,144
And I said, "What?
They're moving to England?

759
00:35:55,187 --> 00:35:56,188
News to me."

760
00:35:57,407 --> 00:35:58,669
A yard sale in anybody's yard

761
00:35:58,713 --> 00:36:01,802
in Los Angeles means
bad news for somebody.

762
00:36:01,845 --> 00:36:04,109
It was an agonizing decision

763
00:36:04,153 --> 00:36:06,198
for Ron and Russ to-to, uh,

764
00:36:06,242 --> 00:36:08,766
cut the band loose
and go to England.

765
00:36:08,810 --> 00:36:13,291
To betray the other people
was a really difficult thing,

766
00:36:13,335 --> 00:36:16,774
but also knowing that being

767
00:36:16,818 --> 00:36:20,474
a British band
was a lifetime dream of ours.

768
00:36:20,517 --> 00:36:22,650
They were
on the horns of a dilemma.

769
00:36:22,693 --> 00:36:24,782
Obviously, I think
they made the right decision.

770
00:36:24,826 --> 00:36:26,741
The rest is history.

771
00:36:32,443 --> 00:36:34,445
The bands that we had admired,

772
00:36:34,489 --> 00:36:37,316
these English bands
that we liked so much,

773
00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:39,318
we always thought of them
as being glamorous

774
00:36:39,362 --> 00:36:42,104
and-and bigger than life.

775
00:36:42,147 --> 00:36:44,586
So, when we put out
these ads for band members,

776
00:36:44,629 --> 00:36:46,978
we were kind of trying
to find people

777
00:36:47,022 --> 00:36:50,242
that would fulfill that image
of ours of this England

778
00:36:50,286 --> 00:36:53,898
that was maybe
just in our minds.

779
00:36:55,422 --> 00:36:56,945
Straightaway, it worked.

780
00:36:56,988 --> 00:36:58,599
It just worked.

781
00:36:58,642 --> 00:37:00,905
Each time
you'd go to the rehearsal room,

782
00:37:00,949 --> 00:37:03,387
there'd be something new there.

783
00:37:03,431 --> 00:37:04,823
I'm like, "Shit, that's good."

784
00:37:04,867 --> 00:37:06,346
Um, you know,
then the next rehearsal.

785
00:37:06,390 --> 00:37:07,609
"Wow, that song's good."

786
00:37:09,132 --> 00:37:11,874
We found a momentum
very quickly,

787
00:37:11,917 --> 00:37:14,790
and when we got enough tracks
to make an album,

788
00:37:14,833 --> 00:37:16,531
then we said,

789
00:37:16,574 --> 00:37:17,967
"We've made an album."

790
00:37:18,010 --> 00:37:20,056
Well, everybody at Island was

791
00:37:20,099 --> 00:37:21,839
really ecstatic about the album

792
00:37:21,883 --> 00:37:23,580
and really supportive.

793
00:37:23,624 --> 00:37:25,147
And-and especially in picking

794
00:37:25,190 --> 00:37:26,628
"This Town Ain't Big Enough
for Both of Us"

795
00:37:26,671 --> 00:37:28,673
to be the first song,
'cause it was...

796
00:37:28,717 --> 00:37:30,501
you know,
it was taking a chance,

797
00:37:30,545 --> 00:37:33,895
it was going for something
that was really extreme.

798
00:37:35,418 --> 00:37:37,681
"This Town Ain't
Big Enough for the Both of Us"

799
00:37:37,725 --> 00:37:40,164
was the first record I heard
by them on the radio.

800
00:37:40,207 --> 00:37:42,906
I remember I-I had a, uh...
a darkroom in my home,

801
00:37:42,949 --> 00:37:44,647
and that came on in the dark.

802
00:37:44,690 --> 00:37:46,561
I nearly dropped my tongs,

803
00:37:46,604 --> 00:37:48,650
as they say
in the photography world.

804
00:37:48,693 --> 00:37:50,695
The first thing
that I ever bought was, um,

805
00:37:50,739 --> 00:37:52,392
"This Town Ain't Big Enough
for the Both of Us."

806
00:37:52,436 --> 00:37:54,004
I just played it nonstop

807
00:37:54,047 --> 00:37:56,441
until the grooves wore out
pretty much, you know.

808
00:37:56,485 --> 00:37:59,269
My granddad was
a wedding DJ, and he had

809
00:37:59,312 --> 00:38:00,357
"This Town Ain't Big Enough

810
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:02,228
for the Both of Us" by Sparks.

811
00:38:02,272 --> 00:38:05,057
I remember hearing, uh,

812
00:38:05,101 --> 00:38:07,496
"This Town Ain't Big Enough for
the Both of Us" and just going,

813
00:38:07,539 --> 00:38:10,541
"I've never heard
anything like this."

814
00:38:24,251 --> 00:38:25,862
Everyone at
the record label said,

815
00:38:25,905 --> 00:38:27,690
"It's gonna become a big hit
if we can just

816
00:38:27,733 --> 00:38:29,822
get you
on theTop of the Pops."

817
00:38:29,866 --> 00:38:32,432
The producer of the show was
a very dapper gentleman,

818
00:38:32,476 --> 00:38:35,088
and he said, "Oh, hello.
My name is Robin Nash.

819
00:38:35,132 --> 00:38:36,525
Nice to meet you."

820
00:38:36,568 --> 00:38:38,788
I said,
"Hi. My name is Russell."

821
00:38:38,831 --> 00:38:41,660
He was taken aback a bit
that I was an American,

822
00:38:41,704 --> 00:38:43,618
and he went
and made a phone call

823
00:38:43,661 --> 00:38:45,271
and had taken us off the show

824
00:38:45,315 --> 00:38:47,839
because we hadn't gotten
work permits.

825
00:38:47,883 --> 00:38:51,104
So everyone at Island was
just distraught.-

826
00:38:51,148 --> 00:38:52,802
It allowed another band,

827
00:38:52,845 --> 00:38:55,021
one of the greats of all time,
The Rubettes,

828
00:38:55,065 --> 00:38:57,328
to take our place,

829
00:38:57,371 --> 00:39:00,113
and so they sadly reached
number one.

830
00:39:00,157 --> 00:39:02,682
You know, all through
our career, there have been

831
00:39:02,726 --> 00:39:06,730
The Rubettes
in-in some form or other.

832
00:39:06,773 --> 00:39:09,079
I love "Sugar Baby Love"
by The Rubettes.

833
00:39:09,122 --> 00:39:11,690
Ron will hate you
for that. -

834
00:39:11,734 --> 00:39:14,650
But where are they now?

835
00:39:14,693 --> 00:39:17,305
Finally, the British
Musicians' Union relented,

836
00:39:17,349 --> 00:39:18,915
and there we were.

837
00:39:18,958 --> 00:39:21,134
"This Town Ain't Big Enough
for the Both of Us."

838
00:39:22,483 --> 00:39:24,181
I loved his voice.

839
00:39:24,224 --> 00:39:26,966
You know, I-I guess it was
kind of like a bit--

840
00:39:27,010 --> 00:39:30,230
I don't know what it was--
quite feminine, I guess.

841
00:39:30,274 --> 00:39:33,713
Quite sort of...
possessed or something.

842
00:39:33,757 --> 00:39:36,020
It definitely wasn't
like rock and roll.

843
00:39:36,063 --> 00:39:38,109
♪ Zoo time is
she and you time ♪

844
00:39:38,152 --> 00:39:40,067
♪ The mammals are
your favorite type ♪

845
00:39:40,111 --> 00:39:42,634
♪ And you want her tonight

846
00:39:42,678 --> 00:39:44,637
♪ Heartbeat,
increasing heartbeat ♪

847
00:39:44,681 --> 00:39:47,248
♪ You hear the thunder
of stampeding rhinos ♪

848
00:39:47,292 --> 00:39:49,468
♪ Elephants and tacky tigers

849
00:39:49,511 --> 00:39:53,298
♪ This town ain't big enough
for the both of us ♪

850
00:39:53,341 --> 00:39:57,257
♪ And it ain't me
who's gonna leave... ♪

851
00:39:57,301 --> 00:39:59,304
I think there were
60 million people

852
00:39:59,347 --> 00:40:01,175
at that time in the UK, and...

853
00:40:01,219 --> 00:40:04,526
and 15 million of them were
watching Top of the Pops.

854
00:40:06,005 --> 00:40:08,660
When I was growing up,
I never knew anybody

855
00:40:08,704 --> 00:40:10,575
that went to university,
but I never knew anyone

856
00:40:10,619 --> 00:40:12,231
that didn't watch
Top of the Pops.

857
00:40:12,274 --> 00:40:13,841
When I saw them

858
00:40:13,885 --> 00:40:15,364
on Top of the Pops
for the first time,

859
00:40:15,408 --> 00:40:18,715
I instantly wanted to be
the keyboard player.

860
00:40:18,758 --> 00:40:21,369
I wanted to be the quiet one
that didn't say anything.

861
00:40:21,413 --> 00:40:24,590
I remember sitting there
probably with my parents

862
00:40:24,634 --> 00:40:27,159
in front of Top of the Pops
on a Thursday night

863
00:40:27,202 --> 00:40:29,421
and seeing these two guys
on there,

864
00:40:29,464 --> 00:40:31,684
thinking, "What is that?"

865
00:40:31,728 --> 00:40:33,120
♪ Daily, except for Sunday

866
00:40:33,164 --> 00:40:35,253
♪ You dawdle into the café...

867
00:40:35,296 --> 00:40:36,471
Everyone came

868
00:40:36,515 --> 00:40:38,038
to school the next day saying,

869
00:40:38,082 --> 00:40:39,736
"Did you see that guy?"

870
00:40:41,215 --> 00:40:42,390
The-the man
who looked like Hitler.

871
00:40:43,957 --> 00:40:46,351
A lot of people say,
"Why the Charlie Chaplin look?"

872
00:40:46,394 --> 00:40:48,658
And a lot of people say,
"Why the Hitler look?"

873
00:40:48,701 --> 00:40:50,704
And both of those people

874
00:40:50,748 --> 00:40:54,360
seem to me to be
cartoon characters in a way.

875
00:40:55,753 --> 00:40:57,580
The next day,
when you talk about it,

876
00:40:57,624 --> 00:41:00,061
the word of mouth begins
in a way that is viral--

877
00:41:00,105 --> 00:41:01,541
like we now have, obviously,
on everything--

878
00:41:01,584 --> 00:41:03,108
but back then,
that was a rare thing.

879
00:41:03,151 --> 00:41:04,717
And you start
to make things up slightly.

880
00:41:04,761 --> 00:41:06,371
One of my favorite anecdotes

881
00:41:06,414 --> 00:41:08,591
about that Top of the Pops
appearance is...

882
00:41:08,635 --> 00:41:11,116
is John Lennon ringing up
Ringo Starr and saying...

883
00:41:11,159 --> 00:41:13,684
-You won't believe what's
on the television. -What?

884
00:41:13,727 --> 00:41:17,121
-Marc Bolan is playing a song
with Adolf Hitler. -Hitler?

885
00:41:17,164 --> 00:41:19,123
But that's how,
unfortunately, we all thought.

886
00:41:19,166 --> 00:41:20,124
We all thought

887
00:41:20,167 --> 00:41:21,779
Adolf Hitler.

888
00:41:21,822 --> 00:41:24,216
Two years ago,
there was somebody

889
00:41:24,259 --> 00:41:26,261
dressed like Hitler
playing the piano on the BBC.

890
00:41:26,305 --> 00:41:29,743
Sparks.
She's talking about Sparks.

891
00:41:29,787 --> 00:41:32,050
He-he was born
looking like Hitler, that guy.

892
00:41:34,922 --> 00:41:36,620
From then on,
every single piece ever written

893
00:41:36,664 --> 00:41:39,753
about the group would just say
"Adolf Hitler," which also

894
00:41:39,797 --> 00:41:41,276
really kind of weirdly
tangled up

895
00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:42,582
in the myth of the group.

896
00:41:42,625 --> 00:41:44,802
You know,
the shock to the system

897
00:41:44,845 --> 00:41:48,109
as a piece of choreography,
let alone his appearance,

898
00:41:48,153 --> 00:41:49,764
was so remarkable
that immediately

899
00:41:49,808 --> 00:41:52,200
it started to grow
in your imagination.

900
00:41:52,244 --> 00:41:53,549
They're playing this upbeat,

901
00:41:53,593 --> 00:41:56,030
energetic, fantastic music,

902
00:41:56,074 --> 00:41:57,902
and he just stood there.

903
00:41:57,945 --> 00:42:00,774
I think it's really clever.

904
00:42:00,818 --> 00:42:03,559
The following day,
I remember going in

905
00:42:03,603 --> 00:42:06,215
and one of
the sales guys saying,

906
00:42:06,259 --> 00:42:09,523
"We've done 200,000 singles
today already.

907
00:42:09,566 --> 00:42:11,177
"The vans are out everywhere,

908
00:42:11,220 --> 00:42:14,441
and there were people
buying boxes of them."

909
00:42:14,484 --> 00:42:17,139
That is a fantastic feeling.

910
00:42:17,183 --> 00:42:19,925
John and I have said,
"Always judge an album

911
00:42:19,968 --> 00:42:21,622
by its cover."

912
00:42:21,665 --> 00:42:24,451
Um, so if something has
a dreadful album cover,

913
00:42:24,494 --> 00:42:26,105
don't buy it.

914
00:42:28,846 --> 00:42:30,586
The cover's
amazing, with the two

915
00:42:30,630 --> 00:42:32,546
kind of Geisha girls
with the smeared makeup on.

916
00:42:32,589 --> 00:42:35,244
Here, you have this image
which should be and could be

917
00:42:35,288 --> 00:42:36,550
perfect and pristine,
and if it had been

918
00:42:36,593 --> 00:42:37,986
another band of the period,

919
00:42:38,030 --> 00:42:39,595
it would have been--
there would have been...

920
00:42:39,639 --> 00:42:41,075
They would have been
more objectified.

921
00:42:41,119 --> 00:42:42,642
They're doing--
even with the visual,

922
00:42:42,685 --> 00:42:44,384
they're doing
something interesting,

923
00:42:44,427 --> 00:42:46,169
but you can't quite put
your finger on what it is.

924
00:42:46,213 --> 00:42:48,824
I was like, "Oh, my God,
this is fantastic."

925
00:42:48,868 --> 00:42:52,174
At once like
fashion photography,

926
00:42:52,218 --> 00:42:55,699
and at once making fun
of fashion photography.

927
00:42:55,743 --> 00:42:58,441
And I think that is something
I love about Sparks is that

928
00:42:58,485 --> 00:43:00,140
they are the ones

929
00:43:00,183 --> 00:43:01,967
they were to mock,
you know, in a weird way.

930
00:43:03,055 --> 00:43:04,796
The art direction's just superb.

931
00:43:04,839 --> 00:43:07,015
Imagine, you know, us trying
to convince our record label,

932
00:43:07,059 --> 00:43:09,322
"No, no, no, we don't want
the name of the band,

933
00:43:09,365 --> 00:43:11,846
"uh, uh, and the title
of the album on the front.

934
00:43:11,890 --> 00:43:14,283
No, that's going on the back."

935
00:43:14,327 --> 00:43:17,243
The joy of
actually having this fantastic

936
00:43:17,286 --> 00:43:18,679
12-inch vinyl in front of you,

937
00:43:18,722 --> 00:43:20,289
and it had the lyrics
on it as well,

938
00:43:20,333 --> 00:43:21,857
and then you're reading
through the lyrics,

939
00:43:21,901 --> 00:43:22,945
and you're thinking,

940
00:43:22,989 --> 00:43:24,817
"This band are amazing."

941
00:43:24,860 --> 00:43:27,123
I had to know everything
about them

942
00:43:27,167 --> 00:43:29,865
and threw myself
into being a fan.

943
00:43:46,403 --> 00:43:48,491
The first tour
was really exciting.

944
00:43:48,535 --> 00:43:49,797
The audience would
just go crazy.

945
00:43:49,841 --> 00:43:53,018
I mean, it was just fandom.

946
00:43:53,061 --> 00:43:54,759
We were now thrown into kind of

947
00:43:54,803 --> 00:43:56,326
what we thought was the...
sort of the big league,

948
00:43:56,370 --> 00:43:59,504
having the success
ofKimono My House.

949
00:43:59,548 --> 00:44:02,245
The concerts we were doing
at that time were just

950
00:44:02,289 --> 00:44:03,856
really wild events.

951
00:44:03,899 --> 00:44:06,162
And I remember one
in Liverpool,

952
00:44:06,206 --> 00:44:07,816
we were pressed
against the glass

953
00:44:07,860 --> 00:44:09,645
of the exterior of the hotel,

954
00:44:09,688 --> 00:44:12,255
just smashed against
the front of the building,

955
00:44:12,299 --> 00:44:13,866
and then finally somebody
helped rescue us

956
00:44:13,909 --> 00:44:15,519
and we went
through the kitchen.

957
00:44:15,563 --> 00:44:17,304
You know, it was
a really special period.

958
00:44:17,347 --> 00:44:19,697
♪ Amateur hour goes on and on,
and when you turn pro ♪

959
00:44:19,741 --> 00:44:21,264
♪ You know,
she'll let you know... ♪

960
00:44:21,308 --> 00:44:23,311
I remember vividly seeing them

961
00:44:23,354 --> 00:44:25,181
at Hammersmith Odeon.

962
00:44:25,225 --> 00:44:28,706
And I remember being really
excited about seeing them.

963
00:44:28,750 --> 00:44:33,276
There was a lot of screaming
'cause of cutie-pie on vocals.

964
00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:35,843
It was a given after they'd
been onTop of the Pops.

965
00:44:35,887 --> 00:44:38,108
♪ Our voices change
at a rapid pace... ♪

966
00:44:38,152 --> 00:44:39,153
I lived in Beckenham,

967
00:44:39,196 --> 00:44:41,590
and, uh, that's where I saw

968
00:44:41,633 --> 00:44:43,853
Ron and Russell
walking down the street.

969
00:44:43,897 --> 00:44:45,420
And that was
a very strange experience.

970
00:44:45,463 --> 00:44:47,290
I thought they didn't
really exist.

971
00:44:47,334 --> 00:44:49,597
You know, they existed onstage,
they existed on the TV,

972
00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:51,948
and, you know,
they were from other lands.

973
00:44:51,992 --> 00:44:53,428
I remember sort of
wanting to hide.

974
00:44:53,471 --> 00:44:55,212
♪ Amateur hour goes on and on

975
00:44:55,256 --> 00:44:56,997
♪ And when you turn pro,
you know... ♪

976
00:44:57,040 --> 00:44:59,041
We knew when they were
gonna be at the BBC.

977
00:44:59,085 --> 00:45:00,913
We knew when they
were gonna be at Capital.

978
00:45:00,956 --> 00:45:03,176
We knew when they were getting
off a plane at Heathrow.

979
00:45:03,219 --> 00:45:05,353
We were detectives
in terms of actually

980
00:45:05,396 --> 00:45:07,094
finding stuff out about them.

981
00:45:07,137 --> 00:45:08,922
You know, it was
a full-time job

982
00:45:08,965 --> 00:45:10,835
to make sure we were
on top of it.

983
00:45:10,879 --> 00:45:13,969
We'd been to see them
quite a few times in London.

984
00:45:14,013 --> 00:45:16,625
The excitement never,
ever went away.

985
00:45:16,668 --> 00:45:18,933
It was always just a-a thrill.

986
00:45:18,976 --> 00:45:21,326
Somebody cut the budget
the morning of the show,

987
00:45:21,370 --> 00:45:23,066
so they canceled security,

988
00:45:23,110 --> 00:45:25,155
so it was really insane.

989
00:45:25,199 --> 00:45:27,766
Oh, God, there I am, yeah.

990
00:45:31,597 --> 00:45:33,512
Obviously,
Russell was beautiful,

991
00:45:33,556 --> 00:45:35,165
but I always loved Ron.

992
00:45:35,209 --> 00:45:37,254
He was different.

993
00:45:37,298 --> 00:45:39,561
He was a little bit
more challenging.

994
00:45:39,604 --> 00:45:44,261
I really felt like I could
kind of go places with Ron.

995
00:45:44,305 --> 00:45:46,568
Oh, that's me.
That's me. That's me.

996
00:45:46,611 --> 00:45:49,005
I've just put my arm round him.

997
00:45:51,573 --> 00:45:53,532
I kind of got to him

998
00:45:53,576 --> 00:45:57,535
and sort of really did realize
in that moment

999
00:45:57,579 --> 00:45:59,930
that this was
a terrible thing to do.

1000
00:45:59,974 --> 00:46:02,193
This was a disaster.

1001
00:46:02,237 --> 00:46:04,282
I'm never gonna be able
to talk to him

1002
00:46:04,326 --> 00:46:06,197
on a serious level now
about, you know,

1003
00:46:06,241 --> 00:46:09,156
his love of French cinema
or The Beach Boys.

1004
00:46:09,199 --> 00:46:12,724
I was doomed forever
to be a child to him.

1005
00:46:12,768 --> 00:46:15,859
For everyone's safety,
I think we should have

1006
00:46:15,902 --> 00:46:18,035
a little restraint
in the hall, okay?

1007
00:46:18,079 --> 00:46:20,429
I mean, I've always been, like,

1008
00:46:20,472 --> 00:46:22,996
a believer in just--
go for it, you know?

1009
00:46:23,039 --> 00:46:24,040
If you've got material,

1010
00:46:24,084 --> 00:46:25,389
record.

1011
00:46:25,433 --> 00:46:27,087
Tour, record.
Just keep doing it.

1012
00:46:28,567 --> 00:46:33,485
♪ When she's on
her best behavior ♪

1013
00:46:33,529 --> 00:46:38,403
♪ Don't be tempted
by her favors ♪

1014
00:46:38,447 --> 00:46:42,060
♪ Never turn your back

1015
00:46:42,104 --> 00:46:44,453
♪ On Mother Earth

1016
00:46:48,674 --> 00:46:53,157
♪ Towns are hurled
from A to B ♪

1017
00:46:53,201 --> 00:46:58,641
♪ By hands that looked
so smooth to me ♪

1018
00:46:58,684 --> 00:47:02,123
♪ Never turn your back

1019
00:47:02,166 --> 00:47:04,734
♪ On Mother Earth...

1020
00:47:04,777 --> 00:47:06,823
For two years,
we toured the world,

1021
00:47:06,866 --> 00:47:07,997
and we had a great time.

1022
00:47:09,087 --> 00:47:10,828
It was very, very hectic

1023
00:47:10,871 --> 00:47:12,873
touring withKimono
and then recordingPropaganda

1024
00:47:12,917 --> 00:47:14,788
kind of at the same time.

1025
00:47:14,832 --> 00:47:16,529
But it was good fun.

1026
00:47:16,573 --> 00:47:19,315
♪ To my friends

1027
00:47:19,358 --> 00:47:21,359
♪ To my friends...

1028
00:47:21,403 --> 00:47:23,058
Ron's like a writing machine.

1029
00:47:23,101 --> 00:47:24,711
He wasn't, you know, one for

1030
00:47:24,755 --> 00:47:26,539
drinking in the bar
with the guys,

1031
00:47:26,583 --> 00:47:28,454
and in some ways,
he was quite aloof,

1032
00:47:28,498 --> 00:47:30,065
but that's what Ronnie
would be doing--

1033
00:47:30,108 --> 00:47:31,543
thinking and writing.

1034
00:47:31,587 --> 00:47:33,806
And so the material
kept coming.

1035
00:47:33,850 --> 00:47:36,113
Obviously, that was
a demand upon him

1036
00:47:36,157 --> 00:47:39,117
but one that I think
he kind of thrives on.

1037
00:47:39,161 --> 00:47:42,077
♪ On Mother Earth.

1038
00:47:46,603 --> 00:47:49,127
There's always
massive pressures

1039
00:47:49,171 --> 00:47:50,956
if you've been successful
the first time

1040
00:47:50,999 --> 00:47:52,958
because, first of all,
everybody tells you

1041
00:47:53,001 --> 00:47:55,133
you're a genius,
and then they say,

1042
00:47:55,177 --> 00:47:57,788
"Now do it again."

1043
00:47:57,831 --> 00:48:00,269
Eins, zwei, drei, vier.
Eins, zwei, drei, vier.

1044
00:48:00,312 --> 00:48:03,272
♪ Something for the girl
with everything ♪

1045
00:48:03,315 --> 00:48:04,883
♪ See, the writing's
on the wall ♪

1046
00:48:04,926 --> 00:48:06,927
♪ You bought the girl a wall

1047
00:48:06,971 --> 00:48:09,408
♪ Complete with matching
ballpoint pen ♪

1048
00:48:09,452 --> 00:48:11,410
♪ You can breathe another day

1049
00:48:11,454 --> 00:48:14,283
♪ Secure in knowing
she won't break you yet ♪

1050
00:48:14,326 --> 00:48:16,981
♪ Something for the girl
with everything... ♪

1051
00:48:17,024 --> 00:48:18,809
I'm not exactly sure

1052
00:48:18,852 --> 00:48:21,420
how we were able to come up
with Propagandaso soon

1053
00:48:21,464 --> 00:48:24,163
after Kimono My House,
and especially

1054
00:48:24,207 --> 00:48:25,164
with all the touring.

1055
00:48:25,208 --> 00:48:26,252
I mean, I think

1056
00:48:26,296 --> 00:48:27,993
part of the thing was just being

1057
00:48:28,036 --> 00:48:29,168
in that milieu.

1058
00:48:29,212 --> 00:48:30,560
♪ Yes, everything

1059
00:48:30,603 --> 00:48:32,519
♪ Hey, come out and say hello

1060
00:48:32,563 --> 00:48:34,042
♪ Before our friends
all go... ♪

1061
00:48:34,086 --> 00:48:35,957
There was pure excitement

1062
00:48:36,001 --> 00:48:39,526
knowing that you're on this,
you know, fast-moving train

1063
00:48:39,570 --> 00:48:41,701
and-and kind of
you had to kind of

1064
00:48:41,745 --> 00:48:44,574
keep up with that
by coming up with the material.

1065
00:48:46,097 --> 00:48:48,274
Great, boys. We'll have
to put the piano on again

1066
00:48:48,318 --> 00:48:50,624
'cause Ronnie fell
off the stool.

1067
00:48:50,668 --> 00:48:52,670
Is that a train?

1068
00:48:53,931 --> 00:48:57,587
And now, as all good things
come to an end,

1069
00:48:57,630 --> 00:49:00,852
we must say goodbye to Zurich,

1070
00:49:00,895 --> 00:49:03,290
auf Wiedersehen to Zurich,

1071
00:49:03,334 --> 00:49:05,291
uh, ciao, Zurich,

1072
00:49:05,335 --> 00:49:08,425
and bon voyage, Zurich.

1073
00:49:08,468 --> 00:49:10,166
♪ Bon voyage...

1074
00:49:10,209 --> 00:49:11,819
When the idea was presented

1075
00:49:11,863 --> 00:49:13,908
for the cover,
there was no question.

1076
00:49:13,953 --> 00:49:17,085
I mean, it was like, "These
guys know what they're doing.

1077
00:49:17,129 --> 00:49:19,131
You know, we'll go along
with whatever you want."

1078
00:49:19,175 --> 00:49:23,091
Yet again,
this is that thing of theirs

1079
00:49:23,135 --> 00:49:26,225
where somehow
they marry their music

1080
00:49:26,269 --> 00:49:29,489
and their visuals
so brilliantly together.

1081
00:49:29,533 --> 00:49:31,926
This is me holding up
the front of it

1082
00:49:31,970 --> 00:49:33,928
so that you can cut to it.

1083
00:49:33,972 --> 00:49:37,193
This is me holding up
the back of it.

1084
00:49:37,236 --> 00:49:40,109
They're obviously
being kidnapped.

1085
00:49:40,153 --> 00:49:42,373
Probably, they're gonna be
thrown overboard and drowned.

1086
00:49:42,416 --> 00:49:46,115
Then you go to the back,
and they're tied up

1087
00:49:46,159 --> 00:49:47,465
in the back of the car.

1088
00:49:47,508 --> 00:49:49,206
And the inside cover,

1089
00:49:49,249 --> 00:49:52,077
they have somehow
not been drowned,

1090
00:49:52,120 --> 00:49:53,774
they haven't been thrown
out of a car,

1091
00:49:53,818 --> 00:49:56,256
and by working together,

1092
00:49:56,300 --> 00:49:59,912
you think maybe they are
phoning the police.

1093
00:49:59,955 --> 00:50:03,263
And I love the fact that
there is some kind of story.

1094
00:50:03,307 --> 00:50:05,003
It could be in the other order.

1095
00:50:05,046 --> 00:50:06,744
It could be that
the hotel one is the start,

1096
00:50:06,787 --> 00:50:08,224
then they're put in the car,

1097
00:50:08,267 --> 00:50:09,791
and then they're killed
on the boat.

1098
00:50:09,835 --> 00:50:12,272
That's why you're a director.

1099
00:50:12,316 --> 00:50:15,796
When you make
successful records,

1100
00:50:15,840 --> 00:50:20,715
there's always a moment in time
where you've got to say,

1101
00:50:20,759 --> 00:50:23,937
"Do we carry on
using the same formula,

1102
00:50:23,980 --> 00:50:26,244
or do we change the formula?"

1103
00:50:26,287 --> 00:50:27,896
You've got to make changes.

1104
00:50:27,940 --> 00:50:29,594
You've got to move things on.

1105
00:50:29,637 --> 00:50:31,944
And, uh, I was one of
the things that was moved on,

1106
00:50:31,987 --> 00:50:33,554
but that's okay.

1107
00:50:36,078 --> 00:50:38,168
♪ Get in
the swing, pal ♪

1108
00:50:38,212 --> 00:50:39,734
♪ Get in the swing

1109
00:50:39,778 --> 00:50:42,433
♪ With everybody
and everything... ♪

1110
00:50:42,476 --> 00:50:46,480
I loved what Muff did
onPropaganda andKimono,

1111
00:50:46,524 --> 00:50:48,308
and the next album went
to Tony Visconti,

1112
00:50:48,352 --> 00:50:50,267
and it changed rapidly.

1113
00:50:50,310 --> 00:50:52,399
Everything changed.

1114
00:50:52,443 --> 00:50:55,097
♪ When salmon spawn...

1115
00:50:55,141 --> 00:50:57,144
They certainly got
Tony Visconti

1116
00:50:57,187 --> 00:50:58,928
at the height of his powers,

1117
00:50:58,972 --> 00:51:01,801
when he was working
with Bowie a lot and T. Rex,

1118
00:51:01,844 --> 00:51:04,542
uh, making
amazing-sounding records.

1119
00:51:04,585 --> 00:51:06,588
♪ But on they go...

1120
00:51:06,632 --> 00:51:08,590
They didn't want
to make it necessarily

1121
00:51:08,634 --> 00:51:10,897
a strict, straight-up
band record.

1122
00:51:10,940 --> 00:51:11,941
They wanted

1123
00:51:11,985 --> 00:51:13,856
kind of the equivalent of

1124
00:51:13,900 --> 00:51:16,510
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Bandfor themselves,

1125
00:51:16,554 --> 00:51:19,645
which was difficult for
the other members of the band.

1126
00:51:19,688 --> 00:51:22,212
♪ And have a warm bed
waiting... ♪

1127
00:51:22,256 --> 00:51:23,910
We're not gonna be fooling

1128
00:51:23,953 --> 00:51:25,780
either ourselves
or anybody else

1129
00:51:25,824 --> 00:51:29,349
if the thing just sounds like
it's going through the motions.

1130
00:51:29,393 --> 00:51:31,220
We're willing
to take the chance,

1131
00:51:31,264 --> 00:51:33,790
however many people are...
feel alienated.

1132
00:51:33,834 --> 00:51:35,444
♪ With everybody
and everything... ♪

1133
00:51:35,488 --> 00:51:37,272
I know that feeling.

1134
00:51:37,316 --> 00:51:39,578
Maybe that's just
the-the instinct

1135
00:51:39,621 --> 00:51:42,276
of somebody who's coming

1136
00:51:42,320 --> 00:51:43,799
from a place of art,

1137
00:51:43,843 --> 00:51:45,758
not necessarily trying
to make a hit.

1138
00:51:45,801 --> 00:51:48,457
♪ All for one, one for all...

1139
00:51:48,501 --> 00:51:49,762
We just let our imaginations

1140
00:51:49,805 --> 00:51:51,372
soar on every song in it.

1141
00:51:51,416 --> 00:51:53,592
You know, it does sound
like Sparks, but I mean,

1142
00:51:53,635 --> 00:51:55,028
it's so far out.

1143
00:51:55,071 --> 00:51:57,378
♪ One, two, three, one, two

1144
00:51:59,337 --> 00:52:01,164
I never understood
any of it, actually.

1145
00:52:01,208 --> 00:52:03,341
Things like
"Under the Table with Her."

1146
00:52:03,384 --> 00:52:05,386
My God, what's that about?

1147
00:52:05,430 --> 00:52:07,127
♪ Nobody misses

1148
00:52:07,170 --> 00:52:09,390
♪ Diminutive offspring

1149
00:52:09,434 --> 00:52:11,654
♪ Not when there's
big wigs there... ♪

1150
00:52:11,698 --> 00:52:13,394
"Dinner for 12 is now

1151
00:52:13,438 --> 00:52:15,963
dinner for ten because I'm
under the table with her."

1152
00:52:16,006 --> 00:52:18,618
- I mean, it... I...
- That's just so funny.

1153
00:52:18,661 --> 00:52:20,620
♪ With her...

1154
00:52:23,449 --> 00:52:25,928
You had Russell singing songs

1155
00:52:25,972 --> 00:52:29,977
with lyrics
that I always suspected,

1156
00:52:30,020 --> 00:52:33,981
as a 12-, 13-, 14-year-old,
were dirty.

1157
00:52:34,024 --> 00:52:36,374
What made it even weirder
was the only song of theirs

1158
00:52:36,417 --> 00:52:39,638
that I was convinced
wasn't dirty

1159
00:52:39,681 --> 00:52:41,335
was called "Tits."

1160
00:52:41,379 --> 00:52:43,033
The minute,
I think, a lot of people

1161
00:52:43,077 --> 00:52:44,731
see that
or saw that song title,

1162
00:52:44,774 --> 00:52:46,950
which was asterisked,
think like,

1163
00:52:46,994 --> 00:52:49,518
"Oh, this is, like,
a, you know...

1164
00:52:49,562 --> 00:52:52,303
a sexy, rockin',
hyper-masculine song,"

1165
00:52:52,347 --> 00:52:53,957
if you didn't know Sparks.

1166
00:52:54,001 --> 00:52:56,526
If you knew Sparks, you probably
should have known better.

1167
00:52:56,570 --> 00:52:59,268
It's about a drunk in a bar

1168
00:52:59,311 --> 00:53:02,792
grumbling about the fact
that his wife's tits

1169
00:53:02,836 --> 00:53:05,795
are no longer recreational
pleasure objects for him

1170
00:53:05,839 --> 00:53:08,015
but she's using them
for feeding the baby.

1171
00:53:09,669 --> 00:53:11,062
♪ God, these drinks...

1172
00:53:11,106 --> 00:53:13,673
And by the way, you realize

1173
00:53:13,716 --> 00:53:16,458
he's also, uh, complaining that
the guy that he is drunkenly

1174
00:53:16,502 --> 00:53:19,679
telling this to is also having
an affair with his wife.

1175
00:53:19,722 --> 00:53:20,984
♪ Fine from behind...

1176
00:53:21,028 --> 00:53:22,551
That one, at least,

1177
00:53:22,595 --> 00:53:25,424
I-I figured
I got to decode properly.

1178
00:53:25,467 --> 00:53:27,252
♪ Harry, drink
till you can't see... ♪

1179
00:53:27,296 --> 00:53:29,820
And normally, the codes
were not that easily cracked.

1180
00:53:29,864 --> 00:53:31,387
You can look at the title,

1181
00:53:31,431 --> 00:53:33,345
you can look at the idea
and laugh,

1182
00:53:33,389 --> 00:53:34,737
or you can go deeper

1183
00:53:34,781 --> 00:53:37,000
and grow
and maybe have a good time,

1184
00:53:37,044 --> 00:53:39,134
maybe a sense of humor.

1185
00:53:39,177 --> 00:53:41,484
And... cue Sparks.

1186
00:53:41,528 --> 00:53:43,791
Something that's always
kind of confounded me

1187
00:53:43,834 --> 00:53:45,488
in popular music

1188
00:53:45,532 --> 00:53:48,925
is people's inability
to take humor seriously.

1189
00:53:48,969 --> 00:53:50,927
And I think that's
one of the things, like,

1190
00:53:50,971 --> 00:53:53,148
why a band like Sparks
isn't as big

1191
00:53:53,191 --> 00:53:54,541
as the biggest bands
in the world.

1192
00:53:54,584 --> 00:53:56,456
'Cause they're fucking funny.

1193
00:53:56,499 --> 00:53:58,500
♪ Looks, looks, looks

1194
00:53:58,544 --> 00:54:01,634
♪ You had sense, you had style,
you had cash galore... ♪

1195
00:54:01,677 --> 00:54:03,766
A lot of critics and some fans,

1196
00:54:03,810 --> 00:54:04,985
uh, sometimes denigrate bands

1197
00:54:05,028 --> 00:54:06,641
that show their sense of humor.

1198
00:54:06,684 --> 00:54:09,034
Like, "Oh, it's a comedy band.
It's a joke band."

1199
00:54:09,078 --> 00:54:10,731
I just don't get that.

1200
00:54:10,774 --> 00:54:12,950
I don't know why it has
to be so stinking serious.

1201
00:54:12,994 --> 00:54:15,475
♪ You got a built-in seat
that makes you look effete... ♪

1202
00:54:15,518 --> 00:54:17,694
I thought it was
gonna be a smash hit album

1203
00:54:17,738 --> 00:54:19,871
because it was so different
and anyone could see

1204
00:54:19,915 --> 00:54:23,047
that we spent hours of work
and put detail in it

1205
00:54:23,091 --> 00:54:24,788
and the songs were so great

1206
00:54:24,832 --> 00:54:26,094
and Russell's singing

1207
00:54:26,137 --> 00:54:27,748
was amazing.

1208
00:54:27,791 --> 00:54:29,576
The world just didn't
agree with us, you know?

1209
00:54:29,619 --> 00:54:31,969
It did well but not that well.

1210
00:54:32,013 --> 00:54:35,495
We were so irate at just

1211
00:54:35,538 --> 00:54:37,453
the lack of acceptance
for what we thought

1212
00:54:37,497 --> 00:54:39,847
was an amazing album

1213
00:54:39,890 --> 00:54:41,544
that we were
seriously considering

1214
00:54:41,588 --> 00:54:43,504
recording "Louie Louie"
as our next single,

1215
00:54:43,547 --> 00:54:45,983
you know, just for spite.

1216
00:54:46,027 --> 00:54:51,294
♪ Someday we'll have
one extra coastline ♪

1217
00:54:51,337 --> 00:54:55,385
♪ We'll tire of the Atlantic

1218
00:54:55,428 --> 00:54:58,996
♪ By then, we'll be rid
of your lot ♪

1219
00:54:59,040 --> 00:55:01,826
♪ A shot heard round the world
will soon be shot ♪

1220
00:55:01,870 --> 00:55:03,828
♪ Will soon be shot...

1221
00:55:03,872 --> 00:55:06,048
When that tour ended,
Ron and Russell put it in

1222
00:55:06,091 --> 00:55:08,050
that they don't want
to live in London anymore.

1223
00:55:08,093 --> 00:55:10,573
They want to go back to L.A.
Totally understandable.

1224
00:55:10,617 --> 00:55:12,793
Um, after, you know,
some years away and touring.

1225
00:55:12,836 --> 00:55:17,189
But to ditch the band
needn't have been part of that.

1226
00:55:17,233 --> 00:55:18,930
They didn't actually sack me.

1227
00:55:18,974 --> 00:55:21,063
It was mutual, really.

1228
00:55:22,325 --> 00:55:23,935
That was it.

1229
00:55:23,979 --> 00:55:25,502
Band over.

1230
00:55:25,546 --> 00:55:27,069
Certainly, it gutted me.

1231
00:55:27,112 --> 00:55:28,897
I mean, I was really upset.

1232
00:55:28,940 --> 00:55:31,248
I mean, it was just folded,
and that was it.

1233
00:55:31,291 --> 00:55:33,205
You know, people went
their separate ways.

1234
00:55:33,249 --> 00:55:35,425
It was a shock,
of course, you know,

1235
00:55:35,468 --> 00:55:37,993
but Ian, I think,
just accepted it.

1236
00:55:38,036 --> 00:55:40,125
I could understand why.

1237
00:55:40,169 --> 00:55:42,954
They don't care about
the money or the fame.

1238
00:55:42,999 --> 00:55:43,955
Art for art's sake--

1239
00:55:43,999 --> 00:55:45,957
I respect them for it.

1240
00:55:46,001 --> 00:55:48,743
♪ I am the king.

1241
00:55:53,138 --> 00:55:55,053
Thank you! Thank you!

1242
00:56:00,973 --> 00:56:04,368
I've always admired
French directors like Godard

1243
00:56:04,411 --> 00:56:07,239
that were kind of rebellious
against the whole system

1244
00:56:07,283 --> 00:56:09,851
and the whole idea even
of what cinema was

1245
00:56:09,894 --> 00:56:13,986
that they were almost
slightly standing outside

1246
00:56:14,030 --> 00:56:16,772
of filmmaking while
they were making a film.

1247
00:56:16,815 --> 00:56:19,121
It was kind of
inspirational to us.

1248
00:56:19,164 --> 00:56:21,645
Ron and Russell
always had a desire

1249
00:56:21,689 --> 00:56:23,299
to write music in movies,

1250
00:56:23,342 --> 00:56:26,651
and they love movies and
wanted to be a part of movies.

1251
00:56:26,695 --> 00:56:28,740
In the '70s, one of
our favorite filmmakers

1252
00:56:28,784 --> 00:56:30,872
was Jacques Tati.

1253
00:56:30,915 --> 00:56:34,005
Tati, at that time, was looking
to expand his audience

1254
00:56:34,049 --> 00:56:36,138
to younger people,

1255
00:56:36,181 --> 00:56:37,793
and somehow he thought that

1256
00:56:37,836 --> 00:56:39,622
maybe connecting with a band

1257
00:56:39,665 --> 00:56:41,362
would be a way for him
to broaden

1258
00:56:41,406 --> 00:56:43,059
the appeal of his films.

1259
00:56:43,102 --> 00:56:45,365
Well, how was
that, uh, film project

1260
00:56:45,409 --> 00:56:46,932
with, uh, Jacques Tati?

1261
00:56:46,976 --> 00:56:48,673
-Whoa. There. You got it.
-Lost the cake.

1262
00:56:48,717 --> 00:56:50,501
Did you get it? Did you get it?

1263
00:56:50,544 --> 00:56:51,807
That's a film project, that is.

1264
00:56:51,850 --> 00:56:53,461
Did you get it?

1265
00:56:53,505 --> 00:56:57,073
Our-our film project
with Tati is...

1266
00:56:57,116 --> 00:57:00,119
could relate to that cake,
what just happened to it.

1267
00:57:00,163 --> 00:57:01,991
It's just fallen to bits.

1268
00:57:02,034 --> 00:57:05,472
His health was not
as good as it had been,

1269
00:57:05,516 --> 00:57:08,301
and so the project
just sort of dissipated.

1270
00:57:08,345 --> 00:57:10,521
You know, we have
very few things

1271
00:57:10,564 --> 00:57:13,698
that we regret
not having happened, but,

1272
00:57:13,742 --> 00:57:16,136
you know, I probably
would have retired after that.

1273
00:57:20,052 --> 00:57:24,188
Evolving their concept of art is

1274
00:57:24,231 --> 00:57:25,929
paramount to them.

1275
00:57:25,972 --> 00:57:28,148
That's what they have always
striven for and believe in.

1276
00:57:28,192 --> 00:57:29,975
I think,
when we didBig Beat,

1277
00:57:30,019 --> 00:57:31,281
we really just wanted

1278
00:57:31,324 --> 00:57:33,936
to change the sound yet again.

1279
00:57:33,979 --> 00:57:37,941
We're trying to be
a little less British,

1280
00:57:37,984 --> 00:57:39,899
in a certain sense.

1281
00:57:40,944 --> 00:57:42,901
In any sort of art form,
you need to keep

1282
00:57:42,945 --> 00:57:44,903
pushing yourself forward.

1283
00:57:44,947 --> 00:57:47,166
Otherwise, you just sort of...
you're a shark,

1284
00:57:47,210 --> 00:57:49,300
and you stop moving,
and you just... you die.

1285
00:57:49,343 --> 00:57:51,955
Ron and Russell
had come to New York

1286
00:57:51,998 --> 00:57:53,826
to do this hard rock record

1287
00:57:53,870 --> 00:57:55,523
and change directions

1288
00:57:55,567 --> 00:57:58,352
and try to break America.

1289
00:57:58,396 --> 00:58:00,485
Russell says, "Well, look,

1290
00:58:00,528 --> 00:58:01,878
"we don't have a band

1291
00:58:01,921 --> 00:58:05,142
anymore, so do you know
a great drummer?"

1292
00:58:10,103 --> 00:58:15,936
Sparks is musically
an enigma to begin with.

1293
00:58:15,980 --> 00:58:20,548
Indiscreet doesn't sound
likeKimono My House,

1294
00:58:20,592 --> 00:58:24,596
and Big Beatis
completely different.

1295
00:58:24,639 --> 00:58:27,990
I remember
Big Beat coming out

1296
00:58:28,033 --> 00:58:29,078
and sort of considering it,

1297
00:58:29,121 --> 00:58:31,778
like, more as this kind of part

1298
00:58:31,822 --> 00:58:34,085
of the new
punk records.

1299
00:58:36,827 --> 00:58:39,220
Sparks are always
pushing new boundaries

1300
00:58:39,264 --> 00:58:40,786
and changing their sound,

1301
00:58:40,830 --> 00:58:43,006
often to the deep frustration
of their fan base.

1302
00:58:43,049 --> 00:58:44,965
♪ I'm coming and I'm going...

1303
00:58:45,009 --> 00:58:47,925
You know, I think
the fans ofKimono My House

1304
00:58:47,968 --> 00:58:49,404
and Indiscreet

1305
00:58:49,448 --> 00:58:51,058
and Propaganda,

1306
00:58:51,102 --> 00:58:53,407
I imagine they felt
a little bit let down.

1307
00:58:53,451 --> 00:58:55,670
And that's great--
you shouldn't pander

1308
00:58:55,714 --> 00:58:57,368
to the expectations

1309
00:58:57,411 --> 00:59:00,938
of the conservative element
of your fan base.

1310
00:59:00,981 --> 00:59:03,940
Because if you did, you-you'd
make conservative music.

1311
00:59:05,376 --> 00:59:08,118
That record is written by

1312
00:59:08,161 --> 00:59:10,469
the anti-Sparks.

1313
00:59:10,512 --> 00:59:12,428
Lyrically,
they'd just go mental.

1314
00:59:12,472 --> 00:59:14,474
"Everybody's Stupid," right?

1315
00:59:18,433 --> 00:59:20,087
When I first heard that record,

1316
00:59:20,131 --> 00:59:21,697
I found it kind of shocking
because the songs were

1317
00:59:21,741 --> 00:59:23,134
so angry and kind of bitter.

1318
00:59:23,177 --> 00:59:24,744
What's he saying? What's he...

1319
00:59:24,788 --> 00:59:26,399
No, you know what he's saying.

1320
00:59:26,442 --> 00:59:28,226
It's clear as a bell.

1321
00:59:28,269 --> 00:59:30,532
♪ Everybody's stupid

1322
00:59:30,576 --> 00:59:32,317
♪ That's for sure.

1323
00:59:32,360 --> 00:59:35,407
I could visibly see
the audience being confused.

1324
00:59:35,450 --> 00:59:37,017
♪ You're stupid,
you're stupid. ♪

1325
00:59:38,931 --> 00:59:41,239
♪ Everybody's stupid

1326
00:59:41,282 --> 00:59:43,197
♪ That's for sure.

1327
00:59:43,241 --> 00:59:45,852
There's probably
two of the most

1328
00:59:45,896 --> 00:59:48,464
politically incorrect songs
on that record,

1329
00:59:48,508 --> 00:59:50,030
which are "White Women"

1330
00:59:50,074 --> 00:59:51,945
and "Throw Her Away."

1331
00:59:53,077 --> 00:59:54,819
Which...

1332
00:59:54,862 --> 00:59:56,821
uh, you got to have
a sense of humor

1333
00:59:56,864 --> 01:00:00,346
and know the ironic intent
on both those.

1334
01:00:00,389 --> 01:00:03,130
♪ Throw her away
and get a new one... ♪

1335
01:00:03,174 --> 01:00:05,306
We want to shake up people,

1336
01:00:05,350 --> 01:00:07,570
and we think that pop music
at its best

1337
01:00:07,614 --> 01:00:09,572
has always been something
where you-you hear it

1338
01:00:09,616 --> 01:00:11,661
and you go,
"Oh, my God, what is that?"

1339
01:00:11,705 --> 01:00:13,706
Sparks often do
that kind of thing

1340
01:00:13,749 --> 01:00:16,404
which has, I think,
a punk sensibility to it.

1341
01:00:16,448 --> 01:00:18,754
A desire to stir things up

1342
01:00:18,798 --> 01:00:20,887
and shake things up
and make you think.

1343
01:00:28,330 --> 01:00:30,202
My first experience of Sparks

1344
01:00:30,245 --> 01:00:32,813
was watching the film
Rollercoaster.

1345
01:00:36,122 --> 01:00:39,254
I assumed that
they were a made-up band

1346
01:00:39,298 --> 01:00:41,691
because I'd never
heard of them before.

1347
01:00:41,735 --> 01:00:44,694
And then years later,
I came across

1348
01:00:44,738 --> 01:00:47,175
"This Town Ain't Big Enough for
the Both of Us" and thought,

1349
01:00:47,219 --> 01:00:49,134
"Oh, it's those guys
from Rollercoaster."

1350
01:00:49,177 --> 01:00:52,615
I had never been
on a huge movie set like that.

1351
01:00:52,659 --> 01:00:54,617
And I didn't know what
to make of it.

1352
01:00:54,661 --> 01:00:57,055
And I was looking
to Ron and Russell,

1353
01:00:57,098 --> 01:00:59,318
and I remember Ron--
I'll never forget this--

1354
01:00:59,361 --> 01:01:01,449
Ron said...

1355
01:01:01,493 --> 01:01:03,671
"This might be great.

1356
01:01:03,714 --> 01:01:06,021
"Maybe this is gonna be the one

1357
01:01:06,065 --> 01:01:09,285
that breaks the band
worldwide."

1358
01:01:09,329 --> 01:01:11,418
This disaster movie.

1359
01:01:11,461 --> 01:01:13,419
I-I mean, you know,
the movie is what it was.

1360
01:01:13,462 --> 01:01:16,902
It was kind of like...
it-it was pretty lame,

1361
01:01:16,945 --> 01:01:18,642
but how else
was I gonna see them?

1362
01:01:21,558 --> 01:01:23,995
They're connoisseurs,
and this was just,

1363
01:01:24,038 --> 01:01:25,387
you know, "a disaster movie"

1364
01:01:25,431 --> 01:01:27,476
in more ways than one.

1365
01:01:27,520 --> 01:01:30,872
I-I think I leaned over to him
at one point, I said,

1366
01:01:30,916 --> 01:01:33,831
"I guess this is not
a Jacques Tati movie."

1367
01:01:33,875 --> 01:01:35,224
♪ Big boy...

1368
01:01:35,268 --> 01:01:36,833
Rollercoaster is kind of

1369
01:01:36,877 --> 01:01:39,401
theCitizen Kane
of disaster movies.

1370
01:01:39,445 --> 01:01:42,318
I mean, the disaster was that
nobody went to see the movie.

1371
01:01:55,984 --> 01:01:57,899
I was in high school,

1372
01:01:57,943 --> 01:02:00,119
and I had a friend who was
the first friend in my group

1373
01:02:00,162 --> 01:02:01,816
to have his own apartment.

1374
01:02:01,859 --> 01:02:03,600
We used to just get
in all kinds of crazy

1375
01:02:03,644 --> 01:02:05,776
drugged-out states
at this guy's house.

1376
01:02:05,820 --> 01:02:08,127
I remember, like, stumbling
into his bathroom all the time

1377
01:02:08,170 --> 01:02:09,998
to either throw up or pee,

1378
01:02:10,042 --> 01:02:11,738
and on the wall,

1379
01:02:11,781 --> 01:02:13,828
there was a picture of Sparks.

1380
01:02:13,871 --> 01:02:15,351
And I remember just
seeing them all the time,

1381
01:02:15,395 --> 01:02:17,179
like, "Who are those guys?"

1382
01:02:17,223 --> 01:02:19,139
And I was kind of in love,
and they were sort of like

1383
01:02:19,182 --> 01:02:23,229
these mysterious, like, icons,
like patron saints.

1384
01:02:23,272 --> 01:02:26,320
I looked at that picture,
like, kind of marveled at it

1385
01:02:26,363 --> 01:02:28,800
a thousand times
before I heard them.

1386
01:02:28,844 --> 01:02:32,021
♪ Why is there time?

1387
01:02:34,067 --> 01:02:37,243
♪ Why is there space?

1388
01:02:37,286 --> 01:02:40,464
♪ Why are there dogs and cats

1389
01:02:40,508 --> 01:02:44,729
♪ And trees
and the human race? ♪

1390
01:02:44,773 --> 01:02:47,470
I was sitting in my motel room

1391
01:02:47,514 --> 01:02:49,472
doing nothing, thinking,

1392
01:02:49,516 --> 01:02:50,952
"No matter what happens,

1393
01:02:50,996 --> 01:02:52,127
I'm sticking with you guys."

1394
01:02:53,563 --> 01:02:56,394
And then we got
a phone call saying,

1395
01:02:56,438 --> 01:02:58,352
"Party's over, guys.

1396
01:02:58,395 --> 01:03:01,616
"Big Beat didn't do
what it was supposed to do.

1397
01:03:01,659 --> 01:03:04,140
We're flying you guys
back to New York."

1398
01:03:04,184 --> 01:03:06,664
That was the end of it.

1399
01:03:06,708 --> 01:03:08,841
I was really brokenhearted.

1400
01:03:08,885 --> 01:03:12,757
And, uh, they came out
with a new record,

1401
01:03:12,801 --> 01:03:15,543
Introducing Sparks.

1402
01:03:16,718 --> 01:03:18,372
♪ Ooh, those mysteries...

1403
01:03:18,415 --> 01:03:21,287
Here you have Russell,
and here you have Ron here.

1404
01:03:21,330 --> 01:03:24,421
This is a great fucking album.

1405
01:03:24,465 --> 01:03:27,642
"Those Mysteries,"
most poignant song,

1406
01:03:27,685 --> 01:03:31,080
like, that's funny as hell
but also a question--

1407
01:03:31,124 --> 01:03:32,907
this kind of yearning,
searching,

1408
01:03:32,950 --> 01:03:35,432
trying to make sense
of, like, the awkwardness

1409
01:03:35,477 --> 01:03:37,174
and the pain of being
a human being

1410
01:03:37,218 --> 01:03:41,222
and doing it
in a funny, smart way.

1411
01:03:41,265 --> 01:03:43,615
Cool. I'm into it.

1412
01:03:43,659 --> 01:03:46,400
I think so much
of their music requires

1413
01:03:46,443 --> 01:03:48,880
not taking it on face value.

1414
01:03:48,924 --> 01:03:53,016
If you want to work with them
and think about the music,

1415
01:03:53,060 --> 01:03:54,539
you can get more out of it.

1416
01:03:54,583 --> 01:03:56,627
If you want to just absorb it,

1417
01:03:56,671 --> 01:03:59,021
you're going to be
missing the point entirely.

1418
01:03:59,065 --> 01:04:00,588
That's what hurt them, I think.

1419
01:04:00,631 --> 01:04:03,112
It hurt Sparks
that they came of age

1420
01:04:03,156 --> 01:04:06,377
at a time when people could
only take things at face value.

1421
01:04:06,421 --> 01:04:07,378
One of the snottier

1422
01:04:07,422 --> 01:04:09,597
metal/punk magazines,

1423
01:04:09,640 --> 01:04:12,905
the review was:"Introducing
Sparks, dot-dot-dot.

1424
01:04:12,949 --> 01:04:15,212
Unfortunately,
we've already met."

1425
01:04:17,694 --> 01:04:20,696
From the adulation
that they had been receiving

1426
01:04:20,739 --> 01:04:23,177
to the non-adulation around

1427
01:04:23,220 --> 01:04:25,004
Big Beatand Introducing,

1428
01:04:25,048 --> 01:04:27,398
it was just obvious
it wasn't working.

1429
01:04:27,442 --> 01:04:29,400
It became very difficult,

1430
01:04:29,444 --> 01:04:31,099
and I really liked
Ron and Russell.

1431
01:04:31,142 --> 01:04:33,491
I still admired
their abilities,

1432
01:04:33,535 --> 01:04:38,627
but I couldn't be 100% behind
what they were doing.

1433
01:04:38,670 --> 01:04:40,716
I mean, Ronnie was really
desperate, too, at this time.

1434
01:04:40,759 --> 01:04:42,500
I mean, he knew
it wasn't working.

1435
01:04:42,544 --> 01:04:46,243
♪ I want a big surprise
tonight... ♪

1436
01:04:46,287 --> 01:04:48,724
The record comes out in the heat

1437
01:04:48,767 --> 01:04:50,466
of punk rock,

1438
01:04:50,509 --> 01:04:52,076
and an album

1439
01:04:52,120 --> 01:04:57,124
that could not sound
more out of sorts with that.

1440
01:04:59,039 --> 01:05:02,826
♪ Where is that
Yankee ingenuity? ♪

1441
01:05:02,869 --> 01:05:04,741
The whole passion and energy

1442
01:05:04,784 --> 01:05:06,395
and kind of statement of punk

1443
01:05:06,438 --> 01:05:08,744
seemed like it was
almost partially directed

1444
01:05:08,787 --> 01:05:10,659
towards what we were doing.

1445
01:05:10,702 --> 01:05:12,269
So we thought, "Is this, like,

1446
01:05:12,313 --> 01:05:13,880
kind of dinosaur music?"

1447
01:05:13,924 --> 01:05:15,839
We never felt that before,

1448
01:05:15,882 --> 01:05:18,015
and we've never
felt that since.

1449
01:05:18,058 --> 01:05:19,842
-♪ Big surprise tonight
-♪ Big surprise

1450
01:05:19,885 --> 01:05:22,845
♪ A really big surprise
tonight ♪

1451
01:05:22,888 --> 01:05:26,632
♪ I want a big surprise
tonight... ♪

1452
01:05:26,676 --> 01:05:28,548
The Sex Pistols'
album is one of

1453
01:05:28,592 --> 01:05:30,636
the greatest albums
of all time,

1454
01:05:30,680 --> 01:05:33,509
but that wasn't
where we should be going,

1455
01:05:33,552 --> 01:05:36,294
so we had to find
a proper direction

1456
01:05:36,338 --> 01:05:39,079
so that we would feel
unthreatened.

1457
01:05:45,260 --> 01:05:48,176
After we did
theIntroducing Sparks album,

1458
01:05:48,219 --> 01:05:51,222
we did an interview with
a journalist in Los Angeles.

1459
01:05:51,266 --> 01:05:53,963
She said, "Well,
what's next for Sparks?"

1460
01:05:54,006 --> 01:05:56,009
And then we said,
"Oh, well, we're going to be

1461
01:05:56,053 --> 01:05:58,621
working with Giorgio Moroder
on our next album."

1462
01:05:58,664 --> 01:06:00,666
She said, "Oh, that's funny.

1463
01:06:00,710 --> 01:06:02,581
"Giorgio didn't
mention that to me.

1464
01:06:02,625 --> 01:06:04,409
I'm really good friends
with him." And we went,

1465
01:06:04,453 --> 01:06:06,803
"Uh, eh, uh..." Gulp.

1466
01:06:06,846 --> 01:06:09,067
'Cause it was a total lie.

1467
01:06:09,110 --> 01:06:11,156
♪ Ooh...

1468
01:06:11,200 --> 01:06:12,940
We wanted to work
with Giorgio Moroder,

1469
01:06:12,984 --> 01:06:15,378
and we had heard "I Feel Love"
on the radio,

1470
01:06:15,421 --> 01:06:18,249
the great Donna Summer song
that Giorgio produced,

1471
01:06:18,293 --> 01:06:21,687
but we didn't know how
to contact Giorgio.

1472
01:06:21,731 --> 01:06:24,169
And then she said,
"Well, I could introduce you."

1473
01:06:24,213 --> 01:06:27,259
The number 30 song
this week on the Top 30,

1474
01:06:27,303 --> 01:06:28,825
the young man called Giorgio,
who's with us here

1475
01:06:28,868 --> 01:06:30,566
on Top of the Pops
this evening.

1476
01:06:30,609 --> 01:06:31,958
Let's give him a nice
Top of the Popswelcome.

1477
01:06:32,002 --> 01:06:33,351
Thank you.

1478
01:06:33,395 --> 01:06:35,223
And he was really,

1479
01:06:35,266 --> 01:06:37,226
surprisingly to us,
up for the challenge

1480
01:06:37,269 --> 01:06:39,445
of working with a...
you know, a band.

1481
01:06:39,489 --> 01:06:42,665
It really was
pretty brave of him.

1482
01:06:45,451 --> 01:06:48,019
We did the recordings
in Los Angeles.

1483
01:06:49,194 --> 01:06:52,937
Interesting studio because
it was totally electronic

1484
01:06:52,980 --> 01:06:57,724
with a massive amount
of Moog modular

1485
01:06:57,768 --> 01:07:01,293
and Roland synthesizers

1486
01:07:01,337 --> 01:07:03,556
and thousands of sounds.

1487
01:07:05,036 --> 01:07:07,256
We were aware that we were
kind of reinventing ourselves

1488
01:07:07,299 --> 01:07:08,909
as we were making that,

1489
01:07:08,953 --> 01:07:10,998
but we knew that we were
doing something

1490
01:07:11,042 --> 01:07:13,174
that was totally new.

1491
01:07:14,611 --> 01:07:16,699
For me as a fan,
it would be hard to know

1492
01:07:16,742 --> 01:07:19,790
if it's willful
or if it's the innocence of:

1493
01:07:19,833 --> 01:07:22,228
"Wouldn't it be a great idea
if we just made

1494
01:07:22,272 --> 01:07:27,189
a synthesizer record in 1979,
before the '80s?"

1495
01:07:27,233 --> 01:07:30,366
♪ You're the only bank
that's open all night ♪

1496
01:07:30,409 --> 01:07:33,848
♪ La dolce vita

1497
01:07:33,892 --> 01:07:37,069
♪ Now that that's clear,
can you give me a light? ♪

1498
01:07:37,112 --> 01:07:39,984
♪ La dolce vita...

1499
01:07:40,027 --> 01:07:42,334
We all went in it
with this kind of

1500
01:07:42,378 --> 01:07:44,989
naive spirit to just do
something that we thought

1501
01:07:45,032 --> 01:07:47,166
was really fresh-sounding.

1502
01:07:47,209 --> 01:07:48,994
And we think it was
something really special.

1503
01:07:49,037 --> 01:07:53,345
♪ Can I have another plate
of your la dolce vita? ♪

1504
01:07:53,389 --> 01:07:57,610
It took one year
after that album was recorded

1505
01:07:57,654 --> 01:08:00,485
before a label wanted
to sign it.

1506
01:08:00,528 --> 01:08:03,487
♪ Gold diggers are we

1507
01:08:03,530 --> 01:08:06,707
♪ Step up, follow me...

1508
01:08:06,751 --> 01:08:09,231
Someone at Virgin Records
in Germany

1509
01:08:09,275 --> 01:08:11,233
saw the tape sitting there
and said,

1510
01:08:11,277 --> 01:08:14,236
"Hmm, Sparks, Giorgio Moroder.
Let me give that a listen."

1511
01:08:14,280 --> 01:08:16,021
And said,
"This is pretty amazing,"

1512
01:08:16,064 --> 01:08:18,632
and shipped it off
to Richard Branson and company

1513
01:08:18,676 --> 01:08:21,983
in-in the UK, and they agreed.

1514
01:08:22,027 --> 01:08:23,898
WhenNo. 1 in Heaven came out,

1515
01:08:23,942 --> 01:08:27,249
it was two years after the
massive failure of Introducing,

1516
01:08:27,293 --> 01:08:30,514
and you're kind of seeing
the DNA of so much

1517
01:08:30,557 --> 01:08:32,994
of what would come later on.

1518
01:08:33,038 --> 01:08:34,822
This was probably
one of the first

1519
01:08:34,866 --> 01:08:36,607
electropop dance records

1520
01:08:36,650 --> 01:08:37,912
of all time.

1521
01:08:42,440 --> 01:08:45,007
That, to me, was
such an astounding record.

1522
01:08:45,051 --> 01:08:46,574
It seemed really audacious.

1523
01:08:46,618 --> 01:08:48,315
It just takes you on

1524
01:08:48,359 --> 01:08:50,795
this incredible, hypnotic trip.

1525
01:08:50,838 --> 01:08:53,580
Just belied and denied anything
else that was happening.

1526
01:08:53,624 --> 01:08:55,496
It just rose above it.

1527
01:08:55,540 --> 01:08:57,280
♪ We're just gleams
in lovers' eyes ♪

1528
01:08:57,324 --> 01:09:00,632
♪ Steam on sweaty bodies
in the night ♪

1529
01:09:02,589 --> 01:09:04,939
♪ But one of us
might make it through ♪

1530
01:09:04,983 --> 01:09:08,813
♪ All the rest
will disappear like dew ♪

1531
01:09:10,250 --> 01:09:12,383
♪ Pressure building,
getting hot ♪

1532
01:09:12,426 --> 01:09:15,995
♪ Give it, give it,
give it all you got ♪

1533
01:09:17,910 --> 01:09:20,086
♪ When that
love explosion comes ♪

1534
01:09:20,129 --> 01:09:23,003
♪ My, oh, my,
we want to be someone ♪

1535
01:09:24,091 --> 01:09:26,135
♪ Tryouts for
the human race... ♪

1536
01:09:26,179 --> 01:09:30,096
It was a huge influence
on-on our early material.

1537
01:09:30,139 --> 01:09:32,403
Uh, we were already
big Moroder fans,

1538
01:09:32,446 --> 01:09:35,231
but this combination, uh,
it was just perfect.

1539
01:09:35,275 --> 01:09:38,234
♪ We just want
to be someone... ♪

1540
01:09:38,278 --> 01:09:40,019
That's why I ended up
working with Vince--

1541
01:09:40,062 --> 01:09:41,803
'cause those synths,

1542
01:09:41,847 --> 01:09:43,544
they just drove me.

1543
01:09:44,545 --> 01:09:46,242
Sparks, "Beat the Clock,"

1544
01:09:46,286 --> 01:09:49,070
uh, Millaney/Grant,
sixth of June.

1545
01:09:52,292 --> 01:09:55,252
♪ You gotta beat the clock,
you gotta beat the clock... ♪

1546
01:09:55,296 --> 01:09:57,385
Sparks-- well,
they're back in Britain,

1547
01:09:57,429 --> 01:09:58,952
they're back in business,

1548
01:09:58,995 --> 01:10:00,822
and they're currently trying
to beat the clock.

1549
01:10:00,866 --> 01:10:02,955
♪ You gotta beat the clock,
you gotta beat the clock... ♪

1550
01:10:02,998 --> 01:10:04,610
As a synthesizer duo,

1551
01:10:04,653 --> 01:10:06,350
I guess you could say that

1552
01:10:06,394 --> 01:10:08,440
they sort of set a template.

1553
01:10:08,483 --> 01:10:10,485
♪ You gotta beat the clock,
you gotta beat the clock... ♪

1554
01:10:10,529 --> 01:10:15,446
I became first aware
of Sparks in their 1979 period.

1555
01:10:15,489 --> 01:10:18,493
Just seeing them on, like, Top
of the Popsaround that time.

1556
01:10:18,537 --> 01:10:22,105
You know, it's a very
sort of stark dynamic image--

1557
01:10:22,149 --> 01:10:24,498
Russell singing,
Ron on the synths.

1558
01:10:24,542 --> 01:10:27,458
He had his '79
kind of hipster hair.

1559
01:10:27,501 --> 01:10:29,416
Sparks and their new single

1560
01:10:29,460 --> 01:10:31,201
called "Beat the Clock."
Billy?

1561
01:10:31,245 --> 01:10:32,943
I think it was real great.

1562
01:10:32,987 --> 01:10:34,771
♪ Well, I've seen
everything there is ♪

1563
01:10:34,815 --> 01:10:36,772
♪ I've done
everything there is... ♪

1564
01:10:36,816 --> 01:10:38,948
There's myself, uh, there's
the guy from the Pet Shop Boys,

1565
01:10:38,992 --> 01:10:40,646
there's the guy
from Duran Duran.

1566
01:10:40,689 --> 01:10:42,822
I mean, we were all
miserable fuckers, you know?

1567
01:10:42,865 --> 01:10:44,563
It's a look, isn't it,
which we just stole

1568
01:10:44,606 --> 01:10:46,522
from Sparks.

1569
01:10:53,876 --> 01:10:56,966
I was desperately searching

1570
01:10:57,010 --> 01:11:01,754
for music to put in my DJ sets

1571
01:11:01,797 --> 01:11:03,407
at the Blitz Club.

1572
01:11:03,451 --> 01:11:06,889
I came across
"Number One Song in Heaven."

1573
01:11:06,933 --> 01:11:08,675
It's just one of those songs

1574
01:11:08,718 --> 01:11:10,284
that gives me goose bumps.

1575
01:11:10,327 --> 01:11:12,286
What I loved about it

1576
01:11:12,329 --> 01:11:14,158
was the first four minutes,

1577
01:11:14,202 --> 01:11:17,118
and it was all synthesizers

1578
01:11:17,161 --> 01:11:18,859
and sequences.

1579
01:11:18,902 --> 01:11:20,904
And I was like,
"This is great."

1580
01:11:22,122 --> 01:11:26,343
♪ This is the number one song
in heaven ♪

1581
01:11:28,782 --> 01:11:33,264
♪ Written, of course,
by the mightiest hand... ♪

1582
01:11:33,308 --> 01:11:35,178
In Joy
Division, when we were doing

1583
01:11:35,222 --> 01:11:36,789
"Love Will Tear Us Apart,"

1584
01:11:36,832 --> 01:11:40,227
there were two records
that we were listening to.

1585
01:11:40,270 --> 01:11:41,315
Uh, one was

1586
01:11:41,358 --> 01:11:43,144
Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits,

1587
01:11:43,187 --> 01:11:45,362
and then the other one was
"Number One Song in Heaven."

1588
01:11:45,406 --> 01:11:47,975
"Number One Song
in Heaven" just sort of, like,

1589
01:11:48,018 --> 01:11:49,498
moves in this crazy way.

1590
01:11:49,542 --> 01:11:51,326
And there's even
a moment of silence

1591
01:11:51,369 --> 01:11:53,023
pretty early on in the song.
It's, like, this cut

1592
01:11:53,067 --> 01:11:55,286
and then it starts back up.
It's wild.

1593
01:11:55,330 --> 01:11:56,288
One, two, three.

1594
01:11:57,419 --> 01:11:58,812
And it goes, like, I don't know,

1595
01:11:58,855 --> 01:12:00,683
180 BPM or something.

1596
01:12:00,727 --> 01:12:03,599
Oh, my God, that's...
that's too fast.

1597
01:12:07,037 --> 01:12:08,951
This is the absolute apogee

1598
01:12:08,995 --> 01:12:10,214
of electronic pop music

1599
01:12:10,258 --> 01:12:11,564
for me.

1600
01:12:11,607 --> 01:12:13,391
I can't think
of anything better.

1601
01:12:13,435 --> 01:12:15,524
We can only, with Heaven 17,

1602
01:12:15,568 --> 01:12:17,526
kind of aspire to it.

1603
01:12:22,225 --> 01:12:25,317
♪ It's number one
all over heaven ♪

1604
01:12:25,361 --> 01:12:26,710
♪ It's number one

1605
01:12:26,754 --> 01:12:28,582
♪ All over heaven

1606
01:12:28,625 --> 01:12:31,541
♪ It's number one
all over heaven ♪

1607
01:12:31,585 --> 01:12:35,152
♪ The number one song
all over heaven... ♪

1608
01:12:35,196 --> 01:12:39,027
If they would
release nowNo. 1 in Heaven,

1609
01:12:39,070 --> 01:12:41,464
they would say,
"Wow, geniuses."

1610
01:12:41,507 --> 01:12:44,074
I mean, they were geniuses
then, but now even more

1611
01:12:44,118 --> 01:12:47,382
because this could be
the second sound of the future.

1612
01:12:47,425 --> 01:12:49,253
♪ Gabriel plays it

1613
01:12:49,297 --> 01:12:50,820
♪ God, how he plays it

1614
01:12:50,864 --> 01:12:52,431
♪ Gabriel plays it

1615
01:12:52,475 --> 01:12:53,998
♪ God, how he plays it

1616
01:12:54,042 --> 01:12:55,521
♪ Gabriel plays it

1617
01:12:55,565 --> 01:12:57,044
♪ God, how he plays it

1618
01:12:57,087 --> 01:12:58,872
♪ Gabriel plays it

1619
01:12:58,915 --> 01:13:01,091
♪ Let's hear him play it...

1620
01:13:04,356 --> 01:13:07,099
I really liked
seeing them stripped down,

1621
01:13:07,143 --> 01:13:08,447
and in a way, it made the image

1622
01:13:08,491 --> 01:13:10,319
more impactful.

1623
01:13:12,016 --> 01:13:13,714
It was shortly after
that period, I guess,

1624
01:13:13,757 --> 01:13:18,022
that Paul McCartney did
that video "Coming Up."

1625
01:13:18,066 --> 01:13:21,112
♪ You want a love
to last forever... ♪

1626
01:13:21,156 --> 01:13:23,201
It was all Paul McCartney
doing loads of

1627
01:13:23,245 --> 01:13:24,768
very instantly
recognizable characters.

1628
01:13:24,812 --> 01:13:26,335
And, of course, he did Ron.

1629
01:13:26,378 --> 01:13:28,119
I mean, I know how much
Ron and Russell

1630
01:13:28,163 --> 01:13:29,817
are fans of The Beatles,

1631
01:13:29,860 --> 01:13:32,209
and so I suspect they were
really excited to see that.

1632
01:13:32,253 --> 01:13:33,908
That's amazing, like,

1633
01:13:33,951 --> 01:13:35,692
that a Beatle would pretend
to be all these...

1634
01:13:35,736 --> 01:13:37,520
like, Buddy Holly
and all these different people,

1635
01:13:37,563 --> 01:13:39,304
and he's Ron Mael.

1636
01:13:40,698 --> 01:13:42,308
I started
respecting Ron a lot more

1637
01:13:42,352 --> 01:13:44,005
after Paul McCartney, uh,

1638
01:13:44,048 --> 01:13:46,922
gave his tribute to Ron--
then I realized,

1639
01:13:46,965 --> 01:13:49,925
"God, I'm working with somebody
that Paul McCartney likes."

1640
01:13:49,968 --> 01:13:51,666
How cool is that?

1641
01:13:51,709 --> 01:13:52,928
It is the ultimate.

1642
01:13:52,971 --> 01:13:54,580
And it's Paul McCartney.

1643
01:13:54,624 --> 01:13:56,539
Just incredible.

1644
01:13:56,582 --> 01:13:59,063
After doingNo. 1 in Heaven

1645
01:13:59,107 --> 01:14:01,153
and working
with Giorgio Moroder,

1646
01:14:01,197 --> 01:14:03,503
which was
such an inspiring experience,

1647
01:14:03,547 --> 01:14:05,592
it was the time
for the follow-up album,

1648
01:14:05,636 --> 01:14:08,333
but Giorgio wasn't,
uh, available,

1649
01:14:08,377 --> 01:14:10,466
so it was kind of farmed out.

1650
01:14:10,509 --> 01:14:14,906
I think, for that reason,
the album became more generic.

1651
01:14:16,516 --> 01:14:18,823
To Giorgio's credit,
he was

1652
01:14:18,867 --> 01:14:20,738
involved with the selection,

1653
01:14:20,782 --> 01:14:23,480
and there was the song
"When I'm with You."

1654
01:14:23,523 --> 01:14:26,875
He thought that that song
was really something special.

1655
01:14:31,009 --> 01:14:32,881
"When I'm with You."

1656
01:14:32,924 --> 01:14:34,970
That bass line,

1657
01:14:35,013 --> 01:14:36,623
that beautiful string line.

1658
01:14:38,495 --> 01:14:40,671
It wasn't anything
that we kind of planned on,

1659
01:14:40,715 --> 01:14:42,280
but it became, uh,

1660
01:14:42,324 --> 01:14:45,502
the biggest-selling song
that we've ever done.

1661
01:14:45,545 --> 01:14:48,374
♪ When I'm with you

1662
01:14:48,418 --> 01:14:50,333
♪ I never have a problem

1663
01:14:50,376 --> 01:14:52,596
♪ When I'm with you...

1664
01:14:52,639 --> 01:14:54,640
Most of those sales
were in France,

1665
01:14:54,684 --> 01:14:57,776
and the song was kind of
the soundtrack of the country

1666
01:14:57,820 --> 01:15:00,474
during that whole period.

1667
01:15:01,562 --> 01:15:03,564
"When I'm with You,"
the Sparks.

1668
01:15:03,608 --> 01:15:05,130
♪ When I'm with you...

1669
01:15:05,174 --> 01:15:06,828
The video
for "When I'm with You"

1670
01:15:06,871 --> 01:15:09,569
was Ron being the ventriloquist

1671
01:15:09,613 --> 01:15:11,224
and me being the dummy,

1672
01:15:11,268 --> 01:15:14,488
and some things
never change in life.

1673
01:15:14,532 --> 01:15:16,838
It's a love song.
Someone's in love.

1674
01:15:16,881 --> 01:15:18,404
Okay, I know what's going on.

1675
01:15:18,448 --> 01:15:20,189
And then the more he sings,

1676
01:15:20,232 --> 01:15:22,191
you realize that-that you're
listening to somebody panic.

1677
01:15:22,234 --> 01:15:25,108
♪ It's the break in the song

1678
01:15:25,151 --> 01:15:28,632
♪ When I should say
something special ♪

1679
01:15:30,112 --> 01:15:32,897
♪ But the pressure is on

1680
01:15:32,941 --> 01:15:37,033
♪ And I can't make up
nothing special ♪

1681
01:15:37,076 --> 01:15:40,210
♪ Not when I'm with you

1682
01:15:40,253 --> 01:15:42,342
♪ When I'm with you...

1683
01:15:42,386 --> 01:15:44,780
There is never
a "June, moon, spoon"

1684
01:15:44,823 --> 01:15:46,869
aspect to their lyrics.

1685
01:15:46,912 --> 01:15:49,045
There is always a three, four,

1686
01:15:49,088 --> 01:15:51,961
five times removed aspect of:

1687
01:15:52,004 --> 01:15:54,615
So, is the narrator...
This is clearly not the singer.

1688
01:15:54,659 --> 01:15:56,966
He's playing a character,
and then the... and you kind of

1689
01:15:57,009 --> 01:15:59,925
work out what
the character's biography is.

1690
01:15:59,969 --> 01:16:03,102
Each song has such
a personality to it.

1691
01:16:03,146 --> 01:16:04,973
That middle eight is
the thing that I think,

1692
01:16:05,016 --> 01:16:07,628
for some listeners
who might be investing

1693
01:16:07,672 --> 01:16:10,066
in, like, a love song,
will say, like,

1694
01:16:10,109 --> 01:16:12,286
"Oh, hold up. Is this a joke?"

1695
01:16:12,330 --> 01:16:14,549
It could be seen
as being insincere.

1696
01:16:14,593 --> 01:16:16,159
In reality,

1697
01:16:16,202 --> 01:16:17,813
it's the thing
that makes them more memorable.

1698
01:16:20,120 --> 01:16:22,731
The thing of doing
TV shows that we did

1699
01:16:22,775 --> 01:16:25,822
in a period of, like,
"When I'm with You" in France--

1700
01:16:25,865 --> 01:16:27,823
and we did a lot
in Germany at that time--

1701
01:16:27,866 --> 01:16:30,477
I think, you know, we realized
that the appeal of Sparks

1702
01:16:30,521 --> 01:16:32,523
was going to an area
that wasn't

1703
01:16:32,566 --> 01:16:34,265
where we wanted to be going.

1704
01:16:34,308 --> 01:16:37,398
And so, um, that was why
we wanted to start having

1705
01:16:37,442 --> 01:16:39,269
a band context again.

1706
01:16:39,312 --> 01:16:41,532
Please, uh, can you smile?

1707
01:16:41,575 --> 01:16:43,577
Uh, cheese.

1708
01:16:43,621 --> 01:16:45,536
Ah.

1709
01:16:45,579 --> 01:16:47,800
Merci. Thank you.

1710
01:16:49,847 --> 01:16:51,717
My relationship to Sparks,

1711
01:16:51,760 --> 01:16:53,240
like most everything else,
is based on coffee.

1712
01:16:53,284 --> 01:16:56,200
I am an avid, to this day,
coffee drinker.

1713
01:16:56,243 --> 01:16:58,811
And in 1980,
it was pretty rough.

1714
01:16:58,855 --> 01:17:00,857
The one place you could go
in Los Angeles

1715
01:17:00,900 --> 01:17:02,815
was the Farmers Market.

1716
01:17:02,859 --> 01:17:05,209
They had a Belgian waffle stand
with one espresso machine.

1717
01:17:05,252 --> 01:17:06,819
People started to say,

1718
01:17:06,863 --> 01:17:09,474
"I saw the Sparks brothers

1719
01:17:09,517 --> 01:17:11,084
at Farmers Market."

1720
01:17:11,128 --> 01:17:12,825
And we're like, "What?"

1721
01:17:14,086 --> 01:17:17,090
-Small soy cappuccino, please.
-And for you?

1722
01:17:17,134 --> 01:17:19,179
Uh, what's a red-eye?

1723
01:17:19,223 --> 01:17:22,139
So, a coffee with
a shot of espresso.

1724
01:17:22,182 --> 01:17:23,880
-Really?
-Yeah, double caffeine.

1725
01:17:23,923 --> 01:17:25,272
-Wow. I'll try that.
-You want one?

1726
01:17:25,316 --> 01:17:26,794
-Yeah. Yeah.
-Small?

1727
01:17:26,838 --> 01:17:28,580
I'll... I hope I live
to tell the tale.

1728
01:17:28,623 --> 01:17:30,017
I started noticing

1729
01:17:30,061 --> 01:17:31,758
Ron and Russell
at this other table.

1730
01:17:31,801 --> 01:17:33,673
They were there almost
every day that we were there,

1731
01:17:33,716 --> 01:17:35,588
and then after a while,
we-we started saying

1732
01:17:35,631 --> 01:17:37,241
sort of a grudging hello
to each other.

1733
01:17:37,284 --> 01:17:40,809
One thing led
to the next, and we, uh,

1734
01:17:40,853 --> 01:17:42,463
poached their entire band,

1735
01:17:42,507 --> 01:17:44,249
and, uh, that was the end
of Bates Motel.

1736
01:17:44,292 --> 01:17:47,730
But it was the start of
the '80s version of Sparks.

1737
01:17:51,255 --> 01:17:53,170
We went to S.I.R.--

1738
01:17:53,213 --> 01:17:55,259
Studio Instrument Rentals--
on Santa Monica

1739
01:17:55,302 --> 01:17:58,263
and we started
rehearsing the songs

1740
01:17:58,306 --> 01:18:00,873
for what eventually was
Whomp That Sucker.

1741
01:18:00,917 --> 01:18:02,788
It was very
different thanTerminal Jive.

1742
01:18:02,831 --> 01:18:05,051
It was like, this is
a new thing going on.

1743
01:18:05,095 --> 01:18:07,925
I want to say we rehearsed
for six weeks,

1744
01:18:07,968 --> 01:18:09,709
and then we were
on a plane to Munich

1745
01:18:09,752 --> 01:18:11,407
and-and recording the album.

1746
01:18:11,451 --> 01:18:13,278
♪ And, boy, am I sorry...

1747
01:18:14,670 --> 01:18:16,542
All of a sudden,
we're in Musicland Studios.

1748
01:18:16,585 --> 01:18:18,500
It's Giorgio Moroder's studio.

1749
01:18:18,544 --> 01:18:21,286
It's in the basement
of this groovy hotel.

1750
01:18:21,329 --> 01:18:22,940
Sometimes, we just
kind of drift into things,

1751
01:18:22,983 --> 01:18:26,160
but that really was
a conscious decision

1752
01:18:26,204 --> 01:18:28,510
to work with a band.

1753
01:18:28,554 --> 01:18:30,077
They were inseparable.

1754
01:18:30,121 --> 01:18:31,774
At that time,
I kind of had this thing.

1755
01:18:31,818 --> 01:18:34,429
They were almost like
a symbiotic thing.

1756
01:18:34,473 --> 01:18:36,387
They were like one
sort of complete form.

1757
01:18:36,430 --> 01:18:37,954
You know, it's
an interesting thing

1758
01:18:37,997 --> 01:18:39,347
about how they wrote
at that time

1759
01:18:39,391 --> 01:18:41,045
that the lyrics came last.

1760
01:18:41,088 --> 01:18:43,047
Russell would kind of do,

1761
01:18:43,091 --> 01:18:46,834
like, nonsense verbiage
just to fill in the space.

1762
01:18:46,877 --> 01:18:48,356
It was kind of incredible.

1763
01:18:48,400 --> 01:18:50,837
Ron would furiously
finish the lyrics,

1764
01:18:50,880 --> 01:18:53,623
literally, it seemed like,
the night before.

1765
01:18:53,667 --> 01:18:55,408
The lyrics would show up,
and we'd go,

1766
01:18:55,451 --> 01:18:57,497
"Wow, I had no idea."

1767
01:18:57,540 --> 01:19:01,065
♪ I've got a snapshot
of your Aunt Maureen ♪

1768
01:19:01,108 --> 01:19:04,068
♪ She's 90 and you're a teen

1769
01:19:04,111 --> 01:19:06,636
♪ I'm trying to cheer you up

1770
01:19:06,680 --> 01:19:09,900
♪ Don't be so mean,
don't be so mean... ♪

1771
01:19:12,337 --> 01:19:14,295
"I've got a snapshot
of your Aunt Maureen."

1772
01:19:16,167 --> 01:19:19,692
I can't think of a cooler way
to start a pop song than that.

1773
01:19:19,735 --> 01:19:22,696
Who are you?
Who is Aunt Maureen?

1774
01:19:22,739 --> 01:19:24,393
I love that lyric.

1775
01:19:24,437 --> 01:19:26,134
It grabs me.

1776
01:19:26,178 --> 01:19:29,659
♪ Crash, bam,
now you're looking good ♪

1777
01:19:29,703 --> 01:19:32,793
♪ Tip-top,
now you're feeling good ♪

1778
01:19:32,836 --> 01:19:34,751
♪ Once more,
here's your Aunt Maureen ♪

1779
01:19:34,795 --> 01:19:38,059
♪ Don't you feel good?
Don't you feel good? ♪

1780
01:19:38,103 --> 01:19:40,061
It was
a funny thing of listening

1781
01:19:40,105 --> 01:19:41,802
to, like, two grown men
being like,

1782
01:19:41,845 --> 01:19:43,630
"Here are tips for teens,"
then sing about, like, zits.

1783
01:19:43,673 --> 01:19:45,066
Like, literally being like,

1784
01:19:45,110 --> 01:19:46,545
"Here's what you do
when you get a zit."

1785
01:19:46,588 --> 01:19:48,200
That's genius.

1786
01:19:48,243 --> 01:19:49,853
Songs are about,
like, two things.

1787
01:19:49,897 --> 01:19:51,290
Will you please fuck me?

1788
01:19:51,333 --> 01:19:52,856
Don't shut my party down.

1789
01:19:52,900 --> 01:19:55,076
♪ Tips for teens,
the kind you don't see... ♪

1790
01:19:55,120 --> 01:19:58,818
Their wacko training
bra and blemish cream sound

1791
01:19:58,861 --> 01:20:02,345
is not typical fare
in the L.A. club scene,

1792
01:20:02,389 --> 01:20:06,436
and after several albums,
brothers Russell and Ron Mael

1793
01:20:06,480 --> 01:20:10,091
have yet to give up
the fight back home.

1794
01:20:10,135 --> 01:20:12,441
The radio station
that really mattered was

1795
01:20:12,485 --> 01:20:15,662
"K-Rock," KROQ,
and they were playing

1796
01:20:15,705 --> 01:20:19,145
a lot of things
that just fit into our style.

1797
01:20:21,016 --> 01:20:23,322
I never knew Ron and Russell
to ever make

1798
01:20:23,365 --> 01:20:25,976
a calculated move
to capture an audience.

1799
01:20:26,020 --> 01:20:27,891
Sometimes they hit it

1800
01:20:27,935 --> 01:20:30,156
because they liked something
everybody else liked.

1801
01:20:30,199 --> 01:20:33,332
KROQ played all the-the weird
stuff coming from England:

1802
01:20:33,375 --> 01:20:37,467
The Cure, Depeche Mode,
Duran Duran, New Order.

1803
01:20:37,511 --> 01:20:39,861
If you
listened to KROQ, you generally

1804
01:20:39,904 --> 01:20:42,690
didn't listen to other stations.

1805
01:20:42,733 --> 01:20:45,084
Like, it was sort of like
you just listened to KROQ.

1806
01:20:45,127 --> 01:20:46,824
I remember just falling out

1807
01:20:46,868 --> 01:20:49,000
of my chair, you know,
hearing Sparks

1808
01:20:49,044 --> 01:20:50,698
actually on the radio.

1809
01:20:50,741 --> 01:20:52,221
You know, we're in
Munich, and somebody's calling,

1810
01:20:52,265 --> 01:20:53,353
like, "Hey they're playing
'Tips for Teens'

1811
01:20:53,396 --> 01:20:54,441
on KROQ every 15 minutes."

1812
01:20:54,484 --> 01:20:55,790
I'm like,

1813
01:20:55,833 --> 01:20:57,399
"Can we hear it?"
You know?

1814
01:20:57,443 --> 01:20:59,272
Sparks is extraordinarily
popular in Europe.

1815
01:20:59,315 --> 01:21:01,926
You are very popular
in this country,

1816
01:21:01,970 --> 01:21:03,928
but I think it's safe
to say that perhaps

1817
01:21:03,972 --> 01:21:05,930
you-your reception over there
is wilder

1818
01:21:05,974 --> 01:21:08,019
and more, uh, outgoing
than it is here.

1819
01:21:08,063 --> 01:21:10,020
What are you doing
to correct that situation?

1820
01:21:10,064 --> 01:21:11,893
We're gonna be
concentrating really heavily

1821
01:21:11,936 --> 01:21:13,895
on the States in the next year.

1822
01:21:13,938 --> 01:21:15,724
Would you introduce
me to your associates, please?

1823
01:21:15,767 --> 01:21:17,682
On bass, Les Bohem.

1824
01:21:17,726 --> 01:21:19,162
I think Whomp That Sucker is

1825
01:21:19,206 --> 01:21:21,511
the Bates Motel backup band,

1826
01:21:21,555 --> 01:21:25,124
and Angst, that is the point
where we were a band.

1827
01:21:25,167 --> 01:21:28,302
Angst in My Pants
is a record where culture

1828
01:21:28,345 --> 01:21:31,261
and zeitgeist all come together
in that record.

1829
01:21:31,305 --> 01:21:34,742
We have Ron and Russell.
Who is the older?

1830
01:21:34,785 --> 01:21:36,309
You are.

1831
01:21:38,180 --> 01:21:39,138
First of all, best cover.

1832
01:21:39,181 --> 01:21:40,792
That cover totally rules.

1833
01:21:40,836 --> 01:21:42,403
This is how you do
an album cover.

1834
01:21:43,403 --> 01:21:44,839
I just remember

1835
01:21:44,882 --> 01:21:46,319
looking at that,
and it's like,

1836
01:21:46,362 --> 01:21:48,495
there's this guy
in a wedding dress with this,

1837
01:21:48,538 --> 01:21:49,974
you know, weird mustache.

1838
01:21:50,018 --> 01:21:51,672
It was just
such a striking image.

1839
01:21:51,715 --> 01:21:53,458
Even now, it is.

1840
01:21:53,502 --> 01:21:55,416
They themselves
are heterosexual, but they had

1841
01:21:55,459 --> 01:21:57,026
a huge gay following.

1842
01:21:57,069 --> 01:21:58,984
Their songs questioned
notions of masculinity.

1843
01:21:59,028 --> 01:22:02,074
They did it in their music,
they did it in their videos,

1844
01:22:02,118 --> 01:22:03,989
and I think they did it
on that album cover.

1845
01:22:04,033 --> 01:22:07,906
I mean, that is in the great
rock and roll tradition of:

1846
01:22:07,950 --> 01:22:10,387
"'F' you, America."

1847
01:22:10,431 --> 01:22:13,695
You know, it's-it's disturbing,
it's unsettling.

1848
01:22:13,738 --> 01:22:15,740
It's not right.
It's not Republican.

1849
01:22:15,784 --> 01:22:17,699
It's not apple pie.

1850
01:22:17,742 --> 01:22:19,265
Some dudes
wouldn't even buy the album,

1851
01:22:19,308 --> 01:22:20,962
'cause they didn't want to
bring it to the counter,

1852
01:22:21,006 --> 01:22:22,573
but that's their problem.

1853
01:22:22,617 --> 01:22:24,619
We think it's
important to do something

1854
01:22:24,662 --> 01:22:26,795
that is polarizing.

1855
01:22:26,838 --> 01:22:29,667
We don't feel bad about that
in-in the slightest.

1856
01:22:29,711 --> 01:22:31,669
It kind of encourages us to...

1857
01:22:31,713 --> 01:22:34,978
to push what we're doing
even more.

1858
01:22:38,199 --> 01:22:41,637
♪ You're gonna take
a walk in the rain ♪

1859
01:22:41,680 --> 01:22:44,160
♪ And you're gonna get wet

1860
01:22:44,204 --> 01:22:46,510
♪ I predict...

1861
01:22:46,554 --> 01:22:48,599
It's probably one of
the most macho,

1862
01:22:48,643 --> 01:22:51,864
badass Sparks songs
that's out there.

1863
01:22:51,908 --> 01:22:54,170
And the way
they illustrate it is

1864
01:22:54,214 --> 01:22:56,564
with Ron stripping,

1865
01:22:56,607 --> 01:23:00,176
and it's disgusting and creepy

1866
01:23:00,220 --> 01:23:02,396
and delicious.

1867
01:23:02,439 --> 01:23:05,442
♪ Philip don't care,
I predict... ♪

1868
01:23:05,486 --> 01:23:08,053
There's Russell being
the pretty boy, matinee idol,

1869
01:23:08,097 --> 01:23:11,667
and Ron, in his own way,
is a matinee idol,

1870
01:23:11,710 --> 01:23:15,148
but he's one from
the dark side of the lens.

1871
01:23:17,021 --> 01:23:18,891
He doesn't fit in any
of the traditional roles

1872
01:23:18,935 --> 01:23:21,372
that you would have in a...
a rock and roll band.

1873
01:23:21,416 --> 01:23:22,895
That's almost

1874
01:23:22,939 --> 01:23:25,463
more powerful than a front man
in many ways.

1875
01:23:25,507 --> 01:23:26,595
Certainly very distracting.

1876
01:23:30,468 --> 01:23:32,035
Yeah, it's shtick
and it's showbiz,

1877
01:23:32,078 --> 01:23:34,559
but it's also

1878
01:23:34,603 --> 01:23:36,779
emblematic and symbolic

1879
01:23:36,822 --> 01:23:39,651
of what their true essence
of who they are is.

1880
01:23:39,695 --> 01:23:41,696
Who is the star of Sparks?

1881
01:23:41,739 --> 01:23:43,698
Sometimes it's Ron,
sometimes it's Russell.

1882
01:23:43,741 --> 01:23:45,962
Russell is, like,
a sort of traditional singer,

1883
01:23:46,005 --> 01:23:48,313
but Ron was...
yeah, really shined

1884
01:23:48,357 --> 01:23:51,098
as just this sort of strange,
odd presence.

1885
01:23:52,099 --> 01:23:54,797
Thank you. Thank you.

1886
01:23:54,840 --> 01:23:56,320
Tell us, though, about Sparks.

1887
01:23:56,364 --> 01:23:58,104
I know that you're
an underground band.

1888
01:23:58,148 --> 01:23:59,498
What-what are you saying

1889
01:23:59,542 --> 01:24:00,847
to those kids out there
or to adults?

1890
01:24:00,891 --> 01:24:02,327
What-what is Sparks saying?

1891
01:24:02,371 --> 01:24:04,850
Sparks is a rock band
with a point of view.

1892
01:24:04,894 --> 01:24:07,940
The thing that we wish
to convey is-is a sense of joy

1893
01:24:07,984 --> 01:24:10,160
about the music
that we are creating.

1894
01:24:10,203 --> 01:24:12,294
And I think most
of this sense of joy

1895
01:24:12,337 --> 01:24:16,862
is from Russell's singing
and from my lyrical approach.

1896
01:24:16,906 --> 01:24:19,125
Sometimes it's satirical

1897
01:24:19,169 --> 01:24:22,738
but never without some sort
of witty point of view.

1898
01:24:22,781 --> 01:24:25,350
Sparks.

1899
01:24:28,745 --> 01:24:30,486
"Cool Places" is a big hit.

1900
01:24:30,529 --> 01:24:31,530
I think that's the first time

1901
01:24:31,574 --> 01:24:33,053
some of my contemporaries

1902
01:24:33,097 --> 01:24:34,838
became aware of Sparks.

1903
01:24:34,881 --> 01:24:36,361
-Our time has come.
-Okay.

1904
01:24:36,405 --> 01:24:38,363
-And here we are.
-We've arrived.

1905
01:24:38,407 --> 01:24:41,105
I hope you like our new
single, "Cool Places."

1906
01:24:42,324 --> 01:24:45,631
♪ I wanna go to cool places
with you ♪

1907
01:24:45,675 --> 01:24:48,373
♪ I wanna take you
cool places tonight... ♪

1908
01:24:48,417 --> 01:24:50,810
The video for that song was

1909
01:24:50,854 --> 01:24:53,508
really played a lot on MTV
in the States,

1910
01:24:53,551 --> 01:24:56,033
and so it was really reaching

1911
01:24:56,076 --> 01:24:58,122
a new audience that perhaps
we wouldn't have had.

1912
01:24:58,165 --> 01:25:00,254
♪ A minimum of chitchat...

1913
01:25:00,298 --> 01:25:04,737
It's hard to overstate
how important MTV was

1914
01:25:04,781 --> 01:25:07,653
to the music business
at that time.

1915
01:25:07,697 --> 01:25:12,137
And the "Cool Places" video
is so wacky and so fun.

1916
01:25:12,180 --> 01:25:14,008
♪ I gotta tell you...

1917
01:25:14,052 --> 01:25:15,226
I guess
I would've been in high school

1918
01:25:15,269 --> 01:25:16,793
when "Cool Places" came out.

1919
01:25:16,836 --> 01:25:19,665
And I saw the video on MTV.

1920
01:25:19,709 --> 01:25:21,625
And I knew exactly
who Jane Wiedlin was

1921
01:25:21,668 --> 01:25:23,104
'cause I loved the Go-Go's.

1922
01:25:23,148 --> 01:25:24,671
But I thought,
"Who are these two guys

1923
01:25:24,715 --> 01:25:26,803
with my Go-Go?"

1924
01:25:26,846 --> 01:25:28,848
♪ And they could tell
we're cooler now... ♪

1925
01:25:28,892 --> 01:25:31,634
I remember
the video very, very distinctly

1926
01:25:31,677 --> 01:25:33,592
for the dancing in it,

1927
01:25:33,636 --> 01:25:35,202
which was very '80s dancing,

1928
01:25:35,246 --> 01:25:38,728
which was just basic swaying.

1929
01:25:38,771 --> 01:25:40,513
Has anybody traced back
that dance?

1930
01:25:40,557 --> 01:25:43,429
People call it
the Molly Ringwald.

1931
01:25:43,473 --> 01:25:46,563
No, no, no. I think
we thought of it, personally.

1932
01:25:46,606 --> 01:25:48,260
When we saw Molly Ringwald
doing it,

1933
01:25:48,303 --> 01:25:50,741
we were like, "Oh, my God,
she stole our dance."

1934
01:25:50,784 --> 01:25:53,961
♪ I wanna go, I wanna go...

1935
01:25:54,005 --> 01:25:56,399
How did you fall in
with this company?

1936
01:25:56,442 --> 01:25:59,271
We met on a love boat cruise.

1937
01:25:59,314 --> 01:26:01,403
No, no, seriously.
How did the...

1938
01:26:01,446 --> 01:26:03,100
Did you get a telephone call?
Did you see her?

1939
01:26:03,143 --> 01:26:04,972
What...
Who made the first call?

1940
01:26:05,016 --> 01:26:07,061
Oh, it was mutual admiration

1941
01:26:07,105 --> 01:26:10,413
for, uh, each other's
respective groups

1942
01:26:10,456 --> 01:26:13,197
and then mutual, uh, admiration

1943
01:26:13,240 --> 01:26:15,155
for each other's bodies.

1944
01:26:15,199 --> 01:26:17,157
Would you stop that?

1945
01:26:17,201 --> 01:26:19,988
I knew, if I let you go long
enough, I'd be in trouble.

1946
01:26:20,032 --> 01:26:22,426
As you can imagine, I
was madly in love with Russell

1947
01:26:22,469 --> 01:26:26,951
all through my teenage-hood,
and then I got to meet him, and

1948
01:26:26,994 --> 01:26:29,519
I basically
threw myself at him.

1949
01:26:29,562 --> 01:26:31,478
Let's just put it that way.
And, um...

1950
01:26:31,522 --> 01:26:35,961
so we had sort of this brief,
brief romance

1951
01:26:36,004 --> 01:26:39,485
that, uh, didn't ever really
get deep or anything,

1952
01:26:39,529 --> 01:26:42,445
and it was fun, and I think,
really, a lot of it for me

1953
01:26:42,488 --> 01:26:44,534
was getting to fulfill
a fantasy.

1954
01:26:44,577 --> 01:26:46,841
You know, one thing led
to the next, you know.

1955
01:26:46,885 --> 01:26:48,451
You're now getting
a little insight

1956
01:26:48,494 --> 01:26:50,148
into how things happen
in the music world.

1957
01:26:50,191 --> 01:26:51,628
You think it's all just
kind of--

1958
01:26:51,671 --> 01:26:53,107
people come out
with albums and record

1959
01:26:53,151 --> 01:26:54,413
and it's all lovey-dovey.

1960
01:26:54,457 --> 01:26:55,807
You know, this...
this is how...

1961
01:26:55,850 --> 01:26:56,938
We thought it was
limos and ludes,

1962
01:26:56,982 --> 01:26:58,505
but it's really sex, huh?

1963
01:26:58,549 --> 01:27:00,507
-This is how it happens, yes.
-It's really sex.

1964
01:27:00,551 --> 01:27:02,117
I was so in love with
Russell 'cause he was so cute,

1965
01:27:02,161 --> 01:27:04,380
so I chose beauty
over brains, but...

1966
01:27:04,424 --> 01:27:06,252
and I'm not saying
Russell's not smart

1967
01:27:06,295 --> 01:27:08,950
or Ron's not beautiful--
don't get me wrong--

1968
01:27:08,994 --> 01:27:11,909
but, like, now, like,
I think of Ron, and I'm like...

1969
01:27:11,952 --> 01:27:13,433
"Oh, Ron Mael."

1970
01:27:13,477 --> 01:27:15,130
Like, I mean, he just wrote

1971
01:27:15,174 --> 01:27:17,089
some of my favorite songs
I've ever heard.

1972
01:27:19,178 --> 01:27:21,397
There is this continual theme

1973
01:27:21,441 --> 01:27:22,834
through Ron's lyrics

1974
01:27:22,877 --> 01:27:24,356
in Sparks songs

1975
01:27:24,399 --> 01:27:26,532
of somehow
not being good enough.

1976
01:27:26,576 --> 01:27:28,187
Sparks do that thing--

1977
01:27:28,230 --> 01:27:29,667
it's like, they have
a really poignant theme,

1978
01:27:29,710 --> 01:27:33,453
and they're addressing
something quite serious,

1979
01:27:33,497 --> 01:27:35,411
but it's done in
a kind of a playful,

1980
01:27:35,455 --> 01:27:37,065
slightly throwaway way.

1981
01:27:37,109 --> 01:27:38,676
And then you kind of
think about it and you go,

1982
01:27:38,719 --> 01:27:41,506
"You know, it really
is quite sad."

1983
01:27:41,549 --> 01:27:42,942
♪ Turn out the light,
yeah, the light ♪

1984
01:27:42,985 --> 01:27:44,247
♪ And I might have a chance

1985
01:27:44,291 --> 01:27:45,901
♪ I guess I look
slightly worse ♪

1986
01:27:45,945 --> 01:27:47,380
♪ Than the Elephant Man

1987
01:27:47,423 --> 01:27:49,034
♪ Whoa-oh-oh

1988
01:27:49,077 --> 01:27:51,950
♪ I wish I looked
a little better... ♪

1989
01:27:53,517 --> 01:27:56,999
All of the songs come
from the perspective of Ron,

1990
01:27:57,043 --> 01:27:59,740
and, you know,
he's socially awkward

1991
01:27:59,784 --> 01:28:02,569
and sort of, you know, like,
runs into issues,

1992
01:28:02,613 --> 01:28:05,224
which is what makes the band
so interesting to me, too,

1993
01:28:05,267 --> 01:28:09,534
'cause the face of Sparks and
the voice of Sparks is Russell,

1994
01:28:09,577 --> 01:28:11,099
and Russell is so handsome

1995
01:28:11,143 --> 01:28:12,754
and, you know,
kind of a ladies' man,

1996
01:28:12,798 --> 01:28:15,148
but he's singing these
really fucked-up, like,

1997
01:28:15,191 --> 01:28:17,803
"can't get the girl" lyrics.

1998
01:28:17,846 --> 01:28:19,108
It didn't occur to me,

1999
01:28:19,152 --> 01:28:22,110
but being brothers,
at the time,

2000
01:28:22,154 --> 01:28:23,591
when he was the cutie-pie

2001
01:28:23,635 --> 01:28:25,550
and all the teenagers
loved him,

2002
01:28:25,593 --> 01:28:28,988
did he get jealous that he
wasn't getting any attention?

2003
01:28:29,031 --> 01:28:32,121
I mean, that would've done
me in if I was his brother.

2004
01:28:34,079 --> 01:28:35,471
He's celebrating all the things

2005
01:28:35,515 --> 01:28:37,649
that awkward kids feel.

2006
01:28:37,692 --> 01:28:38,954
Ultimately,
at the end of the day,

2007
01:28:38,998 --> 01:28:40,129
he's making you feel
less alone.

2008
01:28:40,173 --> 01:28:42,871
♪ Dress for success

2009
01:28:42,915 --> 01:28:45,612
♪ Oh, that's what they said

2010
01:28:45,656 --> 01:28:47,788
♪ Oh, give me some clothes

2011
01:28:47,832 --> 01:28:50,793
♪ To slap over my head

2012
01:28:50,837 --> 01:28:54,449
♪ I went to Balboa Island
and laid in the sand ♪

2013
01:28:54,492 --> 01:28:57,364
♪ I may be ugly as sin,
but at least now I'm tan ♪

2014
01:28:57,407 --> 01:28:59,061
♪ Whoa-oh-oh

2015
01:28:59,105 --> 01:29:01,890
♪ I wish I looked
a little better... ♪

2016
01:29:01,934 --> 01:29:03,936
We were headlining,

2017
01:29:03,980 --> 01:29:05,895
like, the Greek Theatre
by the end,

2018
01:29:05,939 --> 01:29:08,332
which is, like,
a 5,000-seat venue.

2019
01:29:08,376 --> 01:29:09,768
You know, it was big.

2020
01:29:10,638 --> 01:29:12,031
There they are, playing

2021
01:29:12,074 --> 01:29:13,598
multiple nights at the Whisky,

2022
01:29:13,641 --> 01:29:15,077
and then larger venues

2023
01:29:15,121 --> 01:29:16,775
like the Country Club
or the Palace

2024
01:29:16,818 --> 01:29:18,473
and even headlining
the Hollywood Bowl.

2025
01:29:18,516 --> 01:29:19,605
I thought they were one of

2026
01:29:19,648 --> 01:29:21,170
the biggest bands in the world,

2027
01:29:21,214 --> 01:29:23,042
because if you lived in L.A.
in the early '80s,

2028
01:29:23,085 --> 01:29:25,261
that was pretty much
the impression you got.

2029
01:29:28,135 --> 01:29:29,658
I was happy for them

2030
01:29:29,702 --> 01:29:31,138
because they deserved
the success.

2031
01:29:31,181 --> 01:29:33,444
♪ Let's go.

2032
01:29:35,185 --> 01:29:37,361
And then sadly, you know,
with Pulling Rabbits,

2033
01:29:37,405 --> 01:29:39,494
you know, everything started
going south.

2034
01:29:41,539 --> 01:29:44,193
I can't believe
what I'm seeing.

2035
01:29:44,237 --> 01:29:46,501
Me, either.

2036
01:29:47,720 --> 01:29:49,809
♪ That is what I had intended

2037
01:29:49,852 --> 01:29:51,637
♪ Pretending to be drunk...

2038
01:29:51,680 --> 01:29:55,075
Along comes Sparks
with a swing song

2039
01:29:55,118 --> 01:29:58,381
called
"Pretending to Be Drunk."

2040
01:29:58,425 --> 01:30:00,428
♪ You think I am
weak and feeble ♪

2041
01:30:00,471 --> 01:30:02,604
♪ You think I'm a bore...

2042
01:30:02,648 --> 01:30:05,085
Doesn't sound like
a Sparks song...

2043
01:30:05,128 --> 01:30:07,653
♪ Soon I'm out the door...

2044
01:30:07,696 --> 01:30:10,394
...but it doesn't sound like
any other kind of song, either.

2045
01:30:10,438 --> 01:30:14,008
It sounds like
an alpine glockenspiel song.

2046
01:30:14,051 --> 01:30:15,662
It's crazy.

2047
01:30:15,705 --> 01:30:18,229
♪ Pretending to be drunk...

2048
01:30:18,273 --> 01:30:20,230
We really do enjoy
those periods

2049
01:30:20,274 --> 01:30:22,319
when we do have
commercial success,

2050
01:30:22,363 --> 01:30:23,886
but we wanted to do something

2051
01:30:23,930 --> 01:30:26,323
that was not
as easily pigeonholed,

2052
01:30:26,367 --> 01:30:28,413
obviously not wanting to commit

2053
01:30:28,457 --> 01:30:30,677
commercial suicide
at the same time.

2054
01:30:30,720 --> 01:30:32,721
♪ Pretending
to be drunk... ♪

2055
01:30:32,765 --> 01:30:37,160
In America,
Sparks had a hard time.

2056
01:30:37,204 --> 01:30:38,727
They were a bit much
for most people.

2057
01:30:38,771 --> 01:30:40,816
What can I say?
I'm an American,

2058
01:30:40,860 --> 01:30:42,689
so I don't want
to criticize too much,

2059
01:30:42,731 --> 01:30:44,778
but, you know,
Sparks are a lot of things

2060
01:30:44,821 --> 01:30:47,998
that many Americans
don't seem to care for.

2061
01:30:48,042 --> 01:30:50,305
People were immediately,
you know, taken aback.

2062
01:30:50,348 --> 01:30:51,654
They just thought
they were weird

2063
01:30:51,698 --> 01:30:53,134
or that they were a novelty.

2064
01:30:53,177 --> 01:30:56,180
♪ That is what I had intended

2065
01:30:56,224 --> 01:30:58,879
♪ Pretending to be drunk...

2066
01:30:58,922 --> 01:31:00,532
I felt like
their career was over

2067
01:31:00,576 --> 01:31:02,143
more often than any other band.

2068
01:31:02,186 --> 01:31:04,014
You know, it felt to me like,
"I love this band.

2069
01:31:04,058 --> 01:31:05,407
"Oh, they're gone.

2070
01:31:05,450 --> 01:31:06,929
Oh, never mind.
Oh, they're back."

2071
01:31:06,973 --> 01:31:08,844
Some music from two young men

2072
01:31:08,888 --> 01:31:10,934
who had a host of hits
when I was but a...

2073
01:31:10,978 --> 01:31:12,544
but a child disc jockey.

2074
01:31:12,588 --> 01:31:14,111
I'm pleased to say
they're back to delight us

2075
01:31:14,155 --> 01:31:15,678
with a record
entitled "Change."

2076
01:31:15,722 --> 01:31:17,636
Ladies and gentlemen, Sparks.

2077
01:31:19,855 --> 01:31:21,858
They just keep doing it,

2078
01:31:21,902 --> 01:31:24,035
and they never let
anything stop them.

2079
01:31:24,079 --> 01:31:26,037
Whether they're popular
or not popular,

2080
01:31:26,081 --> 01:31:28,387
it just doesn't seem
to matter to them,

2081
01:31:28,431 --> 01:31:30,432
and I love that about them.

2082
01:31:30,475 --> 01:31:32,521
They don't want to stick
with just one thing.

2083
01:31:32,564 --> 01:31:35,089
You know, and what an audience
seems to want is:

2084
01:31:35,132 --> 01:31:36,655
"This is what this band does,

2085
01:31:36,699 --> 01:31:38,528
and this is what they'll
continue doing for me."

2086
01:31:38,571 --> 01:31:40,225
And if you change too much,
I think it upsets people,

2087
01:31:40,269 --> 01:31:41,791
but in their case,
they needed to.

2088
01:31:41,835 --> 01:31:44,533
And I kind of love them
all the more for that.

2089
01:31:44,576 --> 01:31:47,449
♪ The rain is falling down...

2090
01:31:47,492 --> 01:31:49,277
People, a lot of the time,

2091
01:31:49,320 --> 01:31:52,237
they think of our image
as being maybe a bit eccentric

2092
01:31:52,281 --> 01:31:54,108
and they don't think
that it's dealing

2093
01:31:54,151 --> 01:31:55,805
with-with sort of real things,

2094
01:31:55,849 --> 01:31:57,502
and we really think
that by and large--

2095
01:31:57,546 --> 01:31:59,244
and I emphasize
"by and large"--

2096
01:31:59,288 --> 01:32:00,202
we're dealing

2097
01:32:00,245 --> 01:32:01,638
with real situations.

2098
01:32:01,681 --> 01:32:03,553
♪ But wait,
there's a rainbow... ♪

2099
01:32:03,596 --> 01:32:06,512
"Change" was this, um,

2100
01:32:06,556 --> 01:32:07,818
radical departure for them.

2101
01:32:07,862 --> 01:32:09,994
It was kind of more muted,

2102
01:32:10,038 --> 01:32:11,735
and it was sort of darker.

2103
01:32:11,779 --> 01:32:14,172
You couldn't make
a less commercial record

2104
01:32:14,216 --> 01:32:16,044
or release it as a single.

2105
01:32:16,087 --> 01:32:19,569
And I remember how much
I loved it at the time

2106
01:32:19,612 --> 01:32:20,962
because of those qualities.

2107
01:32:21,005 --> 01:32:22,659
♪ Change

2108
01:32:22,702 --> 01:32:27,490
♪ Every dog is gonna
have his day ♪

2109
01:32:27,533 --> 01:32:29,360
♪ Change

2110
01:32:29,404 --> 01:32:33,975
♪ Every loser's gonna
have his way ♪

2111
01:32:34,018 --> 01:32:35,803
♪ Change

2112
01:32:35,846 --> 01:32:39,242
♪ I don't care
what other people say... ♪

2113
01:32:39,285 --> 01:32:41,286
There's this ability--

2114
01:32:41,330 --> 01:32:43,158
so few people have it--
it's like...

2115
01:32:43,201 --> 01:32:46,292
you say very little,
you're funny as could be,

2116
01:32:46,336 --> 01:32:48,947
and all of a sudden,
it-it's devastating.

2117
01:32:48,991 --> 01:32:51,775
♪ It's a complete
waste of time... ♪

2118
01:32:51,819 --> 01:32:54,212
When I was touring
with them, they would do that.

2119
01:32:54,256 --> 01:32:55,823
And I always thought, "Wow,

2120
01:32:55,866 --> 01:32:57,781
that's a super poignant song,"

2121
01:32:57,825 --> 01:32:59,609
considering their ups and downs

2122
01:32:59,652 --> 01:33:02,004
in the recording industry.

2123
01:33:02,047 --> 01:33:03,048
We were given

2124
01:33:03,092 --> 01:33:04,875
the unenviable task

2125
01:33:04,919 --> 01:33:07,965
of being on a show
on British TV

2126
01:33:08,009 --> 01:33:12,013
and our record label didn't
want to finance a video.

2127
01:33:12,056 --> 01:33:15,191
If there's any other
local bands out there

2128
01:33:15,234 --> 01:33:19,586
that would like this same
sort of video, uh, treatment,

2129
01:33:19,630 --> 01:33:22,807
they can contact me
through London Records.

2130
01:33:22,851 --> 01:33:24,983
♪ Change, change, change

2131
01:33:25,027 --> 01:33:29,161
♪ I don't care what
other people say... ♪

2132
01:33:29,205 --> 01:33:31,033
We hoped it would embarrass

2133
01:33:31,076 --> 01:33:33,122
our record label enough to,

2134
01:33:33,165 --> 01:33:36,995
the next time around, maybe,
uh, fling to do a video for us.

2135
01:33:37,039 --> 01:33:39,562
♪ I got places
that I've gotta be... ♪

2136
01:33:39,605 --> 01:33:41,346
We billed the record company

2137
01:33:41,390 --> 01:33:43,393
for the two pounds
to buy the, uh, board

2138
01:33:43,436 --> 01:33:45,699
that we made
the TV out of, too.

2139
01:33:45,743 --> 01:33:47,484
Still are waiting
to get paid back for that.

2140
01:33:47,527 --> 01:33:48,528
Ladies and gentlemen,

2141
01:33:48,572 --> 01:33:51,922
please welcome Sparks.

2142
01:33:54,534 --> 01:33:56,494
We really liked that song,

2143
01:33:56,537 --> 01:33:59,932
but unfortunately, it didn't
have the commercial success

2144
01:33:59,976 --> 01:34:02,542
that they had hoped for,
so there was one time

2145
01:34:02,586 --> 01:34:04,980
where the head of that label,
he just said, you know,

2146
01:34:05,023 --> 01:34:06,807
"You guys really should write

2147
01:34:06,851 --> 01:34:09,071
some music that
you can dance to."

2148
01:34:09,114 --> 01:34:11,378
♪ Music that you can dance to

2149
01:34:11,422 --> 01:34:12,902
♪ That and that alone

2150
01:34:12,945 --> 01:34:15,642
♪ Is enough for me

2151
01:34:16,817 --> 01:34:19,298
♪ Stark naked modern music

2152
01:34:19,342 --> 01:34:21,866
♪ Hotter than your mama
will ever be... ♪

2153
01:34:21,910 --> 01:34:24,087
"Hotter than
your mama will ever be."

2154
01:34:24,130 --> 01:34:26,479
I mean, every song I write,
I try to make it hotter

2155
01:34:26,523 --> 01:34:28,177
than your mama will ever be.

2156
01:34:28,220 --> 01:34:30,222
♪ Music that
you can dance to ♪

2157
01:34:30,266 --> 01:34:32,008
♪ Cracks you
like a whip ♪

2158
01:34:32,051 --> 01:34:34,662
♪ But it feels so right...

2159
01:34:34,706 --> 01:34:38,362
The lyrics sound like
it's trying to be kind of

2160
01:34:38,405 --> 01:34:41,147
nasty and oversimplistic,
but I swear to God,

2161
01:34:41,191 --> 01:34:43,236
they were... they were done
with total sincerity.

2162
01:34:43,280 --> 01:34:44,846
♪ So what's it gonna be?

2163
01:34:44,890 --> 01:34:46,761
♪ Gonna be, gonna be

2164
01:34:46,805 --> 01:34:49,459
-♪ A symphony tonight
-♪ Symphony tonight...

2165
01:34:49,502 --> 01:34:52,071
It's a perfectly
crafted sellout song,

2166
01:34:52,115 --> 01:34:56,249
except it's not and it's
mocking that idea, and...

2167
01:34:56,293 --> 01:34:58,425
"Here's your fucking
dance pop record."

2168
01:34:58,469 --> 01:35:00,992
♪ Music that you can dance to

2169
01:35:01,036 --> 01:35:05,911
♪ Every single beat
where it ought to be... ♪

2170
01:35:05,955 --> 01:35:07,782
The record executive
at that company

2171
01:35:07,826 --> 01:35:10,308
took it the wrong way,
and he wasn't

2172
01:35:10,351 --> 01:35:13,571
so happy, so we, uh,
severed our relationship

2173
01:35:13,614 --> 01:35:14,528
with that label.

2174
01:35:17,575 --> 01:35:19,970
Fuck the guy
from London Records, right?

2175
01:35:21,319 --> 01:35:23,625
♪ Music that
you can dance to... ♪

2176
01:35:23,669 --> 01:35:26,366
I told Ron and
Russell that I loved that song,

2177
01:35:26,410 --> 01:35:28,020
and they said something
in the email like,

2178
01:35:28,064 --> 01:35:30,501
"Yes, you're in
the age bracket for that song.

2179
01:35:30,544 --> 01:35:33,505
"That was in a really cheesy
'80s BMX movie

2180
01:35:33,548 --> 01:35:35,637
calledRad,
if you've ever seen it."

2181
01:35:35,681 --> 01:35:37,551
And I wrote back,
"Yes, I've seen it.

2182
01:35:37,595 --> 01:35:39,597
My mom was in it."

2183
01:35:44,906 --> 01:35:46,561
Their base of music, KROQ,

2184
01:35:46,605 --> 01:35:48,476
which was such a great
support to them

2185
01:35:48,520 --> 01:35:50,217
in the early '80s,
was moving on.

2186
01:35:50,261 --> 01:35:52,045
They wanted bands
like Red Hot Chili Peppers

2187
01:35:52,089 --> 01:35:54,787
and more of a angry,
edgier sound.

2188
01:35:54,830 --> 01:35:57,355
It seemed like the Top 40 era,

2189
01:35:57,398 --> 01:35:59,747
that, uh, wasn't happening
at that point.

2190
01:35:59,791 --> 01:36:03,143
I bought
intoInterior Design

2191
01:36:03,187 --> 01:36:05,972
and would've put out any
Sparks record for any reason.

2192
01:36:06,016 --> 01:36:07,843
Unfortunately, at that time,

2193
01:36:07,887 --> 01:36:10,542
they had less relevance

2194
01:36:10,585 --> 01:36:12,412
than they ever had

2195
01:36:12,456 --> 01:36:14,197
to what was going on
in the market.

2196
01:36:14,240 --> 01:36:15,851
So we got to put
the record out,

2197
01:36:15,895 --> 01:36:17,853
but we weren't able
to do much for it.

2198
01:36:17,897 --> 01:36:21,596
You know, they weren't,
like, 20-somethings anymore.

2199
01:36:21,640 --> 01:36:24,686
It was a very, very hard time
commercially for them,

2200
01:36:24,730 --> 01:36:26,601
but creatively,
they never stopped.

2201
01:36:26,645 --> 01:36:28,168
They were always working
on something.

2202
01:36:28,212 --> 01:36:31,520
Is there anybody out there
at all right now?

2203
01:36:33,653 --> 01:36:35,871
Let's take a look and see

2204
01:36:35,915 --> 01:36:38,048
what's going on out there
in California.

2205
01:36:38,091 --> 01:36:39,788
They're bringing it in
in style.

2206
01:36:41,703 --> 01:36:44,185
They recorded every day,

2207
01:36:44,229 --> 01:36:45,491
sometimes seven days a week.

2208
01:36:45,534 --> 01:36:47,448
They were in their home studio

2209
01:36:47,492 --> 01:36:49,972
just coming up
with brilliant material

2210
01:36:50,016 --> 01:36:52,714
that wasn't being signed,
and it wasn't necessarily

2211
01:36:52,758 --> 01:36:55,195
going to culminate
into an album.

2212
01:36:55,239 --> 01:36:59,286
1990. Happy New Year!

2213
01:36:59,330 --> 01:37:02,290
Because of
the lack of a record deal

2214
01:37:02,334 --> 01:37:06,686
and any kind of record company
financial support, you know,

2215
01:37:06,729 --> 01:37:09,731
there comes a point where
the well is getting a bit dry.

2216
01:37:09,775 --> 01:37:11,952
It seemed, like,
really imperative

2217
01:37:11,995 --> 01:37:15,695
that Russell learn how
to be the engineer.

2218
01:37:18,001 --> 01:37:21,613
It's 1991
onNew Year's Rockin' Eve.

2219
01:37:23,310 --> 01:37:25,357
Had they have been two guys

2220
01:37:25,400 --> 01:37:26,749
that did drugs and all of that

2221
01:37:26,793 --> 01:37:28,882
and blew their money
in the past,

2222
01:37:28,925 --> 01:37:30,405
they wouldn't have been able

2223
01:37:30,449 --> 01:37:32,146
to pay their bills
during that time.

2224
01:37:32,190 --> 01:37:35,496
It's a testament to them
in every aspect, you know,

2225
01:37:35,540 --> 01:37:37,455
to how they had... had,

2226
01:37:37,498 --> 01:37:40,155
um, you know,
saved for that rainy day.

2227
01:37:40,199 --> 01:37:41,896
So they were able to have,
you know,

2228
01:37:41,939 --> 01:37:44,290
almost six years of rainy days.

2229
01:37:44,333 --> 01:37:47,509
Now, 1992. Happy New Year.

2230
01:37:49,468 --> 01:37:51,078
Like, I get emotional

2231
01:37:51,122 --> 01:37:52,994
when I think about that time.

2232
01:37:58,041 --> 01:38:01,958
Every day-- like I said,
sometimes seven days a week...

2233
01:38:05,963 --> 01:38:09,836
...from morning till night,
they were working so hard.

2234
01:38:11,664 --> 01:38:15,189
And they never...
they never tried to,

2235
01:38:15,233 --> 01:38:17,365
you know, do their version
of being commercial.

2236
01:38:17,409 --> 01:38:21,979
They never tried to...
to dumb it down, water it down.

2237
01:38:22,023 --> 01:38:26,375
They stayed so true
to exactly...

2238
01:38:26,419 --> 01:38:28,682
what they've always been.

2239
01:38:28,725 --> 01:38:31,250
Five seconds to 1993.

2240
01:38:31,293 --> 01:38:34,818
Happy New Year's
Rockin' Eve '93.

2241
01:38:34,862 --> 01:38:38,170
The one thing that
I'm proudest of with Sparks

2242
01:38:38,213 --> 01:38:41,216
is just our determination
and resilience.

2243
01:38:41,260 --> 01:38:44,087
For instance, we devoted
six years of our lives

2244
01:38:44,131 --> 01:38:45,872
to work on
a movie musical project

2245
01:38:45,915 --> 01:38:48,310
that was called
Mai, the Psychic Girl.

2246
01:38:48,354 --> 01:38:51,052
It was based on
a Japanese manga.

2247
01:38:51,095 --> 01:38:52,967
We were really up
for the challenge of that

2248
01:38:53,010 --> 01:38:54,229
because we-we thought

2249
01:38:54,273 --> 01:38:56,579
that this could be a way also

2250
01:38:56,623 --> 01:38:59,669
for Sparks to channel
what we were doing

2251
01:38:59,713 --> 01:39:02,412
but in another form yet again.

2252
01:39:02,456 --> 01:39:05,894
And Tim Burton was signed on
early on to direct it.

2253
01:39:07,938 --> 01:39:10,593
We did miss performing live
during that period,

2254
01:39:10,637 --> 01:39:12,552
but I think,
in the back of our heads,

2255
01:39:12,595 --> 01:39:14,597
we were also thinking
a lot of people

2256
01:39:14,641 --> 01:39:16,557
are gonna see
this Tim Burton movie

2257
01:39:16,600 --> 01:39:22,039
and it will obviously help
the cause for Sparks.

2258
01:39:22,083 --> 01:39:25,869
When we got word that Tim was

2259
01:39:25,913 --> 01:39:28,045
bowing out of
Mai, the Psychic Girl,

2260
01:39:28,089 --> 01:39:29,133
there were tears,

2261
01:39:29,177 --> 01:39:31,266
and...

2262
01:39:31,310 --> 01:39:35,184
And I-I-I cry easily,
but Ron and Russell don't,

2263
01:39:35,228 --> 01:39:37,230
and there were tears.

2264
01:39:38,883 --> 01:39:41,582
We kind of had put all
of our chips on that one thing,

2265
01:39:41,625 --> 01:39:44,976
and-and maybe that was
the wrong thing to do.

2266
01:39:46,543 --> 01:39:49,938
Somehow, you know,
you muster up the enthusiasm

2267
01:39:49,981 --> 01:39:51,722
to-to continue on.

2268
01:39:51,766 --> 01:39:54,115
I think sometimes
it's the setbacks

2269
01:39:54,158 --> 01:39:57,598
that-that actually
make you stronger.

2270
01:39:57,641 --> 01:39:59,904
And sometimes,
as a result of those things,

2271
01:39:59,948 --> 01:40:04,387
you end up doing something
even better.

2272
01:40:04,431 --> 01:40:08,347
Happy 1994.

2273
01:40:08,390 --> 01:40:09,826
I remember going to Fopp

2274
01:40:09,870 --> 01:40:11,394
on Byres Road in Glasgow

2275
01:40:11,438 --> 01:40:14,311
and, um, this new
Sparks album was out.

2276
01:40:14,355 --> 01:40:16,139
Gratuitous Sax
and Senseless Violins.

2277
01:40:16,182 --> 01:40:18,053
I was thinking,
like, "Oh, wow.

2278
01:40:18,096 --> 01:40:19,707
So this band still exists?"

2279
01:40:19,750 --> 01:40:23,319
♪ No, no use
in lecturing them ♪

2280
01:40:23,363 --> 01:40:25,279
♪ Or in threatening them

2281
01:40:25,322 --> 01:40:27,716
♪ They will just say,
"Who are you?" ♪

2282
01:40:27,759 --> 01:40:30,065
That unusual duo from the '70s

2283
01:40:30,108 --> 01:40:31,806
are back and still brilliant.

2284
01:40:31,849 --> 01:40:33,938
Bloody hell, they look amazing.

2285
01:40:33,982 --> 01:40:35,244
Have they not aged?

2286
01:40:35,288 --> 01:40:36,593
It's like a time warp.

2287
01:40:36,637 --> 01:40:37,768
The pair of you look
exactly the same.

2288
01:40:37,812 --> 01:40:40,032
Well, thank you.
What can I say?

2289
01:40:40,076 --> 01:40:41,468
So, after a six-year gap,

2290
01:40:41,511 --> 01:40:43,339
they came back
with a vengeance.

2291
01:40:43,383 --> 01:40:46,647
♪ No, no use
in taking their time ♪

2292
01:40:46,690 --> 01:40:48,649
♪ Or in wasting two dimes

2293
01:40:48,692 --> 01:40:52,001
♪ On a call to God knows who

2294
01:40:52,044 --> 01:40:54,395
♪ When all you feel
is the rain ♪

2295
01:40:54,438 --> 01:40:56,440
♪ And it's hard to be vain

2296
01:40:56,484 --> 01:40:59,835
♪ When no person looks at you

2297
01:40:59,878 --> 01:41:04,708
♪ So just be gracious
and wait in the queue ♪

2298
01:41:06,755 --> 01:41:10,672
♪ So when do I get
to sing "My Way"? ♪

2299
01:41:10,715 --> 01:41:13,501
♪ When do I get to feel
like Sinatra... ♪

2300
01:41:13,544 --> 01:41:15,764
Oh, my God, "When Do I Get
to Sing 'My Way.'"

2301
01:41:15,807 --> 01:41:17,678
Oh, I love it.

2302
01:41:17,721 --> 01:41:19,593
It absolutely was
the perfect song

2303
01:41:19,636 --> 01:41:22,379
for this big comeback.

2304
01:41:22,423 --> 01:41:25,121
Our German manager
at the time said,

2305
01:41:25,164 --> 01:41:27,950
"Ja, ja,this is ein Hit."

2306
01:41:27,993 --> 01:41:30,822
So he approached BMG Records
in Germany,

2307
01:41:30,866 --> 01:41:32,868
and they said,
"Ja, you are right.

2308
01:41:32,911 --> 01:41:34,697
Das ist ein Hit."

2309
01:41:34,740 --> 01:41:38,396
♪ Don't see,
is my smiley face still on? ♪

2310
01:41:38,440 --> 01:41:40,266
The video did showcase them

2311
01:41:40,310 --> 01:41:42,399
as these glamorous guys

2312
01:41:42,443 --> 01:41:45,184
who at least one of them
has it all,

2313
01:41:45,228 --> 01:41:46,795
but it's coming
out of a time when

2314
01:41:46,838 --> 01:41:48,972
they didn't have it all.

2315
01:41:49,015 --> 01:41:50,713
I feel wonderful.

2316
01:41:50,756 --> 01:41:52,757
♪ When do I get to feel
like Sinatra felt? ♪

2317
01:41:52,801 --> 01:41:55,717
Sparks singing "When
Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'"

2318
01:41:55,760 --> 01:41:57,675
is, like,
the ultimate statement.

2319
01:41:57,719 --> 01:41:59,155
It's like, "Yeah, okay,
you liked it

2320
01:41:59,198 --> 01:42:00,896
"when Frank Sinatra did it.

2321
01:42:00,939 --> 01:42:02,768
"You liked it when Sid Vicious
did it, you know?

2322
01:42:02,812 --> 01:42:04,943
Why can't we do it?"

2323
01:42:04,987 --> 01:42:08,470
♪ When do I get to feel
like Sid Vicious felt? ♪

2324
01:42:08,513 --> 01:42:10,646
The irony is I don't
think Ron or Russell want

2325
01:42:10,689 --> 01:42:12,691
to be either Sinatra

2326
01:42:12,735 --> 01:42:14,345
or Sid Vicious.

2327
01:42:14,389 --> 01:42:18,044
They just want to feel
as famous.

2328
01:42:18,088 --> 01:42:20,612
♪ They'll introduce me

2329
01:42:20,656 --> 01:42:23,093
♪ Hello, hello

2330
01:42:23,136 --> 01:42:24,399
We were being perceived

2331
01:42:24,442 --> 01:42:25,835
as a brand-new band now.

2332
01:42:25,878 --> 01:42:27,705
♪ Women seduce me...

2333
01:42:27,749 --> 01:42:29,577
Some of the radio stations

2334
01:42:29,620 --> 01:42:33,190
kind of accused us
of ripping off bands that,

2335
01:42:33,233 --> 01:42:37,237
in all modesty, were influenced
by what we had done,

2336
01:42:37,281 --> 01:42:40,065
and it was kind of humiliating.

2337
01:42:40,109 --> 01:42:42,416
Backstage at
a Pet Shop Boys concert,

2338
01:42:42,459 --> 01:42:43,984
while I was promoting
their records,

2339
01:42:44,028 --> 01:42:46,117
I approached Neil Tennant,
and I said,

2340
01:42:46,160 --> 01:42:48,641
"Why don't you guys ever
acknowledge Sparks?"

2341
01:42:48,685 --> 01:42:51,251
And he just gave me a, you
know, sort of a scornful look

2342
01:42:51,295 --> 01:42:54,733
and said, "You're very
naughty," and walked away.

2343
01:42:54,777 --> 01:42:56,126
It was weird coming back...

2344
01:42:56,169 --> 01:42:57,475
Yeah.

2345
01:42:57,519 --> 01:42:59,913
...to find something
you invented.

2346
01:42:59,957 --> 01:43:02,524
Yeah.
And you've left behind.

2347
01:43:02,567 --> 01:43:04,308
We had a top ten with

2348
01:43:04,351 --> 01:43:05,701
"When Do I Get
to Sing 'My Way'"

2349
01:43:05,744 --> 01:43:07,659
and another couple
charting singles

2350
01:43:07,703 --> 01:43:09,487
off of that album as well.

2351
01:43:09,531 --> 01:43:11,969
So Sparks really sort of made
a name for themselves

2352
01:43:12,012 --> 01:43:13,796
in the clubs,
which was really cool.

2353
01:43:13,839 --> 01:43:17,190
It became the number one
airplay song in Germany.

2354
01:43:17,234 --> 01:43:20,193
Thank you, uh, especially to...

2355
01:43:20,237 --> 01:43:23,371
everyone in Germany
for making this past year

2356
01:43:23,415 --> 01:43:25,198
so super special for Sparks.

2357
01:43:25,242 --> 01:43:27,506
So thank you very much.

2358
01:43:39,910 --> 01:43:41,868
If we had
stayed strong,

2359
01:43:41,912 --> 01:43:43,435
we probably
wouldn't have done

2360
01:43:43,479 --> 01:43:46,133
thePlagiarism album.

2361
01:43:46,177 --> 01:43:48,309
Plagiarism was
something that was

2362
01:43:48,353 --> 01:43:50,920
recommended from
outside forces.

2363
01:43:52,574 --> 01:43:54,054
It's a retrospective
of their own career,

2364
01:43:54,098 --> 01:43:55,752
but they've done it

2365
01:43:55,795 --> 01:44:00,147
as grandiose, orchestral,
bombastic versions.

2366
01:44:00,191 --> 01:44:02,541
It was felt that since we had

2367
01:44:02,585 --> 01:44:05,022
reached a whole new audience,

2368
01:44:05,065 --> 01:44:07,504
maybe there's a group
of young people

2369
01:44:07,547 --> 01:44:09,854
that haven't heard
earlier stuff,

2370
01:44:09,897 --> 01:44:13,073
and we reluctantly
went along with that.

2371
01:44:13,117 --> 01:44:15,423
They're not interested
in looking backwards.

2372
01:44:15,467 --> 01:44:17,687
They're always on a quest.
They're always on a mission

2373
01:44:17,730 --> 01:44:21,822
to further their
musical perversions.

2374
01:44:21,866 --> 01:44:23,389
One of the reasons why

2375
01:44:23,432 --> 01:44:25,259
we've been able to go on
for so long

2376
01:44:25,303 --> 01:44:27,566
is because we're always kind of
looking to the next album

2377
01:44:27,610 --> 01:44:30,090
and not even bothering
with the past.

2378
01:44:30,134 --> 01:44:32,310
And so when we get back
to Los Angeles,

2379
01:44:32,353 --> 01:44:34,704
that's the first thing
we're gonna be working on

2380
01:44:34,747 --> 01:44:37,185
is an album of new material.

2381
01:44:41,363 --> 01:44:45,324
Sparks is
the quintessence of a band

2382
01:44:45,367 --> 01:44:48,980
that starts and starts again
and starts again.

2383
01:44:49,023 --> 01:44:52,723
No success is
big enough for them.

2384
01:44:52,766 --> 01:44:55,682
No failure is
small enough for them.

2385
01:44:55,726 --> 01:44:58,337
They can always move on.

2386
01:45:01,078 --> 01:45:02,688
Every single album,

2387
01:45:02,732 --> 01:45:06,388
we think, is going to be
the breakthrough album

2388
01:45:06,432 --> 01:45:09,130
where, you know, the world
finally gets wise.

2389
01:45:09,174 --> 01:45:10,653
♪ To succeed are balls

2390
01:45:10,696 --> 01:45:13,525
♪ All you need are balls...

2391
01:45:13,569 --> 01:45:15,093
Maybe there's something

2392
01:45:15,136 --> 01:45:17,487
to that lyric that resonates

2393
01:45:17,531 --> 01:45:19,533
with-with Sparks.

2394
01:45:24,276 --> 01:45:26,191
And I turn it over to Ron,

2395
01:45:26,234 --> 01:45:28,149
-who would like to...
-Such a... I'm just moved.

2396
01:45:28,193 --> 01:45:30,892
♪ Balls, all you need
are balls ♪

2397
01:45:30,936 --> 01:45:33,068
♪ To succeed are balls

2398
01:45:33,112 --> 01:45:35,243
♪ All you need are...

2399
01:45:35,287 --> 01:45:38,638
Balls didn't break through.

2400
01:45:38,682 --> 01:45:42,337
But every time that happens,
Ron reinvents everything.

2401
01:45:42,381 --> 01:45:44,426
It's just in Sparks's DNA

2402
01:45:44,471 --> 01:45:47,647
to rip up the rule book
and start over.

2403
01:45:47,691 --> 01:45:49,780
They've reinvented
themselves several times,

2404
01:45:49,823 --> 01:45:51,477
but Lil' Beethovenwas,
I think,

2405
01:45:51,520 --> 01:45:53,959
phase three
in the Sparks genre.

2406
01:45:54,002 --> 01:45:56,004
It's almost
as if they erased

2407
01:45:56,048 --> 01:45:59,181
the chalkboard, you know,
and started over again.

2408
01:45:59,225 --> 01:46:02,968
♪ I am the rhythm thief

2409
01:46:03,011 --> 01:46:05,971
♪ Say goodbye to the beat

2410
01:46:06,014 --> 01:46:09,408
♪ I am the rhythm thief

2411
01:46:09,451 --> 01:46:12,412
♪ Auf Wiedersehen to the beat

2412
01:46:12,455 --> 01:46:14,022
♪ Oh, no...

2413
01:46:14,066 --> 01:46:15,633
It was
a really interesting variation

2414
01:46:15,676 --> 01:46:17,373
on everything
they had done before.

2415
01:46:17,417 --> 01:46:19,941
It was almost like a--
you're combining

2416
01:46:19,985 --> 01:46:22,595
Steve Reich and his repetition

2417
01:46:22,639 --> 01:46:25,380
with Sparks and their comedy.

2418
01:46:25,424 --> 01:46:28,776
♪ You'll never get it back,
you'll never get it back ♪

2419
01:46:28,820 --> 01:46:32,041
♪ The rhythm thief has got it
and you'll never get it back ♪

2420
01:46:32,085 --> 01:46:35,261
♪ You'll never get it back,
you'll never get it back ♪

2421
01:46:35,304 --> 01:46:36,871
♪ The rhythm thief has got it

2422
01:46:36,915 --> 01:46:38,830
♪ Lights out, Ibiza...

2423
01:46:38,873 --> 01:46:40,397
There's all these
group vocals and chants

2424
01:46:40,441 --> 01:46:41,964
that are almost like raps,

2425
01:46:42,008 --> 01:46:45,140
kind of neoclassical feel
to the music.

2426
01:46:45,184 --> 01:46:48,274
-♪ I am the rhythm thief
-♪ Rhythm, rhythm thief♪

2427
01:46:48,317 --> 01:46:51,625
♪ Auf Wiedersehen
to the beat. ♪

2428
01:46:52,844 --> 01:46:55,238
What they remind me of
with that album

2429
01:46:55,282 --> 01:46:56,238
is how important it is

2430
01:46:56,282 --> 01:46:58,153
to stay on your toes

2431
01:46:58,197 --> 01:47:00,547
and be alert
and be challenged as a listener

2432
01:47:00,590 --> 01:47:03,681
and to move away from
nostalgia and comfort food.

2433
01:47:03,724 --> 01:47:06,945
♪ I married myself

2434
01:47:06,988 --> 01:47:09,165
♪ I'm very happy together

2435
01:47:09,209 --> 01:47:12,125
♪ Long, long walks
on the beach ♪

2436
01:47:12,168 --> 01:47:15,606
♪ Lovely times

2437
01:47:15,650 --> 01:47:19,045
♪ I married myself

2438
01:47:19,088 --> 01:47:22,048
♪ I'm very happy together

2439
01:47:22,091 --> 01:47:24,267
♪ Candlelight dinners home

2440
01:47:24,311 --> 01:47:26,574
♪ Lovely times...

2441
01:47:26,617 --> 01:47:28,141
They weren't trying to be

2442
01:47:28,184 --> 01:47:29,533
something to please
a record company.

2443
01:47:29,577 --> 01:47:30,534
They were just taking

2444
01:47:30,578 --> 01:47:32,405
all their creative juices

2445
01:47:32,448 --> 01:47:34,276
and putting it into
something that they loved.

2446
01:47:34,320 --> 01:47:36,323
It's that ability and desire

2447
01:47:36,366 --> 01:47:38,064
to take risks

2448
01:47:38,107 --> 01:47:40,849
and to mess things up
that makes them Sparks.

2449
01:47:41,981 --> 01:47:44,286
I think we spent over a year

2450
01:47:44,330 --> 01:47:47,595
recordingLil' Beethoven,
not even knowing for sure

2451
01:47:47,638 --> 01:47:49,990
what the end product
was going to be.

2452
01:47:50,033 --> 01:47:51,556
And I think, when you kind of

2453
01:47:51,600 --> 01:47:53,689
approach an album
in that sort of way,

2454
01:47:53,733 --> 01:47:55,777
we tend to spend
a lot of time on it.

2455
01:48:00,782 --> 01:48:03,219
It's you.

2456
01:48:05,092 --> 01:48:07,006
The albumLil' Beethoven,

2457
01:48:07,049 --> 01:48:10,749
in particular, was one where
the studio was essential.

2458
01:48:12,011 --> 01:48:15,710
Just creatively, you know,
we feel so energized

2459
01:48:15,754 --> 01:48:17,800
by working in this kind of way

2460
01:48:17,844 --> 01:48:19,714
where we don't
have to feel foolish

2461
01:48:19,758 --> 01:48:21,237
if we do something foolish.

2462
01:48:21,281 --> 01:48:24,502
And we do quite a bit
of foolish things,

2463
01:48:24,546 --> 01:48:26,940
but you'll never
hear about 'em.

2464
01:48:29,420 --> 01:48:31,248
Not being dependent

2465
01:48:31,292 --> 01:48:34,251
on massive budgets
and record companies

2466
01:48:34,295 --> 01:48:36,166
became a really
liberating thing

2467
01:48:36,210 --> 01:48:37,733
that now we could record

2468
01:48:37,777 --> 01:48:40,997
on our own,
and then we just hand that off

2469
01:48:41,041 --> 01:48:42,432
to a... to a label,

2470
01:48:42,476 --> 01:48:44,652
and then, uh,
take it or leave it.

2471
01:48:50,398 --> 01:48:53,574
♪ Home, my baby's
taking me home ♪

2472
01:48:53,617 --> 01:48:55,576
♪ My baby's taking me home

2473
01:48:55,619 --> 01:48:58,753
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2474
01:48:59,711 --> 01:49:01,365
♪ Home...

2475
01:49:01,409 --> 01:49:02,933
"My Baby's Taking Me Home" is

2476
01:49:02,977 --> 01:49:05,108
one of my favorites
off of that album.

2477
01:49:05,152 --> 01:49:06,806
It's an emotional song

2478
01:49:06,849 --> 01:49:08,590
that has
lots of bumps and curves

2479
01:49:08,633 --> 01:49:10,940
and poetic images would have,

2480
01:49:10,984 --> 01:49:12,550
but it's only
pretty much saying,

2481
01:49:12,594 --> 01:49:14,292
"Home, my baby's
taking me home."

2482
01:49:14,336 --> 01:49:16,120
♪ My baby's taking me home

2483
01:49:16,164 --> 01:49:18,600
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2484
01:49:18,643 --> 01:49:21,298
♪ My baby's taking me home

2485
01:49:21,342 --> 01:49:23,692
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2486
01:49:23,735 --> 01:49:26,173
♪ My baby's taking me home

2487
01:49:26,216 --> 01:49:28,653
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2488
01:49:28,697 --> 01:49:31,047
♪ My baby's taking me home...

2489
01:49:31,091 --> 01:49:34,007
It was amazing to me
that you could repeat a lyric

2490
01:49:34,050 --> 01:49:36,879
and have it mean
something different

2491
01:49:36,923 --> 01:49:38,402
as the narrator

2492
01:49:38,446 --> 01:49:42,233
starts saying it
over and over and over again.

2493
01:49:42,277 --> 01:49:44,540
It was almost like
an acting technique.

2494
01:49:44,583 --> 01:49:46,281
♪ My baby's taking me home

2495
01:49:46,324 --> 01:49:48,674
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2496
01:49:48,718 --> 01:49:51,155
♪ My baby's taking me home

2497
01:49:51,199 --> 01:49:53,722
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2498
01:49:53,765 --> 01:49:56,117
♪ My baby's taking me home

2499
01:49:56,160 --> 01:49:58,641
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2500
01:49:58,684 --> 01:50:00,469
Sing it!

2501
01:50:00,512 --> 01:50:03,993
♪ Home, my baby's
taking me home ♪

2502
01:50:04,037 --> 01:50:05,865
♪ My baby's taking me home

2503
01:50:05,908 --> 01:50:08,651
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2504
01:50:08,694 --> 01:50:11,132
♪ My baby's taking me home...

2505
01:50:11,175 --> 01:50:12,481
I can remember playing

2506
01:50:12,524 --> 01:50:13,917
"My Baby's Taking Me Home"

2507
01:50:13,961 --> 01:50:15,092
for a friend of mine,

2508
01:50:15,136 --> 01:50:17,224
and as the song keeps going,

2509
01:50:17,267 --> 01:50:19,314
her eyes just got
wider and wider.

2510
01:50:19,357 --> 01:50:21,142
♪ My baby's taking me home...

2511
01:50:21,185 --> 01:50:22,927
Hearing it live, oh, man,

2512
01:50:22,971 --> 01:50:25,277
that is a hypnotic,
great, great song.

2513
01:50:25,321 --> 01:50:28,845
♪ Home, my baby's
taking me home ♪

2514
01:50:28,889 --> 01:50:31,021
♪ My baby's taking me home

2515
01:50:31,065 --> 01:50:33,850
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2516
01:50:33,894 --> 01:50:36,680
♪ My baby's taking me home

2517
01:50:36,723 --> 01:50:38,725
♪ My baby's
taking me home ♪

2518
01:50:38,769 --> 01:50:41,684
♪ My baby's taking me home

2519
01:50:41,727 --> 01:50:43,686
♪ My baby's
taking me home... ♪

2520
01:50:43,729 --> 01:50:45,514
There were a lot
of critics out there

2521
01:50:45,557 --> 01:50:48,734
that wanted to be able to like
Sparks and wanted to be able

2522
01:50:48,778 --> 01:50:50,562
to rave about them
and, you know,

2523
01:50:50,606 --> 01:50:52,651
run around shouting about them,

2524
01:50:52,695 --> 01:50:54,131
and Lil' Beethoven

2525
01:50:54,175 --> 01:50:55,829
enabled them to do that.

2526
01:50:58,136 --> 01:51:01,183
With the Lil' Beethoven
album, the last album,

2527
01:51:01,226 --> 01:51:04,577
we-we were able to do something

2528
01:51:04,621 --> 01:51:06,797
that woke up people
in a certain way,

2529
01:51:06,840 --> 01:51:08,930
and we wanted to go
to the next step

2530
01:51:08,973 --> 01:51:11,671
with the
Hello Young Lovers album,

2531
01:51:11,715 --> 01:51:14,195
and-and we think
we've accomplished that.

2532
01:51:18,461 --> 01:51:19,853
It was just a celebration.

2533
01:51:19,897 --> 01:51:21,246
This is fantastic.

2534
01:51:21,290 --> 01:51:24,249
We can just go mad now,
and we did.

2535
01:51:24,293 --> 01:51:27,991
♪ All I do now is dick around

2536
01:51:28,035 --> 01:51:30,733
♪ All I do now
is dick around ♪

2537
01:51:30,776 --> 01:51:32,431
♪ Dick around

2538
01:51:33,606 --> 01:51:34,957
♪ Think about the recent past

2539
01:51:35,000 --> 01:51:36,436
♪ The cynics said
too good to last ♪

2540
01:51:36,480 --> 01:51:37,959
♪ But she could change
her mind again ♪

2541
01:51:38,002 --> 01:51:39,090
♪ Oh, no, this movie
said "the end" ♪

2542
01:51:39,134 --> 01:51:40,526
♪ So I will go about my day

2543
01:51:40,570 --> 01:51:41,963
♪ Just dicking round,
my métier ♪

2544
01:51:42,006 --> 01:51:43,225
♪ And realize
that life is change ♪

2545
01:51:43,268 --> 01:51:45,401
♪ And furniture to rearrange

2546
01:51:45,444 --> 01:51:47,360
-♪ Why the hell, why the hell
-♪ Why the hell, why the hell

2547
01:51:47,404 --> 01:51:48,971
♪ Why the hell
did she desert you ♪

2548
01:51:49,014 --> 01:51:51,102
♪ When you were
so influential? ♪

2549
01:51:51,146 --> 01:51:53,017
-♪ Why the hell, why the hell
-♪ Why the hell, why the hell

2550
01:51:53,061 --> 01:51:54,627
♪ Why did she desert you

2551
01:51:54,671 --> 01:51:56,107
♪ When you told her
she was so essential? ♪

2552
01:51:56,151 --> 01:51:57,630
♪ Pull yourself up
off the ground ♪

2553
01:51:57,674 --> 01:51:59,328
♪ You've started liking
being down... ♪

2554
01:51:59,371 --> 01:52:00,547
If you took
a "Dancing in the Dark"

2555
01:52:00,591 --> 01:52:03,027
or a "Heroes" by Bowie

2556
01:52:03,071 --> 01:52:05,334
or a... you know,
any of the great ABBA songs,

2557
01:52:05,377 --> 01:52:07,423
"Dick Around" rips
right through that

2558
01:52:07,466 --> 01:52:08,685
and just gives you

2559
01:52:08,728 --> 01:52:10,078
the underbelly of a pop song.

2560
01:52:10,121 --> 01:52:13,037
A 600-vocal-tracked

2561
01:52:13,081 --> 01:52:15,040
orchestral arrangement
of vocal shouting,

2562
01:52:15,084 --> 01:52:17,956
"All I do now is dick around,"
right in your face,

2563
01:52:18,000 --> 01:52:20,002
it never lets you in slowly,

2564
01:52:20,045 --> 01:52:21,264
and it's just the saddest thing

2565
01:52:21,307 --> 01:52:22,395
in the world.

2566
01:52:22,439 --> 01:52:23,657
And it's so fucking catchy.

2567
01:52:24,875 --> 01:52:29,315
♪ All I do now is dick around,
dick around ♪

2568
01:52:29,359 --> 01:52:31,361
♪ Then I got
the late-night call ♪

2569
01:52:31,404 --> 01:52:34,190
♪ I really miss you after all,
I had a fling and that is all ♪

2570
01:52:34,233 --> 01:52:35,713
♪ A stupid fling,
then hit the wall... ♪

2571
01:52:35,756 --> 01:52:38,410
"Dick Around" is, uh,
incredibly demanding

2572
01:52:38,454 --> 01:52:40,499
on me as a... as a vocalist.

2573
01:52:40,543 --> 01:52:43,068
Ron has used Russell's voice

2574
01:52:43,112 --> 01:52:45,070
as an instrument

2575
01:52:45,114 --> 01:52:46,854
as much as he's used
that keyboard.

2576
01:52:46,898 --> 01:52:49,683
♪ All I do now

2577
01:52:49,727 --> 01:52:51,511
♪ Is dick around...

2578
01:52:51,555 --> 01:52:52,643
If I was producing that song,

2579
01:52:52,686 --> 01:52:54,514
like a fucking idiot,

2580
01:52:54,558 --> 01:52:56,256
I'd, like, put a beat on it
or something

2581
01:52:56,300 --> 01:52:57,953
and be like,
"Oh, my God, this is amazing.

2582
01:52:57,997 --> 01:52:59,390
"Everyone's gonna feel
so sad about this,

2583
01:52:59,433 --> 01:53:01,826
and we're gonna sneak it
into them."

2584
01:53:01,869 --> 01:53:04,350
And then Sparks would have
been like, "No, you idiot."

2585
01:53:04,394 --> 01:53:06,265
Like...

2586
01:53:06,309 --> 01:53:08,311
"Let Queen do that."

2587
01:53:08,354 --> 01:53:09,704
♪ All I do is dick around...

2588
01:53:09,748 --> 01:53:11,662
If you don't like this,
we don't care.

2589
01:53:11,705 --> 01:53:13,838
I think that that...
you know, that's kind of

2590
01:53:13,881 --> 01:53:17,885
the essence of what
popular music should be.

2591
01:53:17,929 --> 01:53:21,585
♪ But all I do now
is dick around ♪

2592
01:53:21,628 --> 01:53:24,109
♪ All I do now is dick around

2593
01:53:24,153 --> 01:53:26,720
♪ Dick around.

2594
01:53:28,810 --> 01:53:31,465
Ron and Russell
toured comprehensively,

2595
01:53:31,509 --> 01:53:34,468
and they played the album
in its entirety, and then

2596
01:53:34,512 --> 01:53:36,861
the second set was
greatest hits;

2597
01:53:36,905 --> 01:53:38,907
so, then withExotic
Creatures of the Deep,

2598
01:53:38,951 --> 01:53:40,561
we were thinking about,

2599
01:53:40,605 --> 01:53:41,954
well, how do you
perform this live?

2600
01:53:41,997 --> 01:53:44,217
You know, what would
be the concept?

2601
01:53:44,261 --> 01:53:47,350
And it was just a really
sort of seemingly stupid idea--

2602
01:53:47,393 --> 01:53:51,006
what if you perform every album
followed by the new album?

2603
01:53:53,879 --> 01:53:56,186
Sue Harris came up
with the idea

2604
01:53:56,229 --> 01:53:58,839
to do 21 of our albums--

2605
01:53:58,883 --> 01:54:03,105
the entire catalog--
one each night live.

2606
01:54:03,148 --> 01:54:06,197
By our nature, we said,
"Sounds great."

2607
01:54:06,240 --> 01:54:09,591
And then we realized
the enormity of the task.

2608
01:54:13,942 --> 01:54:15,770
Russell said,

2609
01:54:15,814 --> 01:54:17,816
"We're thinking about playing
every song we've ever written

2610
01:54:17,859 --> 01:54:19,471
night after night in London.
What do you think?"

2611
01:54:19,514 --> 01:54:22,647
And I just laughed.
It's just impossible.

2612
01:54:22,690 --> 01:54:24,257
And Ron said,
"We're even gonna do

2613
01:54:24,301 --> 01:54:25,867
the B-sides for the encores."

2614
01:54:25,911 --> 01:54:27,347
And I said,
"How many songs is that?"

2615
01:54:27,391 --> 01:54:28,392
There were approximately,

2616
01:54:28,435 --> 01:54:31,656
I don't know, I think 270 songs.

2617
01:54:31,699 --> 01:54:35,050
I think the final total was...
it-it was closer to 300.

2618
01:54:37,879 --> 01:54:39,316
They rehearsed for...

2619
01:54:39,359 --> 01:54:42,710
I think it was
four months or so in-in L.A.

2620
01:54:42,754 --> 01:54:45,757
♪ Let the monkey drive,
we can have our fun... ♪

2621
01:54:45,800 --> 01:54:47,673
It was like boot camp.

2622
01:54:47,716 --> 01:54:48,848
We start with
the first record, right?

2623
01:54:48,891 --> 01:54:51,459
And, well, okay,
once you rehearse

2624
01:54:51,503 --> 01:54:53,287
the first record for the day,

2625
01:54:53,331 --> 01:54:54,897
it sounds pretty good,
and by the end of the week,

2626
01:54:54,941 --> 01:54:56,898
you feel great about
the first record.

2627
01:54:56,942 --> 01:54:57,986
Well, now it's time to start
rehearsing the second record.

2628
01:54:58,030 --> 01:54:59,640
Okay, well, here's a new thing.

2629
01:54:59,684 --> 01:55:01,208
It's starting to sound good
by the end of the week.

2630
01:55:01,252 --> 01:55:02,992
Well, by the end of week two,

2631
01:55:03,036 --> 01:55:04,690
you've got the second record
sounding pretty good

2632
01:55:04,733 --> 01:55:06,648
and you've completely
forgotten the first record.

2633
01:55:06,692 --> 01:55:08,693
♪ Let him take the wheel

2634
01:55:08,736 --> 01:55:10,564
♪ Neath the setting sun...

2635
01:55:10,608 --> 01:55:12,958
Each day, the-the problem
gets compounded

2636
01:55:13,001 --> 01:55:16,136
about retaining everything
that you had been rehearsing,

2637
01:55:16,180 --> 01:55:18,834
and it just starts
compounding and compounding.

2638
01:55:18,878 --> 01:55:21,533
As you get to album
number 18, you go,

2639
01:55:21,576 --> 01:55:24,362
"Does anybody have a clue
about Big Beat?"

2640
01:55:24,405 --> 01:55:26,233
♪ While we have our fun...

2641
01:55:26,277 --> 01:55:28,454
It was a test of short-
and long-term memory.

2642
01:55:28,497 --> 01:55:29,977
I wouldn't advise it.

2643
01:55:30,020 --> 01:55:32,239
♪ Uh-huh.

2644
01:55:34,633 --> 01:55:35,938
It was...

2645
01:55:35,982 --> 01:55:37,331
almost foolish.

2646
01:55:39,028 --> 01:55:41,553
And the day after we finished
recording the album,

2647
01:55:41,596 --> 01:55:44,425
we started in rehearsing,
so it's been four full months

2648
01:55:44,469 --> 01:55:47,341
of, uh... of work
to get to this point.

2649
01:55:47,385 --> 01:55:49,213
♪ Receiving favors
for what I am ♪

2650
01:55:49,256 --> 01:55:52,694
♪ Seems rather strange,
but I understand ♪

2651
01:55:52,738 --> 01:55:54,305
♪ 'Cause I am likable...

2652
01:55:54,348 --> 01:55:56,263
The middle of the night,

2653
01:55:56,307 --> 01:55:58,483
and I woke up, I'm thinking,
"I have to go see every show."

2654
01:55:58,526 --> 01:55:59,485
It was almost like

2655
01:55:59,528 --> 01:56:01,138
God came to me and said,

2656
01:56:01,182 --> 01:56:03,184
"Tosh, you must see
every show."

2657
01:56:03,228 --> 01:56:05,317
♪ I'm just likable

2658
01:56:05,360 --> 01:56:07,405
♪ Night and day...

2659
01:56:07,448 --> 01:56:08,667
Let's face it,

2660
01:56:08,710 --> 01:56:10,147
you got to be completely crazy

2661
01:56:10,191 --> 01:56:11,932
to do 21 shows in a row

2662
01:56:11,975 --> 01:56:14,891
with a different album
every single night.

2663
01:56:14,935 --> 01:56:17,285
It's insane,
but it's fantastic.

2664
01:56:17,329 --> 01:56:19,504
Number one!

2665
01:56:19,547 --> 01:56:21,288
Number two.

2666
01:56:21,332 --> 01:56:23,029
Number three.

2667
01:56:23,072 --> 01:56:24,553
They treated every
single one of their albums

2668
01:56:24,597 --> 01:56:26,076
with the same level of respect

2669
01:56:26,120 --> 01:56:27,730
and the same
attention to detail,

2670
01:56:27,774 --> 01:56:29,645
regardless of how well it did

2671
01:56:29,689 --> 01:56:31,298
commercially
or critically at the time.

2672
01:56:31,342 --> 01:56:34,301
♪ I'm just likable
night and day... ♪

2673
01:56:34,345 --> 01:56:37,262
So it went on for a month.

2674
01:56:37,305 --> 01:56:39,003
But it was fun.
It was just exhausting.

2675
01:56:39,047 --> 01:56:40,788
I think everyone lost
a stone in weight

2676
01:56:40,831 --> 01:56:43,180
in the first week
and couldn't eat.

2677
01:56:43,224 --> 01:56:45,052
It was nerve-racking.

2678
01:56:47,489 --> 01:56:48,751
♪ Ah...

2679
01:56:48,795 --> 01:56:50,362
It was hard.

2680
01:56:50,405 --> 01:56:52,060
Any time I was feeling
sorry for myself,

2681
01:56:52,103 --> 01:56:53,322
I would look at Ron doing

2682
01:56:53,366 --> 01:56:55,062
a sliding knee dive
across the stage

2683
01:56:55,105 --> 01:56:56,933
and Russell clapping
his hands above his head,

2684
01:56:56,977 --> 01:56:58,587
running like a crazy man,

2685
01:56:58,631 --> 01:56:59,893
and I'd just think,
"Yeah, I can do this."

2686
01:57:01,503 --> 01:57:04,637
I admire their stamina,
but I admire

2687
01:57:04,680 --> 01:57:06,160
anyone who went to see 'em
21 nights.

2688
01:57:06,203 --> 01:57:08,554
I admire your stamina more.

2689
01:57:08,597 --> 01:57:11,252
♪ Just so you like me...

2690
01:57:11,296 --> 01:57:13,167
It's just
the most ridiculous thing.

2691
01:57:13,210 --> 01:57:15,736
It was preposterous,
and it was extraordinary,

2692
01:57:15,779 --> 01:57:17,172
but it was a triumph.

2693
01:57:18,868 --> 01:57:22,308
There's often
this, uh, terrible fate

2694
01:57:22,351 --> 01:57:26,877
which awaits bands either when
they keep going for too long

2695
01:57:26,921 --> 01:57:29,226
or when they re-form.

2696
01:57:29,270 --> 01:57:31,141
And that terrible fate
is becoming

2697
01:57:31,185 --> 01:57:33,710
a tribute to the band
that you once were.

2698
01:57:34,842 --> 01:57:36,409
They could
rest on their laurels

2699
01:57:36,452 --> 01:57:37,975
and just come out and just
do some sort of, like,

2700
01:57:38,019 --> 01:57:39,803
"Now we're gonna do
a greatest hits show,"

2701
01:57:39,847 --> 01:57:42,239
but no, they're challenging
themselves and their audience

2702
01:57:42,283 --> 01:57:44,590
and they're doing, like,
you know, radio opera.

2703
01:57:44,633 --> 01:57:48,159
♪ Bergman, Bergman

2704
01:57:48,203 --> 01:57:50,292
♪ Bergman, Bergman...

2705
01:57:50,336 --> 01:57:52,816
Ron and Russell
came up with the idea

2706
01:57:52,860 --> 01:57:55,079
of Ingmar Bergman,
the film director--

2707
01:57:55,123 --> 01:57:57,038
what if he had been
lured to Hollywood

2708
01:57:57,081 --> 01:57:58,474
with the promise

2709
01:57:58,518 --> 01:58:00,215
of big budgets and big bosoms?

2710
01:58:00,258 --> 01:58:04,002
And it was played
on Swedish national radio.

2711
01:58:04,046 --> 01:58:07,614
After that, they performed it
at the L.A. Film Festival

2712
01:58:07,657 --> 01:58:10,704
and, you know,
got a really good reaction.

2713
01:58:10,747 --> 01:58:14,098
They've always had
the desire to push on

2714
01:58:14,142 --> 01:58:16,187
and create something new,
and I think that's

2715
01:58:16,231 --> 01:58:19,277
probably what appealed to...
to them about the FFS project.

2716
01:58:23,586 --> 01:58:25,414
For fuck's sake.

2717
01:58:25,458 --> 01:58:27,590
We had met
the guys in Franz Ferdinand

2718
01:58:27,634 --> 01:58:30,986
12 or 13 years ago
in Los Angeles.

2719
01:58:31,029 --> 01:58:34,076
We had, you know, like bands
tend to do, they say,

2720
01:58:34,119 --> 01:58:37,253
"Hey, we should try to do
something together sometime."

2721
01:58:37,296 --> 01:58:40,734
♪ I'm just a little guy
from the suburbs... ♪

2722
01:58:40,777 --> 01:58:42,518
Ten years later,

2723
01:58:42,562 --> 01:58:44,391
we're walking in the morning,
just taking a little stroll

2724
01:58:44,434 --> 01:58:46,088
in downtown San Francisco,

2725
01:58:46,131 --> 01:58:48,220
and we see this guy
walking by, and we go,

2726
01:58:48,264 --> 01:58:51,397
"That looks like Alex Kapranos.
Hey, it is Alex Kapranos."

2727
01:58:51,440 --> 01:58:53,094
So we say, "Hey, Alex."

2728
01:58:53,137 --> 01:58:54,617
He goes, "Hey, Sparks guys."

2729
01:58:54,661 --> 01:58:56,227
He was on his way
to the dentist.

2730
01:58:56,271 --> 01:58:58,666
He had chipped
one of his teeth.

2731
01:58:58,709 --> 01:59:01,059
So we said, "Remember we were
gonna do a project together?"

2732
01:59:01,103 --> 01:59:03,321
He said, "Yeah,
we got to do that."

2733
01:59:03,365 --> 01:59:05,236
So we talked about,
"Well, let's just try

2734
01:59:05,280 --> 01:59:07,238
one song together,
see what happens."

2735
01:59:07,282 --> 01:59:11,375
In Ron's typically
perverse way...

2736
01:59:11,419 --> 01:59:12,768
he sent over

2737
01:59:12,811 --> 01:59:15,030
"Collaborations Don't Work."

2738
01:59:15,073 --> 01:59:17,511
♪ Collaborations don't work

2739
01:59:17,554 --> 01:59:19,208
♪ They don't work

2740
01:59:19,251 --> 01:59:21,166
♪ They don't work...

2741
01:59:21,210 --> 01:59:23,212
And it was so obviously a test.
It was like,

2742
01:59:23,255 --> 01:59:25,084
"All right, you think
you can collaborate, do you?"

2743
01:59:25,128 --> 01:59:27,999
♪ Collaborations don't work

2744
01:59:28,043 --> 01:59:30,480
♪ They don't work,
they don't work... ♪

2745
01:59:30,524 --> 01:59:32,656
We opened up the door for, uh,

2746
01:59:32,700 --> 01:59:34,136
any return ammunition

2747
01:59:34,179 --> 01:59:35,398
coming our way.

2748
01:59:35,442 --> 01:59:38,836
♪ I ain't no collaborator...

2749
01:59:38,880 --> 01:59:40,447
As a response to that,

2750
01:59:40,490 --> 01:59:42,927
Alex sent kind of
a country groove.

2751
01:59:42,971 --> 01:59:44,146
So this song was

2752
01:59:44,189 --> 01:59:46,845
literally
a strange little argument

2753
01:59:46,889 --> 01:59:48,891
that they were doing online.

2754
01:59:48,934 --> 01:59:50,935
♪ I ain't no collaborator...

2755
01:59:50,979 --> 01:59:52,721
We sent it over to Ron,
and then suddenly,

2756
01:59:52,764 --> 01:59:55,724
it came back with Russell
singing on top of it

2757
01:59:55,767 --> 01:59:57,726
and these new melodies.
We got this great buzz.

2758
01:59:57,769 --> 02:00:00,119
It was like,
"Oh, God, this is fantastic."

2759
02:00:00,163 --> 02:00:01,816
Everybody was tentatively
kind of going like,

2760
02:00:01,859 --> 02:00:03,948
"You know, this sounds like
it could almost be...

2761
02:00:03,992 --> 02:00:05,602
like, an album, maybe."

2762
02:00:07,300 --> 02:00:08,693
♪ I ain't no collaborator...

2763
02:00:08,737 --> 02:00:10,434
One day, I pull up Pitchfork,

2764
02:00:10,478 --> 02:00:12,392
and I read that Franz Ferdinand

2765
02:00:12,436 --> 02:00:16,352
has made an entire record
with Sparks.

2766
02:00:16,395 --> 02:00:18,659
And it was just like, "What?"

2767
02:00:18,702 --> 02:00:21,619
It made me say,
"Yeah, Sparks is back.

2768
02:00:21,663 --> 02:00:23,578
"Okay, yeah,
let me pay attention

2769
02:00:23,621 --> 02:00:26,015
to what they've been doing
over the past ten years."

2770
02:00:31,063 --> 02:00:33,457
"Johnny Delusional"
became the first single.

2771
02:00:33,501 --> 02:00:35,591
One of my favorite lines--
it's kind of one of

2772
02:00:35,634 --> 02:00:39,594
the saddest lines, I think,
in a, uh, Sparks song is:

2773
02:00:39,637 --> 02:00:41,030
"I'm borderline attractive

2774
02:00:41,073 --> 02:00:43,162
from afar."

2775
02:00:43,206 --> 02:00:45,730
And that-that line, to me,
is really, uh, touching.

2776
02:00:45,774 --> 02:00:49,952
♪ Some might find me borderline
attractive from afar... ♪

2777
02:00:49,995 --> 02:00:51,823
"Some might find me

2778
02:00:51,867 --> 02:00:54,565
"borderline attractive
from afar,

2779
02:00:54,609 --> 02:00:56,872
but afar is not where
I can stay, and there you are."

2780
02:00:56,915 --> 02:00:58,526
It's beautiful.
I mean, that's hilarious,

2781
02:00:58,569 --> 02:01:00,483
but it's also really beautiful.

2782
02:01:00,527 --> 02:01:02,531
♪ Though I want you

2783
02:01:03,793 --> 02:01:06,883
♪ I know I haven't
a chance... ♪

2784
02:01:06,926 --> 02:01:09,320
There's a real melancholic
vulnerability about it.

2785
02:01:09,363 --> 02:01:12,801
It's very sad,
but it sounds celebratory.

2786
02:01:12,844 --> 02:01:13,802
It's, like, this meditation

2787
02:01:13,845 --> 02:01:15,238
on loneliness.

2788
02:01:15,281 --> 02:01:18,242
♪ Paging Mr. Delusional...

2789
02:01:18,285 --> 02:01:20,331
I often feel,
with Ron's lyricism,

2790
02:01:20,374 --> 02:01:22,115
that he's metaphorically,

2791
02:01:22,159 --> 02:01:23,768
like, slicing his chest open

2792
02:01:23,812 --> 02:01:25,857
and kind of going like,
"Here's my heart."

2793
02:01:25,901 --> 02:01:28,207
♪ You're wanted
at the front desk ♪

2794
02:01:28,251 --> 02:01:29,645
"Here's my heart.

2795
02:01:29,688 --> 02:01:31,168
Has nobody noticed?"

2796
02:01:31,211 --> 02:01:33,518
♪ Wouldn't it be terrible

2797
02:01:33,562 --> 02:01:36,476
♪ If there's no music there?

2798
02:01:36,520 --> 02:01:40,002
The FFS album, it-it
introduced them to a crowd

2799
02:01:40,045 --> 02:01:41,961
that maybe hadn't been
aware of them before.

2800
02:01:42,005 --> 02:01:44,399
We particularly noticed it
in Latin America

2801
02:01:44,443 --> 02:01:47,098
where Franz Ferdinand, uh,
were very popular there.

2802
02:01:47,141 --> 02:01:49,926
♪ Wouldn't it be terrible
if there's no music there? ♪

2803
02:01:49,969 --> 02:01:52,058
A lot of those people,

2804
02:01:52,102 --> 02:01:54,017
they've become Sparks fans
and really

2805
02:01:54,060 --> 02:01:55,888
kind of hard-core Sparks fans,

2806
02:01:55,932 --> 02:01:59,152
and they had been introduced
via the FFS album.

2807
02:01:59,196 --> 02:02:01,677
♪ Though I want you...

2808
02:02:01,720 --> 02:02:03,417
Been watching you play live.

2809
02:02:03,461 --> 02:02:05,115
It seems to be more

2810
02:02:05,158 --> 02:02:06,899
of a kind of enjoyment thing.
It just seems to be fun.

2811
02:02:06,943 --> 02:02:07,944
Oh, we're faking it.

2812
02:02:09,641 --> 02:02:11,904
♪ Johnny Delusional here...

2813
02:02:11,948 --> 02:02:13,558
Does Franz Ferdinand know
how lucky they are

2814
02:02:13,602 --> 02:02:15,212
that that happened?

2815
02:02:15,255 --> 02:02:17,910
I hope that they were
grateful and psyched.

2816
02:02:17,954 --> 02:02:19,826
That's their most
exciting record they've done

2817
02:02:19,870 --> 02:02:22,523
in quite some time, and I
really think they learned a lot

2818
02:02:22,567 --> 02:02:24,090
from working with these

2819
02:02:24,134 --> 02:02:26,964
elder statesmans of-of pop,
you know?

2820
02:02:32,273 --> 02:02:34,100
Hello.

2821
02:02:36,537 --> 02:02:40,020
♪ Historically, historically,
we make an appeal ♪

2822
02:02:40,064 --> 02:02:42,675
♪ To something greater
than we are ♪

2823
02:02:42,719 --> 02:02:44,634
♪ When we need to heal...

2824
02:02:44,677 --> 02:02:46,373
Doing the FFS project,

2825
02:02:46,417 --> 02:02:49,028
they fell in love again
with the pop song,

2826
02:02:49,072 --> 02:02:50,203
and because of that love
for the pop song,

2827
02:02:50,247 --> 02:02:52,118
Hippopotamus was born.

2828
02:02:52,162 --> 02:02:56,385
♪ What the hell is it
this time? ♪

2829
02:02:56,429 --> 02:02:57,995
Listening
toHippopotamus took me

2830
02:02:58,038 --> 02:03:00,780
straightaway back
toKimono My House.

2831
02:03:00,824 --> 02:03:02,564
The energy of that album

2832
02:03:02,608 --> 02:03:04,001
is just great.

2833
02:03:04,044 --> 02:03:05,698
When I put the headphones on

2834
02:03:05,742 --> 02:03:07,962
and listened to it
for the first time, I thought,

2835
02:03:08,006 --> 02:03:10,703
"Holy cow.
This is like when we were back

2836
02:03:10,747 --> 02:03:13,097
at Ron and Russ's
mom's house, you know?"

2837
02:03:13,140 --> 02:03:14,315
I loved that.

2838
02:03:16,013 --> 02:03:18,406
The reviews were incredible.

2839
02:03:18,450 --> 02:03:20,583
It was near four- and five-star
reviews across the board.

2840
02:03:20,627 --> 02:03:22,019
It was, um, included in

2841
02:03:22,062 --> 02:03:23,455
the "album of the year" lists,

2842
02:03:23,498 --> 02:03:25,283
you know, worldwide.

2843
02:03:25,326 --> 02:03:29,330
And the fact that Sparks
have had a top-ten record

2844
02:03:29,374 --> 02:03:33,507
is because they're not
trying to be

2845
02:03:33,551 --> 02:03:35,773
what other people
want them to be.

2846
02:03:35,816 --> 02:03:38,558
♪ I wish you were fun

2847
02:03:38,601 --> 02:03:41,648
♪ I wish you were fun
in every way ♪

2848
02:03:41,692 --> 02:03:44,216
♪ I wish you were fun

2849
02:03:44,259 --> 02:03:47,479
♪ To brighten the dark,
cold winter day ♪

2850
02:03:47,522 --> 02:03:52,267
♪ In every other way
I find you amazing but one ♪

2851
02:03:52,311 --> 02:03:57,358
♪ I wish you were fun,
I wish you were fun ♪

2852
02:03:57,402 --> 02:03:59,621
♪ La-la-la... Everybody.

2853
02:03:59,665 --> 02:04:01,145
♪ La-la-la-la-la...

2854
02:04:01,188 --> 02:04:02,625
Here they are,

2855
02:04:02,669 --> 02:04:04,540
playing to some
of the largest crowds

2856
02:04:04,584 --> 02:04:06,020
in the last ten years

2857
02:04:06,064 --> 02:04:07,805
and playing to crowds
that weren't around

2858
02:04:07,848 --> 02:04:10,720
for the first, second
and often the third phase.

2859
02:04:12,287 --> 02:04:15,073
The only part that...
that the public sees

2860
02:04:15,116 --> 02:04:18,033
is that 90 minutes onstage,

2861
02:04:18,077 --> 02:04:20,208
and they don't see
all the other stuff.

2862
02:04:20,252 --> 02:04:23,559
They don't see, uh, security
opening up our suitcases

2863
02:04:23,603 --> 02:04:25,474
and having the guy, uh,
you know,

2864
02:04:25,518 --> 02:04:27,259
taking out all your stuff

2865
02:04:27,302 --> 02:04:29,565
day after day after day
after day at the airport.

2866
02:04:29,609 --> 02:04:32,394
And, uh, they don't see
the jet lag

2867
02:04:32,438 --> 02:04:34,570
that I currently have
right now.

2868
02:04:34,614 --> 02:04:37,922
Uh, but obviously,
we're doing all this

2869
02:04:37,965 --> 02:04:41,012
'cause we really are
passionate about our music.

2870
02:04:41,055 --> 02:04:44,580
It definitely outweighs
all of the downside.

2871
02:04:44,624 --> 02:04:46,191
"Viva México, cabrones."

2872
02:04:46,234 --> 02:04:48,193
-Okay.
-Viva México...

2873
02:04:48,236 --> 02:04:49,542
-"Cabrones."
-"Cabrones."

2874
02:04:49,586 --> 02:04:51,675
-Cabrones.
-Yeah!

2875
02:04:58,030 --> 02:05:00,293
Viva México, cabrones.

2876
02:05:02,295 --> 02:05:03,600
♪ La-la-la-la-la♪

2877
02:05:03,644 --> 02:05:05,820
♪ I wish you were fun

2878
02:05:05,864 --> 02:05:08,082
♪ Fun in every way

2879
02:05:08,126 --> 02:05:10,041
♪ La-la-la-la-la♪

2880
02:05:10,084 --> 02:05:12,044
♪ I wish you were fun

2881
02:05:12,087 --> 02:05:14,655
♪ Have some chardonnay

2882
02:05:14,698 --> 02:05:19,311
♪ In every other way
I find you amazing but one ♪

2883
02:05:19,354 --> 02:05:21,139
♪ I wish you were fun

2884
02:05:22,096 --> 02:05:24,359
♪ I wish you were fun.

2885
02:05:25,447 --> 02:05:27,407
Okay, I'm tired.

2886
02:05:27,450 --> 02:05:28,844
I'm going to go to sleep.

2887
02:05:28,888 --> 02:05:30,453
Good night.

2888
02:05:30,497 --> 02:05:32,455
♪ La-la-la, la-la-la,
la-la-la♪

2889
02:05:32,499 --> 02:05:34,849
♪ I'm pushin'
on my lawn mower... ♪

2890
02:05:34,893 --> 02:05:36,938
The way they live their life

2891
02:05:36,982 --> 02:05:40,551
is just in service
of the music.

2892
02:05:40,595 --> 02:05:42,378
♪ The mornin',
it's my lawn mower... ♪

2893
02:05:42,422 --> 02:05:44,380
I kind of have to force
myself to take this walk

2894
02:05:44,424 --> 02:05:46,556
'cause I've been doing it

2895
02:05:46,600 --> 02:05:48,863
for about 20 years
at this same park, and if...

2896
02:05:48,907 --> 02:05:52,084
I know, if I kind of
put it off for one day,

2897
02:05:52,127 --> 02:05:54,695
that it's all over
and I'll just be

2898
02:05:54,738 --> 02:05:56,871
laying in bed
extra long in the mornings.

2899
02:05:56,915 --> 02:06:00,919
♪ The neighbors look in awe
at my lawn mower... ♪

2900
02:06:00,962 --> 02:06:03,747
They love ritual.

2901
02:06:03,791 --> 02:06:05,358
They love repetition.

2902
02:06:05,401 --> 02:06:08,144
I mean, you can hear
their love of repetition

2903
02:06:08,188 --> 02:06:09,711
in their music.

2904
02:06:09,754 --> 02:06:12,192
You know, they have a hook,
they have a phrase

2905
02:06:12,235 --> 02:06:15,151
that's repeated
over and over and over again.

2906
02:06:15,195 --> 02:06:18,937
And in their life, even the way
their day is structured--

2907
02:06:18,980 --> 02:06:22,985
you know, wake up, work out,
go to the studio,

2908
02:06:23,029 --> 02:06:25,422
have your 4:00 p.m.
coffee break,

2909
02:06:25,466 --> 02:06:28,685
go back to the studio,
you know, power down.

2910
02:06:30,513 --> 02:06:31,993
They are rock stars

2911
02:06:32,037 --> 02:06:33,516
that go to breakfast
at the same place

2912
02:06:33,560 --> 02:06:34,691
and get the same thing
in the morning,

2913
02:06:34,735 --> 02:06:36,172
and then go work at...

2914
02:06:36,216 --> 02:06:37,782
You know, they just...
they figured out

2915
02:06:37,826 --> 02:06:40,263
what works for them
and how to do it.

2916
02:06:40,307 --> 02:06:42,830
I come here religiously
every morning

2917
02:06:42,874 --> 02:06:45,355
to get a little
peace and quiet,

2918
02:06:45,399 --> 02:06:48,706
just to be by myself
before we start working.

2919
02:06:48,750 --> 02:06:51,710
And even once a week,
Ron comes here.

2920
02:06:59,239 --> 02:07:01,458
They just keep
going up musically

2921
02:07:01,502 --> 02:07:03,113
with what they're writing.

2922
02:07:03,157 --> 02:07:06,115
They keep finding
new ways to tell their stories.

2923
02:07:07,682 --> 02:07:10,424
Ron and Russell were in Cannes

2924
02:07:10,467 --> 02:07:13,122
and met the French
film director Leos Carax.

2925
02:07:13,166 --> 02:07:14,515
They got chatting,

2926
02:07:14,558 --> 02:07:16,429
and they were talking
to him about

2927
02:07:16,472 --> 02:07:19,389
their screenplay
called Annette.

2928
02:07:19,433 --> 02:07:21,871
We got along really well,
and when we came back to L.A.

2929
02:07:21,915 --> 02:07:23,655
after Cannes, we said,

2930
02:07:23,699 --> 02:07:25,962
"Let's send Leos this project,
Annette."

2931
02:07:26,006 --> 02:07:28,442
And then he said, uh,
"God, I really like this.

2932
02:07:28,485 --> 02:07:30,531
Let me think about it
a little bit more."

2933
02:07:30,574 --> 02:07:32,273
And he did, and he got
back to us, and he said,

2934
02:07:32,316 --> 02:07:34,579
"You know, I'd really like
to direct this."

2935
02:07:34,623 --> 02:07:36,668
We thought, "Oh, this is
amazing," but then we were also

2936
02:07:36,712 --> 02:07:39,366
thinking about
our Tim Burton experience

2937
02:07:39,409 --> 02:07:41,585
and our Jacques Tati experience
and going,

2938
02:07:41,629 --> 02:07:43,370
"Please, dear God,
we don't want

2939
02:07:43,413 --> 02:07:44,807
to have one more of those."

2940
02:07:44,850 --> 02:07:46,113
-Did you get it?
-That's a film project.

2941
02:07:46,156 --> 02:07:47,592
Historically,

2942
02:07:47,636 --> 02:07:49,899
they've, you know,
nearly had films made on,

2943
02:07:49,943 --> 02:07:51,247
you know,
more than one occasion,

2944
02:07:51,291 --> 02:07:53,641
and you feel that
now is the time,

2945
02:07:53,684 --> 02:07:55,599
and it will be amazing
for them to be able

2946
02:07:55,643 --> 02:07:57,819
to see their work
on a big screen.

2947
02:07:57,862 --> 02:07:59,431
Oh, hello.

2948
02:07:59,475 --> 02:08:01,694
Welcome to the set.

2949
02:08:01,738 --> 02:08:05,262
After several attempts
to get a movie off the ground,

2950
02:08:05,306 --> 02:08:07,786
Annette has finally
been the one

2951
02:08:07,830 --> 02:08:10,180
film project that's sticking,

2952
02:08:10,224 --> 02:08:14,011
and it's being shot here
in swinging Brussels, Belgium.

2953
02:08:14,055 --> 02:08:17,971
To get a movie made
is a miracle.

2954
02:08:18,014 --> 02:08:20,364
We obviously feel good
about the film,

2955
02:08:20,408 --> 02:08:24,847
but we also feel good in
a really personal kind of way--

2956
02:08:24,890 --> 02:08:27,458
this proves that
we were right all along.

2957
02:08:27,502 --> 02:08:30,200
So, uh... so there.

2958
02:08:30,244 --> 02:08:32,420
Or voila.

2959
02:08:33,899 --> 02:08:35,684
When you get
a Sparks album, I feel like

2960
02:08:35,727 --> 02:08:37,816
that's where they are,
this is what they're into,

2961
02:08:37,860 --> 02:08:39,644
and they're not gonna
be here for long.

2962
02:08:39,688 --> 02:08:41,430
Do you know what I mean?
Like, I feel like by the time

2963
02:08:41,473 --> 02:08:42,605
you get the album,
they're already

2964
02:08:42,648 --> 02:08:44,041
on to something else.

2965
02:08:46,087 --> 02:08:49,177
Sparks have a certain
sensibility that we've had

2966
02:08:49,220 --> 02:08:50,829
through all of our albums,

2967
02:08:50,873 --> 02:08:53,702
whatever the shift in styles
through time

2968
02:08:53,745 --> 02:08:56,488
or different producers
or different countries.

2969
02:08:56,532 --> 02:09:00,449
It's kind of something
that we really can't change.

2970
02:09:00,492 --> 02:09:03,277
♪ And all the holy places...

2971
02:09:03,320 --> 02:09:05,540
From the beginning
of rock music

2972
02:09:05,583 --> 02:09:07,063
when, uh,Blackboard Jungle--

2973
02:09:07,107 --> 02:09:09,545
for them to go
and start ripping up,

2974
02:09:09,588 --> 02:09:11,938
uh, movie theater seats--

2975
02:09:11,982 --> 02:09:13,722
that, to us,
is like the essence

2976
02:09:13,765 --> 02:09:16,030
and the spirit
of what music can be.

2977
02:09:16,073 --> 02:09:18,075
And I think that
those sorts of things

2978
02:09:18,119 --> 02:09:20,034
have always been maybe
in the back of our minds.

2979
02:09:20,077 --> 02:09:22,211
We don't sit down and say,
"What can we do

2980
02:09:22,254 --> 02:09:24,690
to be provocative
or rebellious?"

2981
02:09:24,734 --> 02:09:27,171
But I think,
just by our nature,

2982
02:09:27,215 --> 02:09:29,347
that's just inherent
in what we do.

2983
02:09:29,391 --> 02:09:31,958
♪ All that we've done

2984
02:09:32,002 --> 02:09:35,353
♪ We've lost, we've won

2985
02:09:35,397 --> 02:09:38,748
♪ All that,
all that and more... ♪

2986
02:09:40,663 --> 02:09:42,056
I think their
creative process has sustained

2987
02:09:42,099 --> 02:09:43,579
their friendship
and brotherliness,

2988
02:09:43,622 --> 02:09:46,147
and I think being brothers
has also sustained

2989
02:09:46,190 --> 02:09:47,757
their creativity
over the years.

2990
02:09:47,800 --> 02:09:48,800
It's-it's unusual,

2991
02:09:48,844 --> 02:09:50,325
but they like each other

2992
02:09:50,368 --> 02:09:51,804
and they respect each other.

2993
02:09:53,503 --> 02:09:55,200
They are... first and foremost,

2994
02:09:55,244 --> 02:09:58,116
they're-they're gentlemen,
and they are,

2995
02:09:58,160 --> 02:10:00,030
you know... they're polite
and they're considerate,

2996
02:10:00,074 --> 02:10:04,557
extraordinarily creative,
you know, and they're funny.

2997
02:10:04,601 --> 02:10:06,255
-Oh, did I not push the button?
-Yeah.

2998
02:10:06,298 --> 02:10:08,300
You got to push the button.

2999
02:10:08,344 --> 02:10:11,955
We're able to work kind of
without a lot of conversation.

3000
02:10:11,998 --> 02:10:14,044
The quieter it is,
the better it is,

3001
02:10:14,088 --> 02:10:16,394
because we know
we're kind of onto something

3002
02:10:16,438 --> 02:10:19,006
and we can communicate
with each other

3003
02:10:19,050 --> 02:10:21,792
in-in kind of nonverbal ways

3004
02:10:21,835 --> 02:10:24,489
just by having worked together
for so long.

3005
02:10:24,533 --> 02:10:26,143
It's some kind of magical

3006
02:10:26,187 --> 02:10:30,844
combination of brother blood
and, I don't know,

3007
02:10:30,888 --> 02:10:33,370
cosmic interference,

3008
02:10:33,413 --> 02:10:35,849
but I have loved them
for all these years,

3009
02:10:35,893 --> 02:10:37,634
and I'm really proud of it.

3010
02:10:37,677 --> 02:10:40,985
♪ All that we've done

3011
02:10:41,028 --> 02:10:43,161
♪ We've lost, we've won...

3012
02:10:43,205 --> 02:10:46,165
I can't imagine having
done a career as a solo artist

3013
02:10:46,209 --> 02:10:49,689
'cause I just think the two
of us are sort of inseparable

3014
02:10:49,733 --> 02:10:52,605
when it comes to
our passion for music.

3015
02:10:52,649 --> 02:10:55,869
I think his songs
and my singing

3016
02:10:55,913 --> 02:10:58,176
are one and the same.

3017
02:10:58,220 --> 02:11:01,005
I have that security
when I'm working with Russell.

3018
02:11:01,048 --> 02:11:03,921
If I were to work with myself,

3019
02:11:03,964 --> 02:11:07,968
I-I feel, you know,
really, really nervous.

3020
02:11:08,012 --> 02:11:10,406
It would put me in a position

3021
02:11:10,449 --> 02:11:14,106
where I-I just wouldn't
be able to-to take... take it.

3022
02:11:14,150 --> 02:11:17,196
To me, they've been
such an example of how to age

3023
02:11:17,240 --> 02:11:20,112
in this business
with grace and dignity

3024
02:11:20,156 --> 02:11:22,244
and treat your band
and your crew, uh, kindly.

3025
02:11:22,287 --> 02:11:25,160
And not to reduce it
to such crude terms,

3026
02:11:25,203 --> 02:11:26,291
but they're just cool as fuck.

3027
02:11:26,335 --> 02:11:27,641
Yeah.

3028
02:11:27,685 --> 02:11:29,077
Now that Ron isn't around,

3029
02:11:29,121 --> 02:11:31,254
I can finally tell
the real story.

3030
02:11:31,297 --> 02:11:32,646
Uh, all of the songs are mine.

3031
02:11:32,690 --> 02:11:36,127
All 840 songs written by me,

3032
02:11:36,171 --> 02:11:38,129
sung by me, performed by me.

3033
02:11:38,173 --> 02:11:42,613
So, uh, anyway, I just thought
it should come out now.

3034
02:11:44,528 --> 02:11:46,965
Just between you and me...

3035
02:11:48,358 --> 02:11:50,273
Sparks.

3036
02:11:50,316 --> 02:11:52,144
He's just a singer.

3037
02:12:00,935 --> 02:12:04,243
♪ No, no use
in lecturing them... ♪

3038
02:12:04,287 --> 02:12:07,159
There's some comfort
in the fact that

3039
02:12:07,203 --> 02:12:09,727
something this weird
can survive

3040
02:12:09,770 --> 02:12:13,121
that long without being
corrupted ultimately

3041
02:12:13,165 --> 02:12:14,558
into something less weird.

3042
02:12:14,601 --> 02:12:16,429
♪ The plot is predictable...

3043
02:12:16,473 --> 02:12:18,039
I wouldn't really have seen how
they could've gotten any better,

3044
02:12:18,083 --> 02:12:19,432
'cause they were
kind of unique,

3045
02:12:19,476 --> 02:12:21,433
but they're doing
something right.

3046
02:12:21,477 --> 02:12:24,176
Nobody stays around that long
if they're making mistakes.

3047
02:12:24,220 --> 02:12:25,874
♪ No, no use in...

3048
02:12:25,918 --> 02:12:27,920
If they had been
a band that just,

3049
02:12:27,963 --> 02:12:30,139
like, went and tried to make
hits that were sort of, like,

3050
02:12:30,183 --> 02:12:33,968
inorganic, outside of their
real natural inclinations,

3051
02:12:34,012 --> 02:12:36,407
they would've broken up
by 1977.

3052
02:12:36,450 --> 02:12:38,278
♪ It's hard to be vain...

3053
02:12:38,322 --> 02:12:40,149
Some of the greatest
artists in the world

3054
02:12:40,193 --> 02:12:41,803
just sort of had a period.

3055
02:12:41,847 --> 02:12:43,283
Sparks is way more
prolific than

3056
02:12:43,327 --> 02:12:45,241
all of the artists
we consider to be

3057
02:12:45,284 --> 02:12:47,591
the greatest in the world,
so it's overwhelming.

3058
02:12:47,634 --> 02:12:51,291
♪ So when do I get
to sing "My Way"? ♪

3059
02:12:51,335 --> 02:12:55,903
♪ When do I get to feel
like Sinatra felt? ♪

3060
02:12:55,947 --> 02:12:59,298
♪ When do I get
to sing "My Way"? ♪

3061
02:12:59,342 --> 02:13:01,518
♪ In heaven or hell...

3062
02:13:01,561 --> 02:13:03,434
You can knock us for not

3063
02:13:03,477 --> 02:13:06,002
having sold
two trillion records,

3064
02:13:06,046 --> 02:13:10,223
but staying true to our vision
and being consistent

3065
02:13:10,267 --> 02:13:12,573
for this long a period of time,
I think that that's

3066
02:13:12,617 --> 02:13:14,923
the measure of success.

3067
02:13:14,967 --> 02:13:17,274
♪ In heaven or hell...

3068
02:13:19,188 --> 02:13:21,321
I don't think
they could be really massive.

3069
02:13:21,365 --> 02:13:22,888
They're too weird.

3070
02:13:22,931 --> 02:13:25,499
Which is great.
Who wants to be really popular?

3071
02:13:25,543 --> 02:13:27,849
You know, you just want
to do your art

3072
02:13:27,893 --> 02:13:30,330
and love what you're doing
and be happy with that.

3073
02:13:35,161 --> 02:13:37,250
It's been an amazing
evening for us.

3074
02:13:37,294 --> 02:13:38,556
Thank you very much.

3075
02:13:38,599 --> 02:13:40,210
We're deeply appreciative.

3076
02:13:40,254 --> 02:13:42,690
We don't... we don't take
any of this for granted,

3077
02:13:42,734 --> 02:13:45,650
and, uh, we'll be back soon.

3078
02:13:47,696 --> 02:13:49,263
Thank you.

3079
02:13:49,307 --> 02:13:50,960
A lot of times,
people are trying

3080
02:13:51,004 --> 02:13:53,093
to find the key
to Sparks somehow,

3081
02:13:53,136 --> 02:13:55,181
and I think that really
it's out in the open

3082
02:13:55,224 --> 02:13:58,315
with what we're doing
lyrically and musically.

3083
02:13:59,403 --> 02:14:01,667
Being Russell and being Ron

3084
02:14:01,710 --> 02:14:04,060
and being Sparks,
it's kind of one and the same.

3085
02:14:05,061 --> 02:14:07,019
That is what we are.

3086
02:14:07,062 --> 02:14:10,805
There isn't some thing
behind the curtain.

3087
02:14:10,849 --> 02:14:12,677
The mystique
and that whole thing

3088
02:14:12,720 --> 02:14:16,377
is part of what makes them
cool no matter what.

3089
02:14:16,421 --> 02:14:18,031
They don't owe us anything.

3090
02:14:18,074 --> 02:14:19,641
They-they give us the music.

3091
02:14:19,685 --> 02:14:21,513
That's... We...
That's all we need.

3092
02:14:21,556 --> 02:14:23,341
It is symbiotic.

3093
02:14:23,384 --> 02:14:24,951
It's like the two of them
make up

3094
02:14:24,994 --> 02:14:26,561
this whole that is Sparks.

3095
02:14:26,605 --> 02:14:28,172
You know, those of us
who've been lucky enough

3096
02:14:28,216 --> 02:14:29,912
to come and go in that,
like, it-it...

3097
02:14:29,956 --> 02:14:32,088
it's an amazing and
very cool thing to be around.

3098
02:14:34,439 --> 02:14:36,441
I don't feel
a kind of ownership with them.

3099
02:14:36,484 --> 02:14:39,879
I think it's really important
when people come along

3100
02:14:39,922 --> 02:14:42,490
20 or 40 years later,
you don't say,

3101
02:14:42,534 --> 02:14:44,927
"Oh, I was there all along,
and where were you?"

3102
02:14:44,971 --> 02:14:48,278
You say, "Welcome aboard,
and here's more."

3103
02:14:49,454 --> 02:14:51,194
There's something
to be said for the fact

3104
02:14:51,238 --> 02:14:52,674
that sleeper success

3105
02:14:52,718 --> 02:14:54,588
will keep people talking
about them

3106
02:14:54,632 --> 02:14:57,201
a lot longer than artists
that are a lot more popular.

3107
02:14:58,464 --> 02:15:00,074
I think the fact that
they've always kept hungry

3108
02:15:00,117 --> 02:15:02,206
and consistently
pushed the envelope

3109
02:15:02,250 --> 02:15:04,643
is exactly why I wanted
to make this film.

3110
02:15:06,035 --> 02:15:07,689
Their songs are worlds

3111
02:15:07,733 --> 02:15:10,127
that you really need
to delve into,

3112
02:15:10,171 --> 02:15:12,869
but once you delve into 'em,
the rewards are incredible.

3113
02:15:14,610 --> 02:15:17,569
I wish I had that drive
or that commitment.

3114
02:15:17,612 --> 02:15:19,875
I'm just like, "Ah, fuck it.
I can't be bothered."

3115
02:15:20,920 --> 02:15:22,661
Some bands will give you
an outfit to wear,

3116
02:15:22,704 --> 02:15:25,055
and some bands will give you
a sewing machine

3117
02:15:25,099 --> 02:15:27,144
and some needle and some thread

3118
02:15:27,188 --> 02:15:29,102
and let you make what you want
but inspire you

3119
02:15:29,145 --> 02:15:30,756
and give you the energy
to make stuff.

3120
02:15:30,799 --> 02:15:32,975
And that's the kind of band
that Sparks is to me.

3121
02:15:34,500 --> 02:15:37,417
There's several
kind of archetypes of bands.

3122
02:15:37,460 --> 02:15:39,723
There's the bands
who are wildly popular

3123
02:15:39,766 --> 02:15:42,595
in their day and adulation,

3124
02:15:42,638 --> 02:15:45,554
and then there's bands
that sow all these seeds

3125
02:15:45,598 --> 02:15:50,124
and foment all these ideas
that grow up in other places.

3126
02:15:50,167 --> 02:15:52,996
And, uh, there's some
corollary in nature.

3127
02:15:53,040 --> 02:15:55,564
Like, we wouldn't survive
without the bees.

3128
02:15:55,608 --> 02:15:59,220
Sparks are part of
the ecosystem of music.

3129
02:15:59,263 --> 02:16:02,441
And they may have given birth
to other bands

3130
02:16:02,484 --> 02:16:07,141
who don't even know that
the lineage goes back to them.

3131
02:16:07,184 --> 02:16:10,013
They might not even
be aware of it.

3132
02:16:10,057 --> 02:16:15,497
♪ This is the number one song
in heaven ♪

3133
02:16:18,500 --> 02:16:20,590
♪ Written, of course

3134
02:16:20,634 --> 02:16:24,812
♪ By the mightiest hand

3135
02:16:27,640 --> 02:16:29,946
♪ All of the angels are sheep

3136
02:16:29,990 --> 02:16:34,474
♪ In the fold of their master

3137
02:16:36,693 --> 02:16:42,524
♪ They always follow
the master and his plan ♪

3138
02:16:45,832 --> 02:16:51,447
♪ This is the number one song
in heaven ♪

3139
02:16:54,885 --> 02:17:00,762
♪ Why are you hearing it now,
you ask ♪

3140
02:17:03,981 --> 02:17:06,984
♪ Maybe you're closer to here

3141
02:17:07,028 --> 02:17:10,118
♪ Than you imagine

3142
02:17:13,034 --> 02:17:15,210
♪ Maybe you're closer to here

3143
02:17:15,253 --> 02:17:19,823
♪ Than you care to be...

3144
02:17:27,177 --> 02:17:29,834
We fear that, over the course
of the documentary,

3145
02:17:29,878 --> 02:17:32,010
we have revealed
way more about ourselves

3146
02:17:32,054 --> 02:17:34,230
than we are comfortable with.

3147
02:17:34,273 --> 02:17:36,580
So, in an attempt to create
some further mystique,

3148
02:17:36,624 --> 02:17:39,016
we'd like to leave you
with a bunch of Sparks facts

3149
02:17:39,060 --> 02:17:41,758
that are all 100% true.

3150
02:17:41,802 --> 02:17:44,196
Russell has been
an uncredited voice actor

3151
02:17:44,240 --> 02:17:48,200
in 27 Hollywood animated
feature films.

3152
02:17:48,244 --> 02:17:51,507
Ron briefly dated EÉdith Piaf.

3153
02:17:51,551 --> 02:17:55,947
Russell is not singing in
English on Kimono My House.

3154
02:17:55,991 --> 02:17:58,428
Ron has worn
the same white shirt,

3155
02:17:58,471 --> 02:18:00,603
a shirt he purchased
at Marks and Spencer

3156
02:18:00,647 --> 02:18:04,781
in December 1973,
for the last 46 years.

3157
02:18:04,825 --> 02:18:08,133
Between 1989 and 1993,

3158
02:18:08,177 --> 02:18:11,137
Russell was a NASCAR driver.

3159
02:18:11,181 --> 02:18:13,748
Ron has written many novels
under the pen name

3160
02:18:13,791 --> 02:18:16,054
John le Carré.

3161
02:18:16,098 --> 02:18:17,839
After realizing
he was too small

3162
02:18:17,882 --> 02:18:19,580
to compete in college football,

3163
02:18:19,623 --> 02:18:23,496
Russell trained
for nine months as a jockey.

3164
02:18:23,540 --> 02:18:28,327
26 days before every tour,
Ron goes on the alphabet diet,

3165
02:18:28,371 --> 02:18:31,026
eating foods
in alphabetical order.

3166
02:18:31,069 --> 02:18:33,768
Day one: avocados or asparagus.

3167
02:18:33,811 --> 02:18:36,334
Day 26: zucchini.

3168
02:18:36,378 --> 02:18:38,990
In 1982, we started
the first ever

3169
02:18:39,034 --> 02:18:42,864
seahorse rehabilitation ranch,
Back in the Saddle.

3170
02:18:42,907 --> 02:18:45,650
The tragic decline
in the seahorse population

3171
02:18:45,694 --> 02:18:49,653
has been a cause
we've long felt strongly about.

3172
02:18:49,697 --> 02:18:51,874
Sparks really only
have two songs,

3173
02:18:51,917 --> 02:18:53,789
a fast one and a slow one.

3174
02:18:53,832 --> 02:18:56,313
We constantly rewrite
the lyrics for these songs

3175
02:18:56,356 --> 02:18:58,141
to give the appearance
of having written

3176
02:18:58,184 --> 02:19:00,446
nearly 300 songs.

3177
02:19:00,490 --> 02:19:02,361
And finally,
we would like to reveal

3178
02:19:02,405 --> 02:19:05,060
that Ron is really Russell.

3179
02:19:05,103 --> 02:19:08,020
And Russell is really Ron.

3180
02:19:11,806 --> 02:19:16,985
♪ This is the number one song
in heaven ♪

3181
02:19:19,858 --> 02:19:26,125
♪ Why are you hearing it now,
you ask ♪

3182
02:19:28,824 --> 02:19:31,957
♪ Maybe you're closer to here

3183
02:19:32,001 --> 02:19:35,178
♪ Than you imagine

3184
02:19:37,876 --> 02:19:40,096
♪ Maybe you're closer to here

3185
02:19:40,139 --> 02:19:44,622
♪ Than you care to be.