Greetings! This channel features my new show, Sparks: Entertainment and Art, which is all about the band Sparks, led by Ron Mael and Russell Mael. They became well known back in 1974 with the hit This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us, and continue to make great music to this day. We feature fans, talking about why the band is so important to them on many different levels; the various ways that fans interpret their music, in particular their lyrics; and reflect on why they have been so successful for over 50 years now. With over 25 albums to their name, Sparks are an amazing story, and we're going to explore it here. Please join us!
! True a true artist will leave interpretation on to the viewer/ listener. I hate it when artist feel the need to explain things..Yeah Ron smiles, he wants you to think ! And not in one direction only TY this was a great interview on one of my fave Sparks songs
I have had an idea on Strange Animal for a very long time. I am not a musician, but an artist. And Strange Animal "spoke " to me as being a creative battle. ( thus the subtle and the jarring sound) Ron is fighting the various creative spirits that enter the human brain.. The battle between the old idea vs. the new intruder..The Stranger ... Who is getting ready and has entered his head. I do this when I am painting..I get ideas and sometimes the new Strange Animal that enters my mind and changes the whole complexion. The softness represents a comfortable way then suddenly the Strange Animal comes in and the fight begins and sometimes you give up and think "ohhh trash the whole thing"...and start over.. It is such a mental battle at times. But I agree We humans are the only animal who ...create.
Thank you for all your supportive comments! Very appreciated. Perhaps R and R will make a comment; but I'm not holding my breath for that! :) But we will continue to celebrate their wonderful music.
I've been loving them both but I just can't get enough of the Noel album. It's been my go-to album for a month now! Glad to have a hard copy! Can read those liner notes
@@montemallin7119 Actually, that was where I first learned about the album! I had already been sub'd before that and once I heard they were Rock/Metal covers, I was hooked!
I am one of the East Coast (US) unfortunates of Tosh's generation who had never heard of Sparks until I saw the promo for The Sparks Brothers on Netflix and thought, "Hmm, that looks interesting." From the first moment, I was hooked, but more and more tiny tentacles kept grabbing me: the David Watts video with no mention to the audience that it was the Kinks - and not showing Ray Davies at all; mentioning the Move - no one ever mentions the Move!; hearing Russell say about his mom, "Now that's a mom" because I was that mom; Ron's clear dislike for bands that I HATE; and on an on. By the time the film got to the 21x21 concerts, I was a hopeless case. When Tosh said, "...God came to me and said, 'Tosh, you must see every show' ", I thought, "there is someone who understands my idiotic passion for music." My husband said, "He's insane." I said, "He's me!" Within three days, I bought a fortuitous, lonely, first row (which turned into the 3rd row - Grrr) ticket for the Boston show, even though I didn't own any records and really didn't know much of anything ( I don't have a streaming service). Then I started watching all the RU-vid videos of the 21 shows while acquiring Sparks CDs one after another. But it was the Islington shows on RU-vid that gave me the first impression of the songs. I became a Big Beat apologist before knowing that that album wasn't considered cool. It was the 21 shows that made Sparks more than something special. By the time I viewed this episode of Sparks Entertainment and Art, 2.5 years later, I owned all the CDs, I had all the vinyl, I'd gotten lots of stuff I shouldn't have, I went to see Sparks in three different time zones, I played Sparks Heardle religiously until it disappeared (sob), I stood in line for my first Record Store Day to get the No 1 Song/Nöel bundle...yet I didn't have Tosh's book. After seeing this, I asked myself what took so long, and I ordered it. It arrived yesterday, my birthday. I started reading it last night. Thank you, Tosh, for helping me to experience what I never will. And thank you, Monte, for this "super special" RU-vid series.
Thank you for sharing your story - you're clearly a fellow Kinks fan! I've read your comment a couple times now as it has so much to say, and I'm so glad you took the time to write it. Tosh was indeed a wonderful guest and he'll appreciate your comments. One thing I want to add: sometimes I'm a little disappointed; I'm always a little disappointed that there are relatively few subscribers to the show (I'm working on it!), as I think the content is something that Sparks fans would really enjoy. But then I get notes like yours and it reminds me that's it's very, very worth it. Thank you for that!
@@montemallin7119 Hi Monte, yes, a fellow Kinks fan is an understatement. I think I'm a few years older than you are , and since 1970, when the Kinks were allowed back in the States, I have been a steadfast fan. They haven't performed together since 1995, but I'll always love them. When Dave Davies toured in the late 90s and early 00s, I was his de facto personal chef when he performed in the Boston area. It's a long story, but I've got great pics. It was so gratifying to hear R & R talk about loving the Kinks, the Who, and the Move at the beginning of TSB. Please know that LOTS of us are enjoying your show and look forward to every episode. Truly.
@@dwarfbeat1sounds like you have some great stories! Thanks for sharing that personal experience. And thanks again for enjoying the show I appreciate it!
Giving the people what they want my friend! And THAT's why we're soon going to have a 45 minute discussion on a single song! Do i know marketing or what?? :)
@@montemallin7119 ha! Exactly! That Noel reissue is great, and the glimpses were get into their process is something I hope we see a lot more of on future reissues. Imagine a Sparks Anthology collection like we got with The Beatles. The new songs haven’t clicked yet but they fit my theories, so I’ll probably do a video on this soon.
Totally understand that if I did that for years. I have to say though, hearing it on Spotify has brought out a number of new dimensions of the album for me. By the way if you haven't subscribed yet please do! Thanks!
Great inaugural episode if Quick Takes, Monte. Thank you 👍I too have been listening to the Rock and Roll Grad School episode featuring Noël. Not got to the interview bit yet so gotta get cracking and listen to that.. a treat in store methinks. ♥️
Thanks for the kind words on the channel! Spread the word, I want to grow it! As for the podcast, that's up to Mr. Huey but definitely will check in with him. We have an episode already recorded btw! :)
Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you like the show. I'm thinking a lot about how to expand it and make it more friendly to those who don't want 30 minutes interviews while also maintaining those interviews as the core of the show. Lots more to come!
Brilliant guest Monte, ordered the 21 nights book, how have I missed it so far ? Tosh expresses his adoration for the band in a vivid way. Really hope this show gets the views it so deserves. I did the first and last nights of 21 x 21, wish I'd had Tosh's determination !
Excellent interview! I remember watching the live 2008 shows on my computer and the video was pretty crappy but at least I got to hear some of the performances. It was an amazing time to be a Sparks fan for sure.
What a good episode! Tosh is a great interview, and hearing him talk about Sparks reminded me of my own in-person interview with him a few years ago. He is also an excellent writer, and I have his Sparks books as well as his poetry book and his autobiography. I really appreciate his rigor and his dedication, as well as his sense of humor. Thank you Monte for having him on your show.
Yes ! although I did not attend the 21 shows. I had been away from Sparks for a good while. This past year has been a wonderful rediscovery for me of things I might not of paid attention to..
Another great interview ! I too look forward to these ! I relate to the first time I "latched" on to Sparks. Bragin bin. Only mine was Propaganda. Picked up the album Loved the cover. First listen yep Love at first listen. No getting used to it. Wow a regret..not seeing all 21 shows Impressive !
What? Still only 158 subs? That's not right, it should be much higher! I'll be mentioning you're channel the next time I make a Sparks video, you are a big part of my week!
I appreciate that very much! It's a little puzzling to me and I know I'm not the best at self-promotion. As I say at the end of the videos, I do wish more people would subscribe just because of the content, and the opportunity to hear such wonderful individuals. I do think more people watch it than that but I also understand that not everybody wants to sit through half hour conversations these days. I feel that I'm filling a niche and I know that the folks who do watch it really love it and that's important to me. Thanks for all your support and please by all means share the word!
Being a Brit I remember seeing the 12” with its oversized label everywhere at some point in the past. It was a car-boot sale staple for 50p and in a lot of £1 bins at record fairs…..the over sized label always drew attention to itself This was pre-internet (for me anyway) so although I had heard it was Sparks from somewhere I wasn’t 100% convinced but picked them up to add to the collection not really to listen to. I only “dot and dabbed” it and not hearing Russel kinda convinced me that it wasn’t Sparks and although it had its place in the Sparks collection I don’t think I ever really played it through? ….still haven’t really and I must rectify that.
Very similar to my journey with the album - had it, never really listened, but since doing the PodCast with Christian I've started paying more attention to it, and gearing up for this conversation I listened to it and really came to appreciate it. Can't wait for the CD release! Thanks for commenting!
@@montemallin7119 …yeah , as time has gone on and revisionism has taken hold of a lot of things it’s gained a lot more kudos than it ever originally had. I have to honest with myself that I’m not a fan of that “disco” era of Sparks nor indeed of anybody…….i have a blank spot of its pleasure appeal to listen to…..although I enjoy No. 1 Song in Heaven album that’s a rarity for me……..I think I gave it an extra effort to enjoy it when it came out due to it being Sparks from their prior Island “golden 3” era I’m 61 now , so I was of the right age for the U.K. punk scene to steal my soul as a youngster looking for something to rebel against so I ended up ignoring most of Sparks output after Heaven , but the “I love Sparks” ember still glowed dimly in me. Without realising it I was picking up all the 80’s and 90’s output as and when I saw them at boot sales/ record fairs etc for minimum outlay , that wasn’t a planned attack just how it happened… I’ve now got every single LP of theirs including the rarer stuff , well all except the American “Half Nelson” release/sleeve ,but I have that on the U.K. “Two-fer “ release with Woofer …….its nice being able to practically ignore all the new expensive re-releases due to having the originals……but I’m still waiting in the wings for a re-release of a vinyl “ Plagiarism”
Suggestions for future interviewees: Violet Veselka (in a Portland band that plays Sparks music, incl. on the 50 Years Later CD) and Tyler Henry (actor and devoted Sparks fan in Nashville who makes amazing playlists and compilations, especially Bowie and Sparks, and sometimes performs their music.
Excellent discussion, guys. Thank you! I just listened to "Kimono My House - 50 Years Later." A highlight was "Lost And Found" by The Slightest Bits. Really great! Other tracks I especially liked were "Amateur Hour" by Tony Reed and “Complaints" by Chaosmonaut. Also good were "Thank God It's Not Christmas" by Sergeant Thunderfoot and “In My Family" by Black Helium. Among the rest there was some originality and there were some good sounds, but also some gruff vocals, and the worst sin a re-make can commit in my opinion, which is to stray from the original melody too much. Many of the tracks here don’t keep to the melody, and the alternate notes they choose aren’t better than the original, unfortunately. At least in my opinion. Love this podcast, Monte!
Great guest who I have so much in common with , my love of Wire equals his. In fact Wire , like Sparks ,is one of those bands who albums I continue to buy even though I may have been disappointed with their last album , sometimes even their last 3 or 4 past albums , they engender a feeling of perseverance and knowing that they’ll come right again given time.
Great talking guys. It's so wonderful that people like Tim get together to make such a respectful tribute album of the seminal 'Kimono My House'. It's my favourite album of all time & I really treasure my Ron & Russell signed cover of that brilliant record. Hearing how Tim got into Sparks is quite endearing really. He must have felt like Howard Hughes discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun realising he's found a place of wonder with so many treasures to find inside. Just like any new fan discovering the delights of Sparks.
Loved reading your comments and I agree that it must have been a great experience for Tim! Also blown away that he spent a year basically listening to nothing else but one band! Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts!
@@montemallin7119 That's true dedication isn't it Monte? Although I think he might change his mind soon on his favourite album after giving more time delving into the wonders of the Sparks catalogue!
I checked in with Tim on this. We concluded that it's got to be one of those regional things - apparently different countries and streaming services have different policies wrt cover versions on their platforms. Something to keep an eye on though. Frustrating.
What a wonderful interview! Ladle seems like a very nice lady! She was so lucky to have seen them live. When they came to Australia some time ago, I wasn't able to!
It's a pretty tall task to cover Sparks! Well done, Marty, insightful as always. I would be thoroughly impressed at a mere attempt to cover Indescrete in 2025.
Tremendously fun interview. Sparks fans are so varied. Terminal Jive is my least favorite Sparks album, but this guest loves it. I’ll have to check out the covers album. A shout out to The Slightest Bits!
The great thing about loving a band with 26 albums that's been around for over 50 years is the variation in the music, even though there are common elements that permeate throughout. It is truly amazing how there's options for everyone, and everyone has such different points of view. A big part of what motivates this show by the way!
