Sparks: Entertainment and Art episode two: Christian Huey! 

Glad you are enjoying the podcast and very excited that you're looking forward to the show! We'll have to get you on sometime!

Thank you Jo for your kind words. And let me assure you, you are VERY much of an inspiration to Nancy and me! Great admiration for all the interesting things you've done - and continue to do!

Messages like yours mean so much to me. I can't wait to have you on the show - you clearly have a lot of passion and love for the group and that comes across. Thank you again for your wonderful words

That would indeed explain it

Yes, that's right about Island - they wanted the English band

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words! Glad you are enjoying the shows and we will try to live up to your expectations!

Thank you so much Andy for those kind words!

Thanks for listening!!

I know that was insane wasn't it? I'm really grateful and the content was a complete surprise

Your girl friend must really love you in order to gift you some of those rare Sparks gems, eh Monte? I'm the same age as you so we can relate because we were both there at the time of lift off. That time being the spring of '74 & as a 14 yr old teenager in the UK, when I first heard 'This town' on the radio, it was a pivotal moment for me. I'd never heard anyone singing like that ever before. Russell blaring out all these indecipherable words at a phenomenally rapid pace was exactly the rush of energy that a teenager could want in his life. The next week they were on Top of the Pops, the uk chart show with live acts. Needless to say I was thinking 'Oh my god, this is gonna be my band'. My parents at the same time were awkwardly squirming & baffled at how their son could be loving this song & the totally bizarre band. The next day I bought the record & the B-side 'Barbecutie' was just as good as the A-side so things were going well. As Sparks moved up the charts to eventually peak for two weeks at no 2 they were hitting the newspapers & music magazines every week. I still have all the posters & cuttings I could find at the time that then filled my bedroom wall. The rest is history, I bought all the records & they've been a wonderful soundtrack of my life. Still are of course. I've already subscribed & I've got episode 3 to look forward to now so well done with all you're doing here Mr & many thanks. It's funny though watching you & Christian chatting that there is such an obvious age gap going on. His enthusiasm for Sparks is in no doubt although it's like watching somebody who's missed the most important part of the movie, the beginning, came in half way through, but still stayed to watch the rest. That must be so annoying & will be forever more to fans in the future. I'm interested to hear how you first got into Sparks too Monte? Living in the States they weren't really being promoted at that time or were they? All I can say is, I really appreciate the decades that I've lived to be on this planet at the same time as Sparks have been & I look forward to many more hopefully.

@@rsmith7912 thank you for these thoughtful words, which you clearly spent time putting together! I should clarify that Sarah isn't a girlfriend - my wife would be surprised to learn otherwise!! :) Loved your recount of how you got into the band. I think it's very, VERY rare that a band releases singles where the B-side is of the high quality of Barbecutie. Personally, I would have liked to have seen Barbecutie on the album - complaints and in my family are great songs, but I think Barbecutie tops them a bit. Just a personal view. As I've noted on the podcast, I think the different perspectives that Christian and I bring is a big part of what makes the dynamic work. Not so much the age difference per se; more that he comes to them from the synth world, and I come to them from the rock and roll "Sparks needs guitars" world. So we each bring that perspective to the conversations, and that ensures a robust discussion. Of course, we're well beyond those debates these dates - now it's all just Sparks music, however they choose to apply their talents! My own story about how I got into Sparks? Pretty much like lots of other folks here in the States. Saw them on Midnight Special and then Don Kirshner's, and I was hooked. Happy to elaborate if you'd like, but that's the crux of it. What's interesting is how so many others here in the States tell the same, or an extremely similar, story. Thanks again for being part of the show - I really appreciate it! Monte

@@montemallin7119 I'm sure your wife has no worries about your friend Sarah. I intentionally referred to her as your 'girl friend' rather than 'girlfriend' with a romantic connection. I suppose 'female friend' could have been a better choice of words but it's a funny one. It's the same subtle difference as saying how you can love someone rather than saying that you're in love with someone. Lol!

Thank you so much! It was indeed extremely special! I knew there were old 45s, but I had NO IDEA what was going to be in there. And then ending on the autographed one - what a treat!

Yes, I was very fortunate to receive them. Apologies for the late response, and thanks for listening, I appreciate it!

Thank you Mr Meta! Please feel free to share with your meta community!